Ayn Rand

[Aike]

Very briefly:

@ETOTE, Communism ≠ state ownership. A society where property is owned in common does not equal to a society where it is owned by a bunch of bureaucrats.

@memechose, what Marx meant by capitalism being "built into" communism is that the development of the capitalist mode of production provides the preconditions of communism (large-scale industry, technological development, forms of social collaboration etc.), like the feudalistic society provided the conditions for the emergence of capitalism.

[HumbleTangerine]

Okay, I'm back on my trip now. I've read like 10% of Atlas Shrugged and have no desire to continue. It's really bad literature; characters are seen purely as vessels to convey philosophical messages and as such turn out completely unnatural and awkward. Likewise, conversations are stale and really unsubtle; her intentions are always so obvious and emphasized that dialogue is manipulated unnaturally at every turn to make a certain point. I MIGHT finish it, but I probably won't.

[Virge]

Okay, I'm back on my trip now. I've read like 10% of Atlas Shrugged and have no desire to continue. It's really bad literature; characters are seen purely as vessels to convey philosophical messages and as such turn out completely unnatural and awkward. Likewise, conversations are stale and really unsubtle; her intentions are always so obvious and emphasized that dialogue is manipulated unnaturally at every turn to make a certain point. I MIGHT finish it, but I probably won't.

That's Understandable and WELCOME BACK! Jay prepped me about the same issue about the characters after I read the first 2 chapters of Atlas Shrugged.. but HumTanger, if you think she's bad about allegorical characters that are nothing but vehicles to convey morality and philosophy you need to read/wade through a few Roman or Greek tragedies and try to imagine how they found they were entertainment.

I made it through "For the New Intellectual" which is essays and excerpts from her books just to absorb more about her. To be honest I have a great deal of trouble not agreeing with the entire basic premises of her arguments... and I'm still trying.

You missed quite a bit.
They finally put a bathroom in the GS lounge so we don't have to piss in a bucket anymore.
Iceblink got a tiara and a cape for breaking 1000 points and thinks he's the queen post whore.
Etote thinks he's a bonobo.
Homosexuality has a purpose.
I admitted being addicted to crack and am getting help.

I'm sure others will help you catch up.

[ETOTE]

^are there other places you like to stick that finger besides a nostril? (my gutter)

There is a 3rd installment of Atlas Shrugged coming out in theatres soon.
Will probably see it just out of curiosity.

[Pix]

Okay, I'm back on my trip now. I've read like 10% of Atlas Shrugged and have no desire to continue. It's really bad literature; characters are seen purely as vessels to convey philosophical messages and as such turn out completely unnatural and awkward. Likewise, conversations are stale and really unsubtle; her intentions are always so obvious and emphasized that dialogue is manipulated unnaturally at every turn to make a certain point. I MIGHT finish it, but I probably won't.

It was so bad that I couldn't even get through listening to it as an audio book while I did housework. And yeah, it's the characters and how she portrayed them that killed it for me than anything else. Don't forget how you can also tell the good guys from the bad by their appearance (something I'd outgrown in my own writing by the time I was 11) and I mean to the point I couldn't help but think of good and bad witches of Oz.

At the time I knew people who admired her and recommended the book highly so I tried really hard (first getting the book, giving up on it, and then trying the audio). But despite that I can handle about any trash (can even find it unintentionally funny) it was too much of forced, over the top and frankly absurd characters. I guess you have to care a lot more about philosophy and ideology than characters to like it, but as for me I need a good story and characters instead.