Can we moan about 'Atlas Shrugged'?

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:11

Pop quiz!

1. It's just a dire, terrible piece of work. Literally awful. Reading it kills me inside, piece by piece. 'But no, it's deep'. No, it is not, it is awful.

2. I'm a student and haven't read it but I've heard it's cool so it must be! Yay, Ran And! Or An Rannd! Or, uh, Ann Rand, or whatever your name is.

3. READ ALL THE STUFF!!

e: context is important

Cosimo · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:14

I'm happy to say that I've never heard any of these before. :cool:

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:15

Well, 'any of those' is actually the one piece of work but hey ho

I'm going to put you down as a (1).

Sankari · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:19

Atlas Shrugged: history's least influential philosophical work, by history's least influential philosopher.

The movie was rubbish too:

Atlas Shrugged: Part I is in many ways charmingly oblivious to its inherent contradictions and the fact that its capitalist titans appear to be squatting in old, abandoned Dynasty sets, eating food-court baked potatoes.

Ayn Rand's monumental 1,168-page, 1957 novel gets the low-budget, no-talent treatment and sits there flapping on screen like a bludgeoned seal.

The first in a proposed trilogy, "Atlas Shrugged: Part 1" is nearly as stilted, didactic and simplistic as Rand's free-market fable.

To quote: 'The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often [leads] to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.'

Weebull · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:26

Guys I don't know what you're on about, I haven't read the whole book (who has time??), but I read the cover and now it's clear to me that a free market, low taxation economy, leading to a greater divide between rich and poor (as long as I'm on the rich side!!) is the best way forward for humanity.

You guys must be brainwashed communists or something. :confused:

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:29

Evangelion said:
Why is it this terrible and oh God it is awful

Going to put you down as a (1), sir

Weebull said:
It might be the worst thing ever written, make it stop being published, please!

Seconded.

e : and sorry for the rather harsh edits, guys

but the movie was, as Evangelion said, just utterly awful. There's a very large thread which I can't link to due to swearies which rips it to shreads so, hmm, maybe I can think about how to do this appropriately.

Narj · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:31

After reading the synopsis on Wikipedia I have to say that this sounds like a really interesting story concept and that I'm tempted to read it, but seeing as it gets slated so much, I'll probably give it a miss.

Why all the hate for a book anyway, guys? There's tonnes of dross out there so why focus upon one in particular? Or does it offend your political beliefs or something? :confused:

EDIT: Surprised this thread hasn't mentioned L.Ron Hubbard yet.

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Apr 2012 at 10:57

PianoBasher said:
After reading the synopsis on Wikipedia I have to say that this sounds like a really interesting story concept

Ok, I don't disagree. So why - apart from the fact that the author is all kinds of crazy - do we end up with a terrible book?

and that I'm tempted to read it, but seeing as it gets slated so much, I'll probably give it a miss.

Well, no, you should read it if you want to spend hours working through badly expressed monologues and trains of consciousness to ultimately wonder why you even bothered. Yay!

Why all the hate for a book anyway, guys?

It's not just a book. It's a terrible book.

There's tonnes of dross out there so why focus upon one in particular? Or does it offend your political beliefs or something?

Nothing political from me, it's just a terrible book picked up by the soft of thought and then used as a cry for attention/help/meds.

EDIT: Surprised this thread hasn't mentioned L.Ron Hubbard yet.[/QUOTE]

Sankari · 1 Apr 2012 at 11:16

Weebull said:
I read the cover

LOL.

and now it's clear to me that a free market, low taxation economy, leading to a greater divide between rich and poor (as long as I'm on the rich side!!) is the best way forward for humanity.

You got all that from the cover? Seriously?

'What's good for me' is not necessarily 'the best way forward for humanity.' I personally believe that what's good for me is several billion dollars, my own private island and a hand-picked harem, but that won't do much for anyone else.

The best way forward for humanity is what's best for all. This will involve: (a) democracy, (b) progressive taxation, (c) a strong social contract (including universal healthcare), and (d) a smaller gap between rich and poor.

You guys must be brainwashed communists or something.

Yeah, we must be. After all, you read the cover. :rolleyes:

PianoBasher said:
Why all the hate for a book anyway, guys? There's tonnes of dross out there so why focus upon one in particular?

Because it has a cult following amongst Rand's blinkered followers, who spam American schools with it every year while insisting against all the evidence that it is in fact a work of genius.

Think of L. Ron Hubbard's book Dianetics, or anything equally ludicrous, like a book about English grammar written by someone from Essex. It's very much that sort of thing.

Or does it offend your political beliefs or something?

Actually it offends my socio-economic preferences, but that's beside the point.

EDIT: Surprised this thread hasn't mentioned L.Ron Hubbard yet.

It has now.

Castiel · 1 Apr 2012 at 11:23

I've never heard of it.........

semi-pro waster · 1 Apr 2012 at 11:30

Evangelion said:
Yeah, we must be. After all, you read the cover.

While assuming the worst about some posters here wouldn't always prove to be unfounded I'd feel fairly safe in saying that Weebull was being rather sarcastic about the whole thing.

I can't say I've read the novel myself, it doesn't really appeal on any level apart from perhaps to see what all the fuss is about. Normally if I'm going to criticise something I prefer to have a bit more knowledge but I fear that here it's not worth the time to criticise.

Oh and I moved this to M&BO since Books are a part of the sub-forum too.

[FnG]magnolia · 1 Apr 2012 at 11:38

Evangelion said:
LOL.

You got all that from the cover? Seriously?

'What's good for me' is not necessarily 'the best way forward for humanity.' I personally believe that what's good for me is several billion dollars, my own private island and a hand-picked harem, but that won't do much for anyone else.

The best way forward for humanity is what's best for all. This will involve: (a) democracy, (b) progressive taxation, (c) a strong social contract (including universal healthcare), and (d) a smaller gap between rich and poor.

Yeah, we must be. After all, you read the cover.

Because it has a cult following amongst Rand's blinkered followers, who spam American schools with it every year while insisting against all the evidence that it is in fact a work of genius.

Think of L. Ron Hubbard's book Dianetics, or anything equally ludicrous, like a book about English grammar written by someone from Essex. It's very much that sort of thing.

Actually it offends my socio-economic preferences, but that's beside the point.

It has now.

Ah, not sure he was being serious, in fact fairly sure he wasn't

Damn you Ayn Rand, damn you to HELL !

Meridian · 1 Apr 2012 at 12:18

Evangelion said:
LOL.

You got all that from the cover? Seriously?

I think you need to recalibrate your sarcasm meter.

M

Edrof · 1 Apr 2012 at 12:53

Didn't it inspire Bioshock? If so, at least something of use came from it. I loved the Bioshock world, although the game-play was a bit tedious.

Alex74 · 1 Apr 2012 at 12:54

Edrof said:
Didn't it inspire Bioshock? If so, at least something of use came from it. I loved the Bioshock world, although the game-play was a bit tedious.

Yeaaa at least a decent game came out of it tbh..

Freakbro · 1 Apr 2012 at 13:01

Ahh, Ayn Rand...

She was covered in 1 of the 3 parts BBC documentary "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace"

Which was an interesting Documentary in general, I do remember she had some interesting, if dodgy concepts, and had a lot of influence of Alan Greenspan...which was worrying.

Sankari · 1 Apr 2012 at 15:19

Castiel said:
I've never heard of it.........

I am not in the least bit surprised.

Meridian said:
I think you need to recalibrate your sarcasm meter.

M

Oops.

Edrof said:
Didn't it inspire Bioshock? If so, at least something of use came from it. I loved the Bioshock world, although the game-play was a bit tedious.

Objectivism was part of the Bioshock storyline, yes. I wouldn't say the entire game was inspired by it.

[FnG]magnolia · 2 Apr 2012 at 03:01

Freakbro said:
Ahh, Ayn Rand...

She was covered in 1 of the 3 parts BBC documentary "All Watched Over By Machines Of Loving Grace"

Which was an interesting Documentary in general, I do remember she had some interesting, if dodgy concepts, and had a lot of influence of Alan Greenspan...which was worrying.

Did it talk about her belief that she was one of the three most important philosophers the world had ever seen? Or that her writing style seems almost designed to be laborious to read with very little output at the end?

Top Cat · 2 Apr 2012 at 07:03

I haven't read it but I've read summaries of her beliefs and she's a bit strange.