Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed

Mean Girl: Ayn Rand and the Culture of Greed (American Studies Now: Critical Histories of the Present Book 8) by Lisa Duggan

With a title like "Mean Girl", it is obvious that this is not a lauditory account of Rand's life. It comes from a left-wing view that views Rand as attractive to greedy right-wingers. It is neither a biography of Rand, nor a history of objectivist philosophy, but explores the philosophy in the context of her life. She was born in Russia and immigrated to the United States to work in Hollywood. She saw communism and other collectivist activities as an impediment to individuality and growth. Her writings have been attractive to very contradictory groups. Her sexual views are attractive to queers. The religious-right aligns with her critiques of government intervention. Trump seems to be one of the "villains" in Rand's book, yet admires her pro-business stance. Rand has inspired many that would probably be repugnant to Rand herself. That itself can be a sign of the power of her ideas.

Anthem

Anthem is a lot like Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged, only much shorter and more extreme. (It even has soliloquy advocating Rand's philosophy, but keeps it short.) The story is set in a communist dystopia. There is now "I". Everything is done for the collective good. People with above average intelligence are brought down. Mating is an organized process done through the eugenics board. Careers are picked by the organization. There is little freedom.

The protagonist discovers some relics from the past. He eventually discovers electric light. He believes all scholars will be grateful when he presents it. Instead, they are frightened and seek to punish him. How dare he step out of line. He eventually hooks up with a woman that he noticed and they decide that they will not let the world take their minds.

The story is reminiscent of Brave New World.  It presents the exaggerated view of what a collectivist society could be like. Equality created by bringing down all the high achievers leads to mediocrity.

Atlas Shrugged

Atlas Shrugged is a really long book. Over 60 hours of audiobook. Luckily, you can listen at 3 times speed. Still, it is long.

The book takes place primarily in an industrialized, fictionalized version of the United States. There are a large number of companies competing against each other in various industries. Some companies have faltered, while others have grown. The "losers" have worked with the government to help protect their interests. Regulations and cartels are meant to prevent some companies from getting too big and ensuring that everyone has equal opportunity. There are even some individual factories that attempt pure "communism", with everyone getting paid what they need. Alas, this regulation just makes things worse. Companies find it is easier to get cozy with regulators than to provide viable goods and services. Colorado proves to be the exception, with businesses flocking there. However, the regulators put an end to that with taxes and regulation. Eventually, regulation gets out of hand, with companies "frozen" at their current levels and guaranteeing everyone jobs. There is little incentive to work. The only real responsibility people have is ensuring that they can't be blamed if something bad happens. The country is falling apart.

The heroes of the book are industrial magnates. Dagny Taggart knows how to run a railroad. Henry Reardon has created stronger, lighter steel alloy. Neither try to curry favor with politicians and are greatly persecuted. There are many others. Through the first two "books" of this book, characters often ask "Who is John Galt?" In the third book, we finally meet him.

The first two books present an indictment of the lazy "rent seekers" People that innovate and work hard help to improve the world. There are many lower-level employees that do the best they can at their jobs. There are also many others that are just collecting a paycheck. At the top, there are plenty of company leaders that do all they can to avoid blame rather than make difficult decisions. Communism in deed (if not name) is condemned due to the corruption it engenders. Sure, there are parts that sound good. However, in practice, it is a system that is easily manipulated by corrupt rulers. Corruption brings down almost all of society.  A leftist reading of the book could easily read this as an example of a failed implementation of a system. (You could even argue it is a failure of fascism, as the "oligarchs" of industry are in cahoots with the government.) The "corrupt" bureaucrats are very similar to what we often see in society today. Seattle Public Schools seems to be the perfect epitome of the corruption in the book. The leadership does a great job of "saying nothing". There never seems to be somebody that takes responsibility for anything challenging. If things do get difficult, they just through out the word "equity" to try to bring down any opposing argument.

In the third book, we are introduced to John Galt's mountain utopia. Here all of the most creative leaders are living in peace and harmony. They can be greedy, yet still willing to do menial jobs to build up their local community. The titans of industry decamp to the wilderness to become hippies. 

The book then proceeds to really go off the deep end. Everything is falling apart in society. However, the government does manage to build a highly destructive "Sound bomb." (This will eventually destroy the one railway bridge across the Mississippi.) The South American governments attempt to nationalize a copper mining multinational. However, right before the takeover is announced, all the mines and equipment are destroyed and all money is gone from all accounts. (But not until after all workers have been paid.) Things are looking really bad. To reassure the population a big speech is announced. However, right before the speech is to take place, John Galt takes over the airwaves and gives a three hour speech on the Ayn Rand's objectivism philosophy and the "leader strike". (This actually lasts three hours in the regular speed audiobook!) The speech blathers on and on and on. After the speech, the nation further falls apart. The government tries to track down Galt and get him to "fix" the economy. His suggestion is to back off. They won't do that. The nation further disintegrates. Galt's friends stage a commando raid to rescue him and go off to their Utopia.

Atlas Shrugged has some good ideas. It also has a lot of long-winded nonsense. Rand's philosophy seems to be taken up by libertarian leaders of industry. Yet John Galt spends most of his time as a regular laborer. He works hard at what he does, and doesn't aspire for more. Like in the Fountainhead, Rand shows respect for people that are willing to put their entire mind and effort into manual labor. The industry leaders that focus on providing a valuable service for people and the economy are also respected. The "greedy" bureaucrats that merely want to maximize profitability are pilorried.

 The philosophy from the characters can be summed up as: "Work hard. Be true to yourself. Do what you feel is best. Don't try to dictate what other people should do." As part of this, you should seek out more knowledge to better understand what is best and be willing to change. Just because everyone else thinks it is right does not mean it is so. The book is very critical of both big companies and big government. Both are a drain on the economy when they focus on bureaucracy and status quo rather than societal improvements. Rand also has an interesting take on morality and religion. Characters engage in multiple marriages and affairs. Many will retain a marriage while knowing an affair is happening. Others use it as a means to stop. Religion seems to be a non-entity in her works. Both morality and religion are 'non-entities' in a world where people are focussing on their own personal gain. 

Take out the third book and the philosophy that is indirectly expressed is fairly convincing. There is a strong condemnations of those that "mooch" on others. People can fall into systems because they expect to receive excess benefit. However, they don't realize that they could also be the one sacrificing their excess. The third book tries to drill home this and many other points. It reaches too far and adds too much to be believable. The in your face philosophising brings it down even further. The novel that starts out with a bunch of autistic industrial leaders ends with unbelievable superheroes living happily ever after. 

The Fountainhead

I started reading Fountainhead a few decades ago. In the process I fell in love with architecture. However, I never did manage to finish it. Now was the time to finally make it through. It was worth it. The book has a strong reputation among the more right-leaning crowd. There are a few libertarian soliloquies. However, there is plenty from the other sides also. 

Fountainhead focuses on the lives of two architects: Howard Roark and Peter Keating. Roark has strong idealistic principles. He feels that architecture is a special art and that an architect is bound to idealistic principles. He will not sacrifice these principles for any whims of those commissioning his work. Because of this, he is kicked out of architecture school. However, he does have great talent and is able to get some jobs, though his principles continue to cause him trouble. Eventually, he joins with a senior modernist architect (who is now out of favor). They do some limited great work together. Roark goes out on his own and gets some commissions from people who agree with his vision. However, he is often ridiculed. When his firm fails, he is perfectly fine doing manual labor. (Maybe this is what made the book so appealing when working a manual labor job.) 

Keating is a friend of Roark from the school days who goes on the opposite path. He does not have the skills of Roark, yet he is willing to schmooze and follow the rules. He graduates from school. He gets a good job. He rises to heights in the architecture profession. He marries a beautiful woman. Along the way he attempts to attract Roark to his path on numerous times. Roark works for his company, yet is turned away. A few times Roark helps Keating on his designs, essentially designing buildings that Keating takes credit for. Roark is fine with this. Keating, however, is much more challenged by Roark.

Dominique Francon is the woman. She is perhaps the most complex. She falls in love with Roark, the anonymous laborer. They are clandestine lovers while at the same time she is complicit in efforts to ruin Roark's career. He is greatly turned on by him, but can't find any way in which she can have any strength in the relationship. She later married Peter Keating. She is.a prize wife, but they have a passionless relationship (in spite of her giving in to his desires.) She divorces him and then is married to a newspaper magnate. This is a more challenging and fulfilling relationship. However, both of them are admirers of Roark and his talents and idealism.

Ellsworth Toohey is the architecture critic who despises Roark. He  helps bring up other architects, such as Keating, only to brush them aside later. He attempts to speak "for the people", but is really just spattering off his own beliefs. He goes through elaborate schemes to bring him down. He encourages a wealthy man to have Roark design a "temple for humanity", then criticizes the structure, ruining Roark and his firm.

It feels that all the other characters are just there to push Roark in one direction or the other. However, he will just not move. He seems to have a case of high functioning autism. He has great skill. He cares that the buildings are right. He does not really care about people or the praise of men. He would much rather have a building built "right" than have credit for it. He is also drawn towards other artists with artwork that he admires. His architectural ideals sometimes are in line with those of society, but more often they are out of step. He has relationships with other people, but seems to have few tight binds. He is perfectly willing to forgive people for atrocious wrongs without holding any grudge. (He remained close to both people who had married the only woman he was close to.) The one thing that he cannot stand is violation of his art. He destroys a building that had been modified from his plan. 

While the book is often held up as a libertarian magnum opus, it can be easily be adapted by the left. Even somebody like Greta Thunberg has some Roark in her. There is a strong unwavering passion. There is little concern for what others say or do. The work is the joy. Many musicians and other artists are focussing on their art today. They refuse to "sell out" and become a Keating. They would much rather stay true like Roark. If fame comes, so be it. They will take it, but won't let it change them.