Speaking of Ms. Rand...
Posted by in Living at 2:27 a.m. on June 15th, 20040 Comments 0 Pings
As I’m struggling through “Atlas Shrugged”, I figured I’d Google Ms. Ayn Rand. I came across this letter from 1941:
Ayn Rand was an important person. You rarely see such conviction in conservative philosophers. What I hear in this paragraph is that, goodness gracious, if Hitler can do it, why can’t I? I will take over the world, and I’ll become one rich motherfucker doing it. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it.
You say, what can one man do? When the Communists came to power in Russia, they were a handful of eighteen men. Just eighteen. In a country of [170,000,000] population. They were laughed at and no one took them seriously. According to their own prophet, Karl Marx, Russia was the last country in which Communism could be historically possible, because of Russia’s backwardness in industrial development. Yet they succeeded. Because they knew what they wanted and went after it historical destiny or no historical destiny. Adolf Hitler started the Nazi Party in Germany with seven men. He was laughed at and considered a harmless crank. People said that after the Versailles Treaty Germany could not possibly become a world power again, not for centuries. Yet Hitler succeeded. Because he knew what he wanted and went after it history or no history. Shall we believe in mystical fates or do something about the future?
Ayn Rand was an important person. You rarely see such conviction in conservative philosophers. What I hear in this paragraph is that, goodness gracious, if Hitler can do it, why can’t I? I will take over the world, and I’ll become one rich motherfucker doing it. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it.