Author: Heather Wagenhals

More on Ayn Rand and The Incredibles

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

The new movie The Incredibles received a terrific write-up in yesterday’s Washington Times. The review begins:

For decades, kids have enjoyed following the out-of-this-world exploits of comic-book heroes, learning along the way about courage and the need for good to triumph over the plots of those possessed by evil. Every generation must learn its own duty to sacrifice and fight for the good.
But lately, ever since the first “Spiderman” live-action movie roared at the box office, fans of the long-lasting Marvel Comics stable of superheroes have been inundated with big, noisy, expensive blockbusters bringing these two-dimensional pen-and-ink heroes to life. Unfortunately, in attempting to dramatize Marvel honcho Stan Lee’s formula ? paper heroes deepened on the page by troubled private lives in their worlds of secret identity ? these films have all suffered in varying degrees, growing ever more dark and gloomy, almost hopeless.
While the “Spiderman” films have retained a fraction of whimsy, movies like “Daredevil” and “The Incredible Hulk” have left many fans wishing they had seen more righteous heroism and less sulky realism. In the final analysis, superhero comics work best when the reader is inspired, not left seeking Dr. Phil. Complex superheroes can make for a nice, dramatic storyline, but when they’re so tortured by personal demons, they can’t be very super, can they?
For those who like their heroes a little less super-serious than the superhuman characters of old, there is a surprisingly mature option: Pixar’s new cartoon “The Incredibles.” This film unfolds like a comic book, with lots of action. But between its animated lines, it offers real lessons about heroism, the use of talents and commitment to family. It’s not often a cartoon carries a line where a child worries, “Mom and Dad’s life could be in jeopardy … or even worse … their marriage.”

See the full review for additional information about this apparently-terrific, and refreshing, film.

Movies: Shattered Glass and The Cooler

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

Robert Hessen (who wrote several essays for The Objectivist in the 1960s) forwards us the following two mini-reviews:

Two movies, new on DVD. One is wonderful, the other dismal. Shattered Glass is the story of Stephen Glass, a young writer at The New Republic who, in 1998, was exposed as a fabulist who invented the people and events in his widely-read non-fiction stories. Hayden Christensen plays Glass, whose panic is palpable as his forgeries are about to revealed; Peter Sarsgaard plays Charles Lane, the editor who ferrets out the facts; and Chloe Sevigny is the staff writer who wants to believe Glass is a victim because she finds him so charming and vulnerable. It is a great drama, so the DVD rental fee carries my money-back guarantee.
The other film is The Cooler, which garnered great reviews for William H. Macy’s performance as a man with such bad luck that his touch or mere presence can end a winning streak for high-rollers in the Las Vegas casino where he works to pay off his gambling debts to the casino boss, gangster Alec Baldwin. Fed up with his loveless life, Macy resolves to quit and move away, so Baldwin arranges for a beautiful cocktail waitness, Maria Belli, to seduce him and thus entice him to stay. Unexpectedly, they fall in love, etc. The whole story is preposterous; the plotholes would fill up Grand Canyon. You could better spend the two hours cleaning out your garage or alphabetizing your recipes.

Note also that Shannon Ringvelski wrote a full-length review of Shattered Glass a few months ago for the Atlasphere.

Ayn Rand Institute's Andrew Bernstein in So Cal

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

The Ayn Rand Institute has announced two coming events in Southern California featuring writer and lecturer Andrew Bernstein.
The first is a debate at USC on Friday, Nov. 12, 2004 titled “Capitalism: Is There a Moral Alternative?” Dr. Bernstein will be debating Dr. Peter Robinson at 6:30 in SGM-123 (Seeley G. Mudd).
The second event is a lecture by Dr. Bernstein in Irvine on Thursday, November 11, 2004:

Global Capitalism

The opponents of global capitalism overlook the key points in the debate. The capitalistic nations of Europe, North America and Asia are by far the wealthiest societies of history?with per capita incomes in the range of at least $20,000-$30,000 annually. But capitalism is not merely the system of prosperity; fundamentally, it is the system of individual rights and freedom.
Capitalistic nations protect their citizens? freedom of speech, of the press and of intellectual expression. Similarly, their citizens possess economic freedom, including the right to own property, to start their own businesses and to seek profit. By stark contrast, the pre-capitalist systems of history, and the non-capitalist systems of the present, are politically oppressive and economically destitute; their citizens have few or no rights and, consequently, little or no wealth.
What deeper principles make possible the freedom and wealth enjoyed under capitalism?and lacking in its political antipodes? How has capitalism already greatly enhanced the lives of millions of human beings in formerly impoverished Third World countries? What can the men of the free world do to further promote the spread of capitalism into the repressed nations of the globe? These are the questions Dr. Andrew Bernstein addresses in his talk.
THIS EVENT IS FREE TO THE PUBLIC
LOCATION and DETAILS:
Hyatt Regency Irvine
17900 Jamboree Road
Irvine, California 92614
Bookstore opens: 6:30 PM
Presentation: 7:30 PM to 8:30 PM
Q & A: 8:30 PM to 9:30 PM
Reception: follows until 10 PM
For more information about the event, call 949-222-6550

Star and Buc Wild Cite Ayn Rand

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

[UPDATE (1/18/05): It turns out that the first-person excerpt below was not written by Star, but by a poser. See the updated entry on this topic for more information.]
We’re not sure whether to file this under “media citings” or a new category called “media we could do without”… A duo named “Star and Bucwild” have been getting serious morning radio airtime on hip hop stations in New York City (Hot 97) and Philadelphia (Power 99). One of them is a big fan of Ayn Rand’s work.
As one Atlasphere member wrote to us, “Star sounds like Urkel’s creepy, brain damaged uncle. It was very odd to hear him cite Rand. … This will be a good test of whether just getting Rand’s name out is worthwhile despite the context, the speaker, and the severely muddled message.”
Indeed. Here’s a sample:

When we went to LA. we started a Cable Access show called Universal Player Haters. Buck was just a kid. He was 13, 14 years old. He was big into Dance Hall. I was like make some money, be famous. He?s not really a hater. I?m a hater. A player hater is someone who hasn?t achieved the things that a person has. A hater has achieved. We used to be player haters. But we?ve elevated. A haters ideology isn?t just what have you done to me but what the fuck have you done for me? A hater isn?t some one who is miserable with themselves or frustrated. I read a book by an author named Ayn Rand. She wrote the Fountain Head and Atlas Shrugged. She was an atheist. She said things like embracing your ego and being confident. Being objective. Is Nelly really all that or is he being pounded into our head until we know his music? Like my thing with Tigger, it?s not personal. It?s business. It?s questioning his whole aura. The bellhop yasaboss negro. Just happy all the time. Every body?s his fucking cousin. What the fuck are you so happy about?

Okay … NEXT!

Follow-up Comments from Don Parrish

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

Don Parrish sent the following comments after we posted his article on “The Case for Badnarik“:

Thanks for a very nice editing job on my article. I was pleased with the result. If I had known that John Hospers was writing the case for Bush, I would have mentioned that my first Libertarian vote for President was in 1972 for Dr. Hospers, a man I admire very much. I met him in 1972 at the first Libertarian convention in Denver.
The last time I spoke to him was a few years ago at a TOC summer seminar. I told him that my favorite speech of his to a Libertarian group was entitled “To Keep Time With” in Dallas in 1974. He smiled at me and informed me it was his favorite speech too!! A kind of magic moment!!
Today I read his excellent, impassioned cry of the heart for Bush. It was vintage Hospers. I would love to team up with him on an attack-a-thon on Kerry! It was very appropriate for you to inform the Atlasphere that you could not get a case for Kerry!
If we were having a public discussion, I would point out that Libertarians who agree with Dr. Hospers should follow his advice if they live in a battleground state, but should follow my advice otherwise. He is emphasizing the short term and I, the long term.
Short term thinking can apply in the battleground states, but it is a waste in the majority of states. Libertarians who live, for example, in California, New York, Texas or Illinois should follow my suggestion and vote for Badnarik because there is nothing that will change the outcome in those states. Voting for Badnarik will have the practical effect of signaling President Bush in his second term to move in a more Libertarian direction.

'Apprentice' Bill Rancic and The Fountainhead

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

Sounds like Bill Rancic (winner of last season’s The Apprentice, starring Donald Trump) knows where to turn for inspiration. From the Chicago Tribune‘s description of Rancic’s home:

The master bedroom, on the third floor, is large but not outrageously so, with a fireplace, a vaulted ceiling and a balcony that looks out over the back yard shared with the main house. The walls are a dark, mossy taupe with white trim, and heavy black velvet curtains block out the light.
On his nightstand is a copy of Ayn Rand’s The Fountainhead. Clearly, architecture and the perils of selling out are on the mind.

No indication, yet, whether he is actually a fan of the novel. But he seems like someone who should be.

The Real Meaning of Labor Day

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

The Joplin Globe has printed a terrific Labor Day column by ARI columnist Fredric Hamber, which begins:

It is fitting that the most productive nation on earth should have a holiday to honor its work. The high standard of living that Americans enjoy is hard-earned and well-deserved. But the term “Labor Day” is a misnomer. What we should celebrate is not sweat and toil, but the power of man’s mind to reason, invent and create.
Several centuries ago, providing the basic necessities for one’s survival was a matter of daily drudgery for most people. But Americans today enjoy conveniences undreamed of by medieval kings. Every day brings some new useful household gadget, or a new software system to increase our productivity, or a breakthrough in biotechnology.
So, it is worth asking: Why do Americans have no unique holiday to celebrate the creators, inventors, and entrepreneurs who have made all of this wealth possible – the men of the mind?

Read the full article.
Our own Craig Ceely has also published a recent column about Labor Day.

More on Joss Whedon and Ayn Rand

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

Last week I noted that fans of Joss Whedon’s Firefly had discovered, and were enjoying, Monica White’s review for the Atlasphere.
A new thread has begun on a discussion board devoted specifically to Firefly. This group seems more sympathetic to Monica’s analogy between Joss Whedon (and his hero, Mal Reynolds) and Ayn Rand’s heroes.
Here are a few choice quotes from various participants:

“I looooooove Ayn Rands work, maybe that is why I love Firefly. I never really noticed parallels between her books and the whole creation of FF, but now that I think about it, there really are so many.”
“Me too. I hadn’t noticed it either, until someone else pointed it out. Monica, the author, described it well. Her article should sell some more DVDs and movie tickets, too. :)”
“I’m so SICK of seeing television shows that have promise get RUINED because they end up being run by committee and the one guy with the real vision gets pushed out. Shows like Firefly (and I’ll say B5 too because JMS ran his ship tightly too) maintain consistent levels of excellence *because* there’s a real bossperson with whom the buck truly stops.”
“I couldn’t agree more. There are many, many examples of shows that have been destroyed that way. I suspect the purpose of committees is to cover for and carry those who lack the talent of a Joss or JMS. It doesn’t work.”
“There’s a line in Atlas Shrugged, said mainly by John Galt… ‘I swear, by my life and my love of it, that I will never live for the sake of another man, nor ask another man to live for mine.’ Sounds a bit Mal-ish, don’t it? Only it predates Firefly by about 45 years. That’s kind of Rand’s overriding philosophy, and I think it complements nicely. That’s why I love Firefly… loved Atlas Shrugged first, and Mal is Rand’s kind of hero, IMHO.”
“The setting may be a bit dated today, but AS is still a terrific book. I agree, Mal is a Randian kind of hero.”
“Yes, *very* Mal-like! I think Mal would have a copy of “Atlas Shrugged” at his bedside.”
“You know, it just goes to show what an intelligent, well-written show Firefly was/is. You don’t see people making favorable literary references to things like ‘Joe Millionaire’ or ‘Fear Factor’. Now…how to get Fox et al to give the public credit for having some brains!”

See the full discussion if it interests you.

CRF: Dodgers GM Paul DePodesta

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

According to an article that originally ran in the Press Telegram (now reprinted here), Los Angeles Dodgers General Manager Paul DePodesta is a serious fan of Ayn Rand’s writings:

During an hour-long interview, Paul DePodesta mentions convictions often, and reveals the famous novelist, Ayn Rand, and the 26th president of the United States, Theodore Roosevelt, as individuals who have had influences on his life.
“I have DVDs on Ayn Rand and have read most of her books,” he says of the author whose most acclaimed book, “The Fountainhead,” stressed the virtue of American individualism. “Howard Roark (the main character in ‘The Fountainhead’) was a guy loyal to his own ideals and principles and he eventually triumphs over every form of spiritual collectivism. He had big…” [Quote cut in the original, for some reason. –JZ]
DePodesta also has a printout on his desk of a quote from Theodore Roosevelt in regard to criticism.
He admits it serves as a source of inspiration for him, and he reads it to me verbatim:
“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself for a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

See the full article for additional information about the celebrity Ayn Rand fan.

Bernstein on the Olympic Games

Posted on by Heather Wagenhals

Ayn Rand Institute writer Andrew Bernstein has published an op-ed on the Olympic games, titled “Representing the Best.” The article begins:

The Olympic Games could only have been born (and reborn) in a culture that venerates individual human achievement and worldly success.
The return of the Olympic Games to the country of their birth is an appropriate reminder of their deeper meaning. The Ancient Greeks founded the games because they valued the spectacle of a great athlete striving for victory.

See the full article in the Washington Times.

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