I thought Objectivism was pretty radical when I was in high school too. It is Baby's first conservative idea, writ large. If you came up in a 90s public school system, like me, that can seem pretty sexy.heydaralon wrote: ↑Sun May 17, 2020 7:48 pmI am on the fence about Rand. I never read AS, but I did read the Fountainhead in High School. It really really resonated with me. It is a very preachy book, and there seems to be a fucking straight up rape scene in it where Howard Roarke takes Dominique by force, but I thought the character of Ellsworth Toohey was pretty spot on. I also like Howard's courtroom performances.
While Rand is not an amazing writer, she attempts to discuss the idea of the collective vs the individual. What do we owe society, and what does it owe us? In my opinion, giving these novels to a teenager will at least get them to think. They sure as hell are not going to think about any of these questions in public school or college.
That being said, Rand basically had a cult thing going. She also edited the shit out of some of her books like we the living, which had some passages that kind of undercut her own ideas.
"Not an amazing writer" is about the highest praise Rand deserves.
I stand by my 'atlas shrugged is gay' statement. Don't bother reading it.