By: Todd Wheatley
(c) IQ-2k   07-18-14

Have you read any of my movie reviews? If so you know that most are storyline descriptions with the occasional comment about the strength of the ending or other relevant feature. A couple of my reviews, however, contain historical references and social commentary. Now aside from the mental exercise I receive from writing movie reviews I have found occasion for a more engaged and in depth look.

Given that movies have (now mostly had) an enormous potential for social influence I am writing my first blog post combining two of my great passions: movies & politics. What follows, however, is not a movie review, but how an ideological split in the American body politic became partially defined by a book that decades later became a movie series.

The original work, "Atlas Shrugged", was written by Ayn Rand in 1957 and became critically acclaimed though controversial. More importantly the book "Atlas Shrugged" helped catapult Rand beyond the world of art gaining her a place in history as a modern-day philosopher. While Rand's politically charged philosophy did not originate with "Atlas Shrugged" it did find its ultimate expression through this work of fiction. Years later Rand would formalize her views in noted works of non-fiction.

Still to understand her work it's important to note that Ayn Rand was born in Czarist Russia (1905) and saw her family lose everything in the 1917 Bolshevik Revolution. Ten years later her family migrated to the United States where Rand had some initial success adapting her fiction for a couple of Broadway productions. She later wrote two of her most famous books in 1943 and 1957. By the 1960s Rand switched to non-fiction to expound her views on philosophy and governance. Her writing showed a strong contempt for socialism and collectivism while advocating for laissez-faire capitalism .

Given the strong anti-Communist fervor of the time many of her ideas took root. Unfortunately Rand goes beyond anti-Socialism to point of being anti-social. She values the total pursuit of self-interest and assails the value of altruism as demon would holy water. Her book "The Virtue of Selfishness" (c)1964 not only failed to clarify her key suppositions, but drew heavy criticism and put Rand on the defensive.

Famed conservative William F. Buckley Jr. denounced Rand back in the 1970s and her ideas would have been lost after her death in 1982, but ironically she became the conservative darling during the 2012 presidential election. 2012 Republican Vice Presidential candidate Paul Ryan specifically named Ayn Rand as one of his influences for entering politics and it was then that I began hearing about Ayn Rand for the first time.

Next in March 2013 Texas Republican Senator Ted Cruz cited Ayn Rand as one of his all-time hero's. Now another conservative leader, Republican Congressman Ron Paul, also announced his admiration for Ayn Rand. Congressman Paul even has a small role in the upcoming series finale of "Atlas Shrugged".

As the information about Ayn Rand began to snowball in regard to candidate Ryan the political intrigue coupled with the availability of "Atlas Shrugged" on DVD roused my curiosity. So I went online to learn more. To my surprise a Google search yielded a two-fold benefit. Not only did I find out about Ayn Rand, but I unexpectedly discovered the power of YouTube.

Before the Ayn Rand search I had considered YouTube a place for cat crazies and music videos. What I found blew me away. I did not know that YouTube had such a wealth of informative material both current and decades old. I was very impressed to find Ayn Rand's television interviews from the early 1970s and spent all day watching. I also watched a 1960s movie ("The Fountainhead") adapted from one of Rand's books on YouTube.

( TO BE CONTINUED... )

by: Todd Wheatley
(c) IQ-2k   8-18-14

( Who is Dr-Know .... continued )

As noted in my first blog post I started researching Ayn Rand, the author of "Atlas Shrugged", because of the link to the 2012 presidential election and the movie adaptation opening at the same time. I also provided some background on Ayn Rand that might help digest her idiosyncratic philosophy. Now I will continue with the "Who is Dr-Know" blog post by presenting a small bit of my background as it connects with the politically charged apocalyptic movie "Atlas Shrugged". Consider the apocalypse, for example. Some of my original articles come from my apocalypse series and I have recently added the APOCALYPSE CLOCK.

As a member of the military during the Cold War the end of the world has long occupied my thoughts and continues today. I therefore wish to take issue with "Atlas Shrugged" though only partly in regard to the impending doom the movie portrays. To her credit Ayn Rand keenly developed an end of the world scenario through economic chaos rather than military conflict. And though the economic storyline fed her philosophic manifesto (to be delivered in the upcoming movie) Rand's apocalyptic energy crisis nearly came to true with the 1973 Arab oil embargo. Even the recent oil boom has failed to remove energy as a cause for concern (note the trouble in Ukraine - Jul.2014). Yet in the aftermath of the Great Recession we see again that general economics can be the source of ruinous times.

Unfortunately Ayn Rand turns the idea of economics on its head. She wants to blame ordinary citizens for "exploiting" the rightful gains of "producers". More importantly this idea has worked its way into today's political ideology and lexicon. Media influence during the 2012 election cycle revised Rand's "producer / exploiter" dichotomy into "maker vs. taker" and it was this word pairing that became the source of controversy when an off the record comment by then presidential candidate Mitt Romney referenced the extraordinary number of "taker's" in the American electorate.

Given the timing of the movie "Atlas Shrugged" coupled with the direct quotes from Republican congressmen Paul Ryan, Ted Cruz, and Ron Paul about their admiration for Ayn Rand I thought this would be a good place to start a dialogue on the ills of politics and governance in the United States as they relate back to Ayn Rand.

So now the movie that prompted this discussion ....

The first of the three part movie, "Atlas Shrugged", opened in 2011 and did not receive enough buzz to bring it to my attention. Months later the DVD went on sale and became a must have due to the media born controversy. Now the third and final part will hit theaters in just under a month. Be aware that each of the three episodes features an all new cast so following the action is somewhat difficult. Clearly there is a back story worth mentioning, but I have yet to research the oddity in production. For now I am more interested in the storyline and how it relates to Ayn Rand's philosophy that some conservative Republicans have adopted.

DR-KNOW movie category: Apocalypse (see movie section)
--------------------------------------------

"Atlas Shrugged" begins with a global depression brought on by a devastating energy crisis. Gasoline is in short supply and very expensive. Only the ultra-rich travel by gas guzzling vehicles. Everyone else fortunate enough to travel does so by rail. Which conveniently brings us to the female lead, Dagny Taggart., the co-chair of a nearly two century old railroad controlled by her family. Yet despite the renewed interest in rail travel maintenance issues and bad investments by her brother have brought the railroad to the edge of ruin. Dagny, working behind her brother's back, mitigates the loses and seeks to return the company to glory.

As the story develops a number of prominent people begin disappearing without a trace. Clues suggest the involvement of a man named John Galt although where or why the people have gone remains a mystery. Later in part 1 we discover that the disaffected Galt wants to "free" the creative class. To release them from the bondage of exploitation and provide a sanctuary where they are beholden to none. A place where each can pursue their own self-interest unhindered by rules or regulation.

The two main protagonists, Dagny Taggart and the owner of Rearden Steel, are captains of industry and part of the creative class Galt seeks to recruit for his society of elites. The beginning of their complicated relationship starts while Dagny attempts to save her railroad. The two come together in a business arrangement to update a rail line serving an important Colorado oil field, but common interest leads to romantic involvement. The lovers soon find themselves finishing the rail line and then embarking on a quest to discover the background and development of a mysterious engine that could end the energy crisis.

Yet aside from their interest in the energy saving engine Taggart and Rearden seem clueless towards the potential of their fate and that of billions in the wake of certain economic doom. Clearly Taggart and Rearden are experiencing business troubles yet both live in luxury untouched by the chaos outside and seemingly oblivious to the suffering. Society, after all, is on the verge of collapse yet these two carry on without a worry. And so begins Ayn Rand's faulty logic which brings us to John Galt.

Anyone remember Adolf Hitler and the quest to develop the master race?

( TO BE CONTINUED... )


(c) 2014    DR-KNOW
IQ-2k Information Services


TOP     HOME
articles     podcasts     videos

Information eQuation (BOOK)
Information eQuation (examples)

EMAIL COMMENTS to DR-KNOW

Please support this web site: give any amount via PAYPAL ("money TRANSFER") to todd@dr-know.biz