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An open letter to John and Harmon

Posted by j_IR1776wg 9 years, 8 months ago to Culture
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Before the hoopla and the inevitable caterwauling critics of the left and here in the Gulch, I'd like to thank you both:

For bringing Atlas Shrugged to the big screen during my lifetime.
For have the chutzpah to stand up to the Marxist crap that Hollywood has become.
For having the integrity to put your money and principles where your mouths are.

A great big THANK YOU.

Regards

Joseph W Gabriele


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  • Posted by $ Susanne 9 years, 8 months ago
    Agreed, 100%, for building a team and bringing AS to those who may not have known about it... and even more so, for bringing this eclectic group of producers together, both in purpose and in friendship... from the bottom of my heart, THANK YOU!
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  • Posted by $ jlc 9 years, 8 months ago
    It has long been my contention that 'the Arts should lead'. SF writers produced stories of robots and computers and psychic powers and rockets. And so we built them. But since the 1970's what has been fashionable to write has been dystopias where the solution is to 'take down' the greedy rich folks who are in power and to abjure the technology (which always creates a frankenstein effect). Anti-heroes abound; heroes are rare. (Thank you, Roddenberry and Straczynski for some heroes.)

    Most people have never heard of Atlas Shrugged.

    I know only a handful of people who have read any of Ayn Rand's works. The philosophy 'stuck' with about half of the people who have done the reading. The rest of my friends seem to be very intelligent and extremely creative bleeding liberals. (I am not sure how that works out...) When it comes down to it, that means that there are 2 or 3 people in mine environment with whom I can discuss issues of liberty and self-determination.

    The people who believe in 'group think', in 'gestalt', in socialism have no trouble 'standing under one umbrella' - and so they own the political and educational system of the US. The people who believe in individualism and independence and self-determination disagree with each other at the drop of a hat - and so they are powerless. We need an umbrella. We need an umbrella under which we can stand and say, "I do not completely agree with you, but you can stand next to me and we will make a common purpose."

    The Arts should lead. Thank you, John and Harmon, for opening up an umbrella that is big and beautiful and under which many of us are willing to stand together.

    Jan



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    • Posted by 9 years, 8 months ago
      The Ayn Rand Institute used to have a program that handed out copies of The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged to high school students. I'm not sure if it is still ongoing.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 9 years, 8 months ago
    Yes. Thank you all for doing what it takes to finally bring AS to the big screen in spite of the many obstacles and flack along the way. "You never know when a mind will open." Cheers!!! :)
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  • Posted by Robbie53024 9 years, 8 months ago
    Hear, hear, Joseph. Well said.

    And a "hip, hip, hooray!" to all the rest who have been involved in this endeavor - not the least of which has been Scott Desapio, who has been a fair and honest moderator and allowed the Gulch on-line to be a meeting place for all manner of interesting minds.
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  • Posted by Maritimus 9 years, 8 months ago
    Yes! Thank you for making AS available to the many who do not have the patience to read thick books. Most of all, thank you for keeping AR's philosophy of human good life in the public focus. In the long run, perhaps very long run, it will undoubtedly succeed. An escapee from communist hell will remain grateful to you for the duration. All the best to you.
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  • Posted by edweaver 9 years, 8 months ago
    Yes, thank you from the bottom of my heart. My life has so much more meaning because of people like you and many of the people on this site.
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  • Posted by mdk2608 9 years, 8 months ago
    I echo your thoughts. Thank you for making an impact in our country and making more people aware of the direction our country is headed unless we change. Now try to get this as a series on Netflix. Also a animated version may be a good way to tell the story in accordance to following the book version.
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