Galt's Gulch

Ayn Rand Day or Sensitivity to Muslims Day

Posted by richrobinson 12 years, 6 months ago to The Gulch: General
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On a recent post Kh made me think of something. If a school had Ayn Rand Day or Sensitivity to Muslims Day which would cause a greater uproar with parents and the community and why.

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  • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 12 years, 6 months ago
    If you goto the Ayn Rand Institute website and read down the list of essay contest winners, you will find Catholic schools well represented. In fact, they stand out in contrast to the rare private schools of the nominally wealthy.

    I read Anthem first in the 11th grade. By the 12th grade I found a dozen or so "Rand fans" at my high school. However, my English teacher refused to accept "The Fountainhead" for a book report and I read "Arrowsmith" instead.

    I attended the Basic Principles of Objectivism lectures my senior year of high school, 1966-1967.

    I think back to a comment made about 1969 or so by a social conscience comedian on television: "You want young people to go to church? Put tanks in front of the churches and order people to stay away."

    It is better that the schools NOT have an Ayn Rand Day.
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    • Posted by richrobinson 12 years, 6 months ago
      Then again if they had an Ayn Rand Day and the parents and teachers insisted the kids not read her stuff, they might just read it to rebell. Its a shame they didn't let you do the Fountainhead. for a report. Not like its an easy read.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
    At my school I think most wouldn't know who Ayn Rand was....the ones that do probably heard her name from me, but still know very little... A few might have a mini stink because they're lefties who believe lies...I seriously doubt any have read her...or appreciate her philosophy.

    As for muslim day..... they'd be on board for the most part...they'd like to keep their jobs and pensions and they sure don't want to offend anyone....there'd be a few whispers of "wtf" and several screams, a door slam, and the quick exit of myself.
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    • Posted by richrobinson 12 years, 6 months ago
      The thing I have noticed is that many people that don't like Ayn Rand have not read her books. I think they were told by someone on the left to hate her and they go with it. I am guessing they would start by saying "who" and then someone would tell a bunch of lies about her and calamity would ensue.
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      • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
        when my kids were in high school, they all had to do a senior paper on what they considered to be an important literary work. My daughter said every year someone would pick something of AR, she picked AS for her paper, but they would always sweat it that the teacher wouldn't approve the selection. As far as I know, they were always approved. My son's girlfriend in high school, was a finalist in an essay contest that ARI runs nationwide for college scholarships so it's not as if there is no influence trickling in. I do think by college, professors give AR such a bad rap that students are quiet in class discussions about how profoundly they were influenced when they read one of her novels. and that's where it breaks down. Such an influential novel should be on an english lit syllabus whether one agrees with the philosophy or not. Objectivism should be taught in philosophy classes looking at major 20th century philosophical movements, but it is not (well, not at most).
        There are many novels which show up on business/economic syllabuses demonstrating economic theory. AS? nowhere to be found. I'm still of the idea that getting the movies into HS and college settings with discussion afterwards is a great idea. and I like the david kelley youtube 10 minute or so snippets using scenes from the movie to illustrate Objectivist points. wdonway tells a great story of back in the day he set up an Objectivist club at Brown University and the first meeting only his brother showed up with a friend. It was a disappointing first turn-out-but, that friend his brother brought? none other than David Kelley.
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        • Posted by richrobinson 12 years, 6 months ago
          That's great that they were exposed to Rand in high school. I'm not sure if I wasn't paying attention but I don't remember hearing her name at all. One of the most influential writers of all time should be studied and taught in HS and college.
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          • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
            I swear I never heard of her until a few years ago...not sure how that happened, but I'm seething mad about it on some level all the time.
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            • Posted by khalling 12 years, 6 months ago
              the movie? or some other way?
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              • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                I wish I could remember for sure the first time I heard her name...but when Rand Paul was asked a question about Rand during an interview I remember thinking..."Okay..who is this Rand lady" and I did a search, but what I found was NOT in a good light so I thought she was nuts...then I saw the movie on Netflix...after I watched it I then watched the other one one Netflix about her prophecy.... and that was that...I read the book...found the gulch through researching part II etc etc etc... I let me to YOU kh! (picture floating hearts and smoochy sounds.... and a birthday cake.)
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                • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                  Have at it John!
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                  • Posted by $ johnrobert2 12 years, 6 months ago
                    Let me see. Hmmmmm. Okay. Do you wish me to do this one? For it seems a deliberate attempt to test my skills, with the caveat some corrections I may NOT make are open to interpretation. So with that in mind, shall I proceed?
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                    • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                      Sure... go for it. (who voted you down, John?)
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                      • Posted by $ johnrobert2 12 years, 6 months ago
                        No way to tell.
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                        • Posted by $ johnrobert2 12 years, 6 months ago
                          Here goes.
                          1) Use of ellipses is overdone. One or two is usually sufficient. However, since you are a stream of consciousness writer, I can excuse the greater part of them since they convey your mental state but they do tend to confuse the reader. I will correct as I think it should read. However, I'll let you decide where you would place alternate punctuation, did you decide to so do.
                          2)etc is not an acceptable abbreviation. Either use the full 'et cetera' or abbreviate 'et c.'
                          3)I think you are meaning to say, "It led me to you...". Poor grammatical skills. Better proofreading should help there. Punctuation is missing. Comma after "YOU".
                          4)Line One: The phrase 'for sure' should be placed in commas as it is a parenthetical expression, needing to be separated from the main thought of the sentence.
                          5) Line 2: Comma between 'interview' and 'I'. Comma after 'thinking'. Also, comma after 'Okay' instead of ellipses. Question mark after 'lady'. Delete the conjunction 'and'. Begin a new sentence.
                          6) Line 3: Delete comma after 'search'. You may continue to use the conjunction 'but', however, it makes the sentence too 'run-on'. (As a course in My Master's program, I took technical writing. My instructor stressed keeping sentences from being too long or complicated.) If you choose to use my suggestion, place a comma between 'light' and 'so'. Switch the order of the first two words of the next sentence.
                          7) Line 4: Period after 'Netflix'. Begin new sentence. Comma after 'it'. Change second 'one' to 'on'. Delete ellipses after 'prophecy'. Period after second 'that'.
                          8) Line5: Begin new sentence. Comma after 'book'. 'Part' may, or may not be capitalized. However, general usage has it capitalized since it is a part of a title. Comma after the 'II', with commas in between the multiple et cetera.
                          9) Line 6: That's just you and no dissection necessary.

                          That's it. I hope you enjoy.
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                          • Posted by $ minniepuck 12 years, 6 months ago
                            I didn't know etc was incorrect. good to know. your reply was at zero points when I found it. :( someone out there doesn't like editing. lol. what is your master's degree in, John?
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                            • Posted by $ johnrobert2 12 years, 6 months ago
                              Public Administration. Did it at UT-Arlington while working full time as a water meter maintenance technician at the City of Irving. After I graduated, the city declined to use my degree in any meaningful way and left me as a front line worker. So I left after ten years.
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                          • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago
                            Hey! I'm a big fan of the ellipses, always have been. Again, I write like I speak... most of the time.
                            I am familiar with proper grammar, and all that crap, but I'm talking on a forum so sometimes I just go. Lately I have lacked the time to proof read like I usually do. I'm also inclined to type different words than I intend to, not sure why. I don't care if "etc" is incorrect... I'm not trying to win a writing award.
                            Your last and final critique was spot on... it could've been your first and only critique, actually.
                            Did you get the cards, you pain in the ass?
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          • Posted by $ MikeMarotta 12 years, 6 months ago
            What you are exposed to can be a matter of luck. As I said above, if you look at the ARI Essay Contest, these are largely high schoolers who found AR by themselves. And, again, Anthem was passed to me by a fellow YAFfer, so I cannot take credit for discovering The Virtue of Selfishness in the bookstore.
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  • Posted by LetsShrug 12 years, 6 months ago in reply to this comment.
    Only if you add a lisp and an impediment. (Wait. Is a lisp considered an impediment? I don't want to be redundant!) Anyhow, the type of lisp I was referring to is not the speech impediment kind. Unless you're the one saying it...then it is. Confused yet?
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