nau_ashley

I love this movie, not only do i find it HILLARIOUS but I also find the principles in it to be refreshing. You have the two main characters, and one of this is a massochist and the other is a sadist, and the sadist is trying to prevent himself from being who he truly is, but the point is that they are made for each other. It really is a beautiful love story....did i mention it was hillarious? Anyway, if you're into dark comedies see it.

I actually agree with this analysis of the film after seeing it. I'd also like to add that it reminds me a lot of Anthem. You have the charactors being controlled by the society, and then you have the two of them who are falling in love and are not allowed to be in love. You also have him waking up out of his daze and taking her with him...frankly it's a lot like anthem..and she would make a great "Golden One". You even have Ewan making quotes about how the only truth is that everyone will do anything to survive (or something like that) which frankly was very Oist of him, and the first thing he really learns about the outside world. I think the film was well done...and honestly if I found out people were being grown and had rational intelligent minds and then were being chopped up, I would be very opposed to it, and I'm sure Rand would too.

I'm a very good hostess, and I have quite a few "friends" who are not objectivists. Infact, my roomates are not, and my roomate last year that i'm still "friends" with is very irrational in some areas of thought, and very brilliant in others, but I enjoy her company. She makes a great example because she has so many O'ist qualities, she is very hard working, shes honest, shes very smart, and she never goes out of her way to do anything that she doesn't enjoy, on the other hand she is a treehugging hippie...but she's mostly good. If i can obtain pleasure from someone's company and they do not offend me, and we don't discuss philosophy, then everything is good. I know their irrational, but that doesn't mean they are terrible "friends." Note that I say "friends" with quotes, they are in my social group, but I wouldn't consider them friends in the same context as my O'ist friends, which consist of my boyfriend, my x, and my best friend Amber. When it comes to my "friends", I know them, I hang out with them, I see movies with them, we eat together....but I don't discuss anything important with them....I just try to take away as much "value" as i can from knowing them. I'm a very social animal, I always have been, and I can't imagine being shut off from the rest of the world because of the fact that they are mostly rediculous....mind you, I'm not friends with any religious people...as long as their athiests, I can generally tolerate them and find value in my time with them. I believe that Rand used "kindness" as a metaphor for "going out of your way to be nice to evil people." This isn't christianity, there is no reason to love our enemies:). I Just wanted to bring up my experience because right after I first read Rand...I alienated so many people because they weren't oists and I just didn't want them in my life...turns out I get along with people who arn't oists...i have to keep some of my views to myself, but as long as I'm getting pleasure out of our time together, it isn't immoral on my part. Keep an open mind when you meet people, they may be useful in the scheme of your life...and also keep in mind that Roark was designed as "The Perfect Man", and as such, he isn't effected by emotions the same way I am, and maybe you are:).

I think you are slightly missing the point of objectivism, and I think you are misunderstanding Rand's ideas on altruism. Altruism, defined by Rand, is evil. It is a grand idea and concept used to force people into relinquishing themselves and their minds and following blindly the concept of "serving the whole", and in this, altruism is evil. Now if you are talking about ...charity, or maybe helping the people you know or care for, then that isn't evil, but you have to put into perspective the fact that you are gaining from the help you are giving. Aka, you are recieving pleasure knowing that you have helped someone, this is not altruism. Just a little correction for you, her name is Ayn rand, pronounced INE rhyming with Mine. (It isn't ann). . "relating to this paragraph: The human race has evolved a collection of information that we hold in common. We are able to learn things and communicate that to other people. Ann Rand's work is part of that collection of knowledge. Everything, how to make plastic, metal, cars, planes, cell phones, roads, grow food, all of it - comes from other people. When we thing in words we are using the words that other people invented. Our thought, our life, who we are and what we believe in are 99.99% not our own. It's hand me down information from the "hive mind"." We are lucky enough to optain knowledge from one another, but that doesn't make it false knowledge. How do we know that the knowledge we recieved on how to make a car works, because when we apply that knowledge we get a car. No questions asked. There have been times in history when people have been wrong about science, but as an objectivist I have dismissed all of those falsehoods and now only accept what can be proven true to the best of current science. Take religion, if one day Christ appears in the Sky and informs me, and the rest of the world (because I'll only believe that im not crazy if others see it as well:)) that he is the god, and he can preform miracles, yada yada, I will relinquish myself to him...until that day, im an athiest:). Btw, I don't think its going to happen. Why do you think altruism is a good thing? Have you ever benefited by blatent charity in your direction. Do you think it's a good thing to give to someone because you think they need it, instead of because you want to give it to them. Is it a good idea to sacrifice your life for that of anothers. You yourself were saying that humans are a selfish being. Consider this, If I had absolutely no money but a dollar to my name, and I had 2 starving children, would that give me a right to have your money? Or, if i was that same person with the two starving children, would someone with no money and three starving children deserve my last dollar? Now, if I knew you and you WANTED to help me out, that's a completely different story. But Altruism is evil, especially when it is used as a means to keep people in a state of guilt to the "masses" they'll never know. If I was starving and I was another animal, no one would help me, and i would die, so how is altruism natural or morally correct when it goes against the natural moral code of human beings? (who are just an intelligent primate themselves) Ayn rand, and since I happen to agree with her, I, am not opposed to charity in a...give to others because you want to sense. Infact, I find great joy in helping out people I care for who need help...and so I'm likely to do it. But it is selfish in the true sense of the word, because I enjoy it. Finally I'll give you some advice. In my experience, Objectivists are not bred, we are not developed, we are not convinced, and we are not recruited to Objectivism. We are born and we learn and we know what we know, and when we read the words of Rand, we're reading words we could have written ourselves. I would NEVER sign on to be part of something I didn't agree with complete, that's why I avoided christianity for so many years before I found Rand. If you agree with Altruism, it's because you're not an objectivist, you're denying pieces of the reality around you, and chances are, your mind will not be changed. My advice is, find something else to battle in your free time:). Selfishly, -Ashley

Well, I wasn't raised as a JW, but my favorite Uncle and my cousin are members of the Jehovas witness religion. I'll help out if i can, I'd PM you, but I just started using this thing and I have no idea how, feel free to message me. I imagine that you haven't, or that it was very hard if you did tell your mother about your change in faith. From what I understand it's very hard leaving a religion that is so completely life consuming. When I was younger I went to church with my grandmother for a while, she likes to bring up how I need to go to church all the time...I think she's a little confused...but I prefer to leave her that way. Her delusions comfort her...I think that if I just flat out told her I was an athiest and that God didn't exist she would have some sort of break down, I am the favorite grandchild afterall. Anyway, if one of your questions relates to telling your family, I certainly wouldn't pretend to be a member, or attend services, but I also wouldn't tell them I was an athiest and that they were wrong, people who are extremely ...involved in their religions tend to be unwavering, and it would end up being a useless arguement that would make everyone upset. Anyway, I don't lie, it's just none of their business, and I don't answer:). Selfishly, -Ashley (Moderator's note: Removed extensive quote)