"architecture Is Cool, Capitalism Ain't"

[scottkursk]

Easily one of the oddest conversations with a bookseller I've ever had occured today. I passed by Borders to pick up Ayn Rand's bio by Jeffrey Britting. I couldn't find it on the shelf in the biographies so I double checked where with one of the store employees if it was still in stock. As soon as I mentioned Ayn Rand, his eyes lit up and proudly proclaimed that "The Fountainhead is absoultely positively the most amazing and my penultimate favorite book of all time. Though I really hate Ayn Rand; architecture is cool; capitalism ain't."

Then without missing a beat he says it may be on one of the newly recieved book racks up front and walked me over to the rack where a few copies were. I was speechless which is rare for me. I thanked him for helping me find the book and he asked if there was anything else he could do etc... As I politely started to walk away to check out he quipped, "Oh, hey, did anyone ever tell you that you look like Alexander Kerensky?" I just got my hair cut minutes before and it was quite spikey. I admit, though I'm greyer than I'd like now and my hair was a bit on the spiky side, it kind of fits.. But still, either this guy was a major Russian history buff as I am or the name of the store come from being on the Borders of the Twilight Zone.

[gnargtharst]

"The Fountainhead is absoultely positively the most amazing and my penultimate favorite book of all time..."

You might have told him to look up the definition "penultimate".

[BroncoBobby]

Interesting how he seperated the two.

I find both to be singular achievements of the individual.

While a large number of people are required to construct a piece of architecture, it still remains the vision of one individual. Any person involved can be replaced without consequence to the end result, except the Architect. Without him, the vision changes, hence the dynamic of the architecture changes.

This bookseller sounds like the kind of person who thinks that the masons helper is equal to the Architect in the achievement of architecture.

[Eric Mathis]

As soon as I mentioned Ayn Rand, his eyes lit up and proudly proclaimed that "The Fountainhead is absoultely positively the most amazing and my penultimate favorite book of all time. Though I really hate Ayn Rand; architecture is cool; capitalism ain't."

This illustrates an unfortunate paradox: millions of people read and enjoy Ayn Rand's books, but only a small percentage of those readers adopt her philosophy.

Edited May 3, 2005 by Eric Mathis

[BroncoBobby]

This illustrates an unfortunate paradox: millions of people read and enjoy Ayn Rand's books, but only a small percentage of those readers adopt her philosophy.

In this case, is it necessary to adopt the philosophy? This individual clearly does not have the comprehension skills necessary to understand the underlying meaning behind "The Fountainhead". How can one find virtue in Roark and at the same time reject the very things that make him virtuous?

I find this to be the deeper issue at hand. How does one go about enlightening an individual who lacks the skills necessary to comprehend the concept?

[Eric Mathis]

In this case, is it necessary to adopt the philosophy? This individual clearly does not have the comprehension skills necessary to understand the underlying meaning behind "The Fountainhead". 

Then it is an example of the many people who enjoy Rand's novels but don't "get" the philosophy underlying the novels.

[BroncoBobby]

Then it is an example of the many people who enjoy Rand's novels but don't "get" the philosophy underlying the novels.

Ah yes, contentment in ignorance.

[scottkursk]

You might have told him to look up the definition "penultimate".

As I said, I was in a rare moment of speechlesness.

I still shake my head at the multiple layers of the stupidity of his comment.

I have a feeling the whole comment about Kerensky was his attempt at compensating for some sort of issues by coming up with the most obscure spiky haired Russian he could think of expecting me not to know who he was much less agreeing that I looked like him at an older age.