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How Do You Show Your Objectivist Flair?

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Not to put a wrinkle in this thread, but what is the explanation for wanting to use objectivist "flair" material, isn't a fundemental idea of objectivism to not need to 'advertise', but rather to lead by example? I'm unable to point to the exact page or quote it, but didn't Roark once strongly deny the idea given to him to advertise his skills in The Fountainhead, stating that his only form of advertising would 'be the products of his labor', that only the people who see his skill in his architecture are the kind of customers he would want?

I'm new to the forum, but have been a strong reader for four years (ever since I found Atlas Shrugged in the head on a Navy ship), and the above arguement is one that has given me trouble in trying to figure out ever since then.

Of course, I realize I'm also probably just taking to the text too strictly.

...that...and I really want those "Who is John Galt?" license plate covers and pin, hilarious

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Not to put a wrinkle in this thread, but what is the explanation for wanting to use objectivist "flair" material, isn't a fundemental idea of objectivism to not need to 'advertise', but rather to lead by example? I'm unable to point to the exact page or quote it, but didn't Roark once strongly deny the idea given to him to advertise his skills in The Fountainhead, stating that his only form of advertising would 'be the products of his labor', that only the people who see his skill in his architecture are the kind of customers he would want?

And the cigarettes with the gold dollar on them that the strikers smoked??

Yeah, dude, way too literally I think.

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I have a Danneskjold Reposessions shirt from JohnGaltGifts. To those who mentioned the witty response to "Who is John Galt" when sporting "flair". On a music forum i'm on, my avatar says who is john galt and my friend asked me, "Who is John Galt?", I replied "I don't like that phrase". hahahah

Hah! Good answer! :thumbsup:

Not to put a wrinkle in this thread...

The point isn't to "advertise" or anything like that... Only to possess things that one enjoys because they're symbolic of what one values. If I loved horseback riding, I would probably have a poster of horses on my wall, and if Ayn Rand's novels are my favorite, I will own multiple copies and other things relating to them. Perhaps "flair" is the wrong term for it, but what this thread refers to are things that are of value to their owner because of what they represent. My neighbor might not care about or even understand a John Galt bumper sticker, but because I've read and loved Atlas Shrugged, it is of great value to me. I own it not for him, or for anyone else, but for me, and because of that it is really impossible to call it advertising. :)

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The point isn't to "advertise" or anything like that... Only to possess things that one enjoys because they're symbolic of what one values. If I loved horseback riding, I would probably have a poster of horses on my wall, and if Ayn Rand's novels are my favorite, I will own multiple copies and other things relating to them. Perhaps "flair" is the wrong term for it, but what this thread refers to are things that are of value to their owner because of what they represent. My neighbor might not care about or even understand a John Galt bumper sticker, but because I've read and loved Atlas Shrugged, it is of great value to me. I own it not for him, or for anyone else, but for me, and because of that it is really impossible to call it advertising. :thumbsup:

Yeah, No one who has actually read Rand has seen me in my Danneskjold Repo shirt, although My mom watched The Passion of Ayn Rand (she now thinks Rand is a psychopath :) , understands what it is. I explain but its not the same. I can't wait to wear it in front of my conservative libertarian uncle though!!!! :D

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Yeah, No one who has actually read Rand has seen me in my Danneskjold Repo shirt, although My mom watched The Passion of Ayn Rand (she now thinks Rand is a psychopath :lol: , understands what it is. I explain but its not the same. I can't wait to wear it in front of my conservative libertarian uncle though!!!! :D

Ugh. That is one crappy movie.

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資本主義者 「しほんしゅぎしゃ」

shihonshugisha

資 - 'capital'

本 - prob. in context 'real' or 'true'

主 - 'master'

義 - prob. in context 'loyalty' or 'honor'

者 - 'person'

It's not a classical Chinese term, so going back to the root meaning of each character is a bit misleading. Rather, it's a neologism, I think one of the thousands developed by Japanese translators in the late 19th century to translate Western books, and because of this it relies on about 2,300 years of multi-layered meanings and uses in Chinese. (Though conceivably it could have been developed a century or so earlier.)

The first two characters (zi1ben3 in Mandarin) should be taken as a single word, meaning "capital, wealth, resources." The first of the two, 資, originally meant something like "resources" or "endowment" (it was used not only for natural resources but also for talent or natural endowment of character), while the basic meaning of the second, 本, is "root" and by extension was used to indicate "capital" or "principal" as opposed to "interest." The next two characters (主義, zhu3yi4) have to be taken as a single unit; they are used in modern terminology as equivalent to "-ism" or "-ocracy," with that meaning coming from a root sense of "master/ruling principle"; this was not a classical usage. In classical Chinese the last character (者, zhe3) indicated a person who carries out an action (among other uses), though that is archaic in the modern language (more precisely, that meaning is still alive, but mostly in set classical phrases); it is used in modern Chinese mostly to indicate such meanings as an adherent of a system, as here. (A professional capitalist is, I believe, usually called 資本家 zi1ben3jia1, where 家 means "home, residence" at root and by extension indicates a member of a school of thought or a professional in some field.)

Edited by Adrian Hester
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It's not a classical Chinese term, so going back to the root meaning of each character is a bit misleading. Rather, it's a neologism, I think one of the thousands developed by Japanese translators in the late 19th century to translate Western books, and because of this it relies on about 2,300 years of multi-layered meanings and uses in Chinese. (Though conceivably it could have been developed a century or so earlier.)

The first two characters (zi1ben3 in Mandarin) should be taken as a single word, meaning "capital, wealth, resources." The first of the two, 資, originally meant something like "resources" or "endowment" (it was used not only for natural resources but also for talent or natural endowment of character), while the basic meaning of the second, 本, is "root" and by extension was used to indicate "capital" or "principal" as opposed to "interest." The next two characters (主義, zhu3yi4) have to be taken as a single unit; they are used in modern terminology as equivalent to "-ism" or "-ocracy," with that meaning coming from a root sense of "master/ruling principle"; this was not a classical usage. In classical Chinese the last character (者, zhe3) indicated a person who carries out an action (among other uses), though that is archaic in the modern language (more precisely, that meaning is still alive, but mostly in set classical phrases); it is used in modern Chinese mostly to indicate such meanings as an adherent of a system, as here. (A professional capitalist is, I believe, usually called 資本家 zi1ben3jia1, where 家 means "home, residence" at root and by extension indicates a member of a school of thought or a professional in some field.)

Thanks, that is very helpful. I actually translated the kanji with help of Breen's very excellent online japanese dictionary, but then had it confirmed by the maki-e craftsmen who did the work (and also confirmed it by looking at some book jacket titles that translated the term directly, in context). However, understanding the "etymology" is very helpful. Thanks for taking the time to explain it!

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  • 4 months later...
  • 3 years later...
I have a 'Who is John Galt?' tattoo. When the tattoo artist was doing it he asked, "Who's this John guy? He your boyfriend?" I just smiled and said, "kind of." =)

i just got a who is john galt tattoo myself! and to my surprise a girl i've lived a block away from for two years knows 'who' he is!

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I have a Danneskjold Reposessions shirt from JohnGaltGifts. To those who mentioned the witty response to "Who is John Galt" when sporting "flair". On a music forum i'm on, my avatar says who is john galt and my friend asked me, "Who is John Galt?", I replied "I don't like that phrase". hahahah

That's hilarious! I have a 'who is John Galt?' T-shirt and I usually get approached several times a day when I wear it. I've been unable to come up with a decent response so far. I might just try that one. It may not get the message through, but it is great for a laugh.

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I have a safety vest that I wore at the other wal-mart I worked at before I transferred to the current one I work at. We each got to keep a safety vest, take it home, and draw something on it in permanent marker to identify it as our safety vest. I drew a dollar sign on the back of mine.

People would ask me about it, and some would even get witty and tell me that money is the root of all evil. I would respond the same with either case: "Money is the root of all good."

I'd like to get a shirt. There's one from a different shirtmaking site that says "Atlas is Shrugging" with a pretty good picture of Atlas holding the world. I'd like to get one like that.

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I've got a "Who is John Galt?" Bumper sticker. Being in Soviet Canukistan It's the only one I've ever seen... Oh, and since I filled out an online survey for John Galt Gifts I now have 2...

Anyone living in Ottawa that wants it feel free to PM me...

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While I no longer can call myself an Objectivist, I still have much "flair" and do not regret ANY of them.

I have "Ayn Rand" tattooed across the fingers of my left hand, so that when I make a fist it says "Ayn Rand", the "ayn" part is in between my knuckles.

I have "A is A" tattooed across my right hand, so when I make a fist, you can read "A is A" across it.

My car: I have a Patrick Henry University sticker on the back windsheild, an "a is a" round sticker near the liscense plate, with "Who is John Galt?" on the other side of the plate, I have "Who is John Galt?" on the passenger side door. ( have other things on my car as well, like my Emily Dickinson sticker, my "READ" sticker, and my front plate which I put "Sylvia Plath Effect" on it)

Also had an Ayn Rand Centenary shirt, but I don't know what happened to it, I think I got it too dirty and had to throw it out?, but I also have an "A is A" shirt that was sent to me.

My breach with Objectivism (which lies with "individual rights" and with morality generally) does not take away how much I still value Rand as a writer.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I am new to the forum and objectivism but thought I would "share my flair."

I have a quote from Anthem tattooed on the inside of my bicep. I put it there so that it is personal to me and serves as a reminder of who I am.

It says "I am the warrant and the sanction" in the tattoo artists handwriting. I didn't want computer generated font or pre-printed font. The fact that I put my trust in the artist to write the quote for me exemplified my ideas on individualism.

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  • 2 months later...

While I would not consider it "witty", if you are looking for a creative response to "Who is John Galt?" I usually go with "the Prometheus who changed his mind".

Edited by Summer
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