Ramare

I think you're misinterpreting Eminem. (Just as context, I love Lose Yourself and 8 Mile Road, and I have never been a fan of rap.) Eminem is one of few rappers who does actually use music in his songs, and that’s part of why I like him. The rhythm is also great, and he’s funny as hell, as evidenced in part by the songs above, if you read the lyrics carefully, and all the way through. I haven’t heard these songs, but just from the words, I was laughing out loud. Song number one is dripping with irony. Song number two has a section at the end that criticizes the justice system in Detroit for being too lax, which he is illustrating with the preceding horrific events. “That's why we don't call it Detroit, we call it Amityville . . . Cause once i snap i cant be held accountable for my actions” Song number 3, again, has an important ending, and this time, it’s all in the very last line. Nowhere do I see evidence that Eminem seriously values such things as robbery, murder, or rape—in fact, I see evidence all over the place that it’s just the opposite. He laughs at horrific things because he doesn’t take them seriously—and he’s probably encountered a lot of people who do, or at least act like they do. In part, he’s making fun of all the rappers who routinely sing about raping and slapping around their “bitches” and the like. I think it’s pretty clear, even from these three examples of lyrics, that Eminem values personal responsibility for your actions—and sees a lack of it all around him. I think part of the reason he chose to illustrate his ideas this way is to get the backs up of all the PC bleeding-hearts out there who he knew would miss the joke entirely and be freaked out. And boy did he succeed in that. He may have a streak of nihilism in him in that respect, but in the culture we live in, I can definitely forgive him that in exchange for the laughter and the inspiration (yes, inspiration) of Lose Yourself.

In the Q & A of the first tape of Leonard Peikoff's Objective Communication lectures, Ayn Rand talks a little bit about her relationship with her husband, Frank O'Connor. She talks about the fact that, without Frank, she could not have written Atlas Shrugged. She says he gave her the benevolent universe premise that allowed her to write such a novel--one that required so much focus and so much hard work, as well as a constant sense of the happiness available to man. (These are not her words, I am paraphrasing the ideas from memory.) It is a very moving speech, and suggests to me that she thought she could not have achieved what she did in her career without Frank in her life.

I read it a couple of years ago, and it was an excellent book. I'm not surprised that it's controversial in the UK, being that part of Huntford's point in the book is that the Brits made a hero out of Scott because he chose to do things the hard way (the "manly" way, I guess . . . ) and died. As if the struggle is made more valuable by pig-headedly making things as hard as possible--rather than thinking them through and planning them carefully and, therefore, being successful. I highly recommend it, if you haven't read it yet. Huntford is a great writer, and I enjoyed his biography of Fridtjof Nansen, as well.

Thanks, Ash. It means a lot. Bearster: It'd be pretty hard to get any higher. I just don't get out much, that's all. Too much time at home creating worlds of my own. (That part of the post was a little tongue-in-cheek, too . . . )

I agree . . . from *any* perspective. I would add some '80s music, including the Swedish band Roxette, to the "best sense of life" list. The Beach Boys being my particular favorite as far as the good ol' rock n' roll goes (with The Rolling Stones pretty high up there, too). And maybe I'll have to check out a little more of those Cherry Poppin' Daddies. It seems to me I liked something of theirs that was on the radio a while back. I love Rush, too, but it has nothing to do with their lyrics. This is where Richard_Halley's point comes in. Those boys can play.

Carla: Based on your post, I just watched Charlotte Gray, and enjoyed it very much. I had never seen Billy Crudup in anything before--mmm. So thanks. As for me, I have quite a few that I'm surprised haven't even been mentioned. My favorites include: The Patriot (which I do not think can possibly be "just like" Braveheart, even though I haven't seen the latter, because Scotland is not "just like" the United States, and never has been). I tend to like a lot of Mel Gibson's stuff, his crackpot ideas aside: What Women Want, Conspiracy Theory, Ransom, The Man Without a Face were all also good. Mission Impossible 2--I love John Woo's directing in this film. Harry Potter--both of them. And all the books. JK Rowling is second only to Ayn Rand on the "favorite authors" list. The Magnificent Seven--Where have actors like Yul Brynner, Steve McQueen, Charles Bronson, and James Coburn gone? Others that get high marks include: The Mask of Zorro Spiderman In the Line of Fire--Clint Eastwood is neat. X-Men '80s teen movies, including but not limited to Pretty in Pink and St. Elmo's Fire--something irresitibly young about these movies. I'm also a fan of several that have already been mentioned, such as Chocolat and The Thomas Crown Affair.

I'd heard of him (good grief, his books are all over the shelves in the fantasy section of every bookstore), but had no idea he was an Objectivist. I'm generally a fan of the idea of the fantasy and sci fi genres, but usually disappointed by the actual, existing books I look at. Sci fi are so often doomsday tomes extolling the evils of technology (man destroys himself, man makes robots that destroy him, etc.), and fantasy can too easily degenerate into deus ex machinas and the like. So, in short, thanks for mentioning it! I intend to check his books out ASAP. While in my experience I don't always love art created by Objectivists, I always want to see what they're doing, and hell, it's a better bet than most of the crap out there. Aside from that, as a writer, I am encouraged by hearing about his success. I'd want my book published by Tor if it was a fantasy.

Hi all, Yet another lurker here who’s been wondering whether to join or no . . . I guess I’m taking the plunge. A lil somethin’ about me: I’m a fiction writer, although it still feels weird to say that, as I am unpublished and have only the vaguest plans for a novel in the works. Perhaps aspiring novelist would be more appropriate, although I do have a growing collection of short stories that I am rather proud of (most days, anyway). Or maybe it should be editor by day, writer by night . . . In addition, I have an obsessive-compulsive passion for buying attractive books, a fire-breathing, man-eating cat I love almost more than life, and only one friend worth mentioning. If you can believe all that, my family has disowned me for my radical stance on friendship with my dishonest, irrational dad: I won’t do it. It’s a grand life. I, too, hail from the ever-lovely “happy to pay” welfare-state of Minnesota, although I don’t think I know RationalEgoist over there. I’ve been an Objectivist for round about seven years now, since I greedily gobbled up all of Ayn Rand’s fiction in high school and much of her nonfiction in my first year of college. My favorite part of any of her books is to this day the last bit of Anthem, the part that starts: I AM. At age 18, 3 AM, I sat on my bed one night and cried my heart and soul out as I read that chapter. I’ve never been the same since. And that’s the essentialized me . . . Glad that such a thing as this exists. Thank you to all involved in creating it. As for my name: R is for Rachael, A is for Ann, and Mare is just Mare. It’s my pseudonym for now, but I plan to change my name to it as soon as possible in future. Feel free to call me Rachael or Ramare.