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Capitalism Forever

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Everything posted by Capitalism Forever

  1. It is possible to betray yourself. In fact, betraying yourself is what defines irrationality. But I wouldn't be so pessimistic as to say "almost every American" is utterly irrational. When you put reality squarely into their face--when you really make them choose between good and bad--the majority of Americans will not hesitate to act according to their self-interest, rather than knowingly commit suicide. This is in pleasant contrast with, say, the behavior of your average European, who would rather die than show any semblance of being "intolerant" or "socially unjust" or "euroskeptic" or whatever the latest fad is.
  2. I certainly don't think Thomas Jefferson was a traitor. But too many people in today's Democratic Party are. This is yet another example of an institution that started out as a devoted guardian of individual rights--and ended up as a socialist cesspool. A good portion of the damage was done by Stalin's hirelings starting from the 1920s, but many "just another Joe" Americans who were never paid a penny by the Soviet Union were also part of the problem. Given that we have free will, some of us will choose to do the right thing--and be rational and successful--but others will choose the wrong path and devote their lives to destroying the success of others. This is not being paranoid, just acknowledging an inevitable consequence of free will. Being born in America will not automatically make you a real American (just like being born in Russia does not automatically make you a "real Russian," witness the example of Ayn Rand). Hmm, I guess it was a good tactic on my part to make my first post before introducing myself. I am relatively new to Objectivism and have not studied it enough yet to make up my mind on whether I should identify with it completely. So I'm certainly not a fanatical, servile follower of dr. Peikoff's; in fact, I don't intend to become a fanatical, servile follower of anyone at all. But I like to call a spade a spade.
  3. The rhetoric of Kelley and his supporters all too closely fits an ominous pattern: the pattern followed by the Soviet spies, punks, terrorist sympathizers, Democrats, and assorted other fifth-column elements who have been using Americans' love of freedom and respect for rights--to destroy freedom and rights. The fifth columnists know they cannot win by openly attacking the concept of rights. So instead they appeal to our respect for rights to protect their own anti-rights activities. "Doesn't freedom for America mean freedom for me?" they ask whenever they are criticized for being enemies of freedom. "They stifle dissent!" "They trample our rights to free speech!" are their boilerplate responses whenever somebody condemns their immoral ideas as immoral. "Liberal" and "progressive" they call themselves, but all they seek is the liberty of criminals and the progress of destruction. And they claim "tolerance," including a tolerance for evil, as an important American virtue, although it is perfectly antithetical to all that America stands for. Kelley is to Objectivism and reason what these traitors are to America and freedom. The traitors appeal to our sense of rights and turn it against America. Kelley appeals to our commitment to independent, rational thought--and turns it against Objectivism. "Doesn't independent thought mean thought independent from the ARI?" he asks when the ARI criticizes him for undermining the independence of Objectivism by mixing it with other ideas. "They stifle dissent!" "Peikoff acts like a despot!" he screams when Objectivists reject his irrational ideas as irrational. "Objectivist" he calls himself, but his favorite activity seems to be the defamation of Objectivists. And he claims "tolerance," including a tolerance for evil, as an important Objectivist virtue, although it is perfectly antithetical to all that Objectivism stands for. The enemies of capitalism have been infiltrating American institutions on a mass scale, distorting and perverting their ideas. Why wouldn't they try to do that with the number one proponent of capitalism--the Ayn Rand Institute? From what I have read about him so far, Kelley seems to fit the pattern perfectly. Applause to dr. Peikoff for booting him.
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