James I Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 If Rand had written Atlas Shrugged today do you think she would have included gay characters? I'd say yes, because according to Peikoff it is one of the most common misunderstandings about Objectivism. He also said that Rand included a scene with alcohol as a message to puritan Objectivists, so I take that as a precedent. I think Rearden and Franscisco would've made a good couple! Since Dagny dumped them for Galt it would have tied up their love lives in the absence of any eligible heroines! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brule Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 (edited) Kind of a strange question to be honest and quite unanswerable with any real certainty. Miss Rand was not a big fan of homosexuality but for the most part I think that issue was a non-factor. It'd be like asking if John Galt was black or if Dagny should have had red hair. I do wish Ragnar Danneskjöld had a wooden leg though. Edited May 15, 2009 by Brule Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KendallJ Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 He also said that Rand included a scene with alcohol as a message to puritan Objectivists, so I take that as a precedent. Can you cite a reference for this? I'm not even sure if when Rand wrote the book that the term Objectivist had been coined. So she'd be including a message to a non-existent group of people. Why would she need to do that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mimpy Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 I think Rearden and Franscisco would've made a good couple! Since Dagny dumped them for Galt it would have tied up their love lives in the absence of any eligible heroines! This is a disgusting thing to say and undermines the beauty of their relationship. One does not choose to be gay because there is an absense of eligible members of the opposite sex. To assert that sexuality is something that can change with the whim of the moment is absurd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AMERICONORMAN Posted May 15, 2009 Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 I would say that Ayn Rand would not include gay characters. What pleasure would SHE get at all from including gays? You don't write stories for other people or to represent the culture or to keep up with new findings in science. Where would you fit them in Atlas? Though a relationship of deep male love of the heterosexual kind, and deep male love of the homosexual kind appear similar, they are quite different. It's not a matter of degrees of going from very deep straight love to an ultimate sexual relationship. I would say that Rearden, Roark, Francisco have never had one instance of even out of context, and random lust for another male. Homosexuality is not even a consideration. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
James I Posted May 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted May 15, 2009 It'd be like asking if John Galt was black or if Dagny should have had red hair. According to Peikoff in one of his podcasts there was a reason behind Roark having red hair in the Fountainhead which was that it was distinctive and "she wanted something that people might regard negatively as unconventional and therefore undesirable" because the theme of the book is independence. Can you cite a reference for this? I'm not even sure if when Rand wrote the book that the term Objectivist had been coined. So she'd be including a message to a non-existent group of people. Why would she need to do that? Episode 18 of Peikoff's podcasts about 15:05 minutes in: "But she made a point of having Dagny get a drink for Rearden to combat (she didn't think of it this way) puritan Objectivists" This is a disgusting thing to say and undermines the beauty of their relationship. One does not choose to be gay because there is an absense of eligible members of the opposite sex. To assert that sexuality is something that can change with the whim of the moment is absurd. I was just kidding around when I wrote the second sentence. My thinking is that if Rand put meaning behind things like the above, then she might do the same for homosexuality if she had lived in a culture where being gay was better understood. I'm not really trying to make a super serious point, it just occurred to me that I could see Rearden and Francisco being gay if Rand had written them to be so. I would say that Ayn Rand would not include gay characters. What pleasure would SHE get at all from including gays? You don't write stories for other people or to represent the culture or to keep up with new findings in science. Where would you fit them in Atlas? Though a relationship of deep male love of the heterosexual kind, and deep male love of the homosexual kind appear similar, they are quite different. It's not a matter of degrees of going from very deep straight love to an ultimate sexual relationship. I would say that Rearden, Roark, Francisco have never had one instance of even out of context, and random lust for another male. Homosexuality is not even a consideration. Perhaps you are right, it was just a thought. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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