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Ayn Rand interview with Donahue

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konerko14

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True, nearly every modern philosopher is dry as hell and carries absolutely no charisma, and so of course they can't convey ideas well. Ever seen Chomsky speak? It's pure torture, as if his ideas weren't bad enough. I saw a marxist professor from Harvard on Charlie Rose, and he literally acted like a little boy trapped in a man's body. i'm surprised he didn't start picking his nose and crying for mommy... just pathetic.

I've never seen Peikoff speak, though he sounds as if he can really command a room.

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Seeing Rand speak for the first time in my life was very interesting and exciting. I admit that like others I was a bit disappointed due to her "mellowness", but I think it's clear that this was the case due to three reasons:

a. Her recent widowness.

b. I don't know her medical history, but her voice and shakiness did not seem like the physical appearance of a wealthy woman.

c. The show wasn't very "intellectual" in nature, I would say, and Miss Rand didn't have the chance to dill with a real argument against her.

A note: I don't know Donahue (except for by name), but I hardly think he deserved Rand`s compliment near the end. I also think that his "humorous" remark regarding the defense her late husband would not want from her in heaven was extremely rude. This isn't something you say to a recent widow, even if you are religious and she is an atheist.

P.s I remember seeing somewhere that Rand had once answered a woman that asked her if she was a leader of a cult: "young lady, I have been advocating individualism all my life. Common sense tells you that you cannot be a cult leader and an individualist; do you have common sense?" (A quote from memory from a few years back, but one that I remember quite vividly) Where was this?

Edited by A.A
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  • 2 weeks later...
P.s I remember seeing somewhere that Rand had once answered a woman that asked her if she was a leader of a cult: "young lady, I have been advocating individualism all my life. Common sense tells you that you cannot be a cult leader and an individualist; do you have common sense?" (A quote from memory from a few years back, but one that I remember quite vividly) Where was this?

I think I saw that quote attributed to her character in the movie version of The Passion of Ayn Rand. So I'm highly skeptical as to whether she actually said it.

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imagine saying today on TV that subnormal retarded children will still end up being idiots no matter how much money is spent on them

or calling Arab society primitive

love it!

though I am confused about how utube gets away with playing copyrighted material

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though I am confused about how utube gets away with playing copyrighted material
As I understand it, US law does not require such sites to actively check for copyrighted material. Instead, YouTube works under a policy of removing any content for which they receive what they consider to be a legitimate "take down" notice from the copyright holder. Similarly, if someone posts copyrighted material to a forum like OO.net, I believe that current US law would allow the forum to have a policy of not actively investigating removing any such content unless there is a specific complaint and "take-down request".

So, if Ayn Rand's estate (or whoever else holds the copyright) sends YouTube such a notice, the content will probably come down. The problem is that if YouTube removes the content, someone can upload it again: different file, assumed different content, therefore requires another take-down notice. So, as it stands today, if someone wants to keep uploading the same content each time it's taken down, they can get away with it. There are now software search tools (Google-like "web-crawlers") that search such sites and compare content against copyrighted content (of the entity running the tool), and find violations. This allows copyright owners to react quickly and play "cat" fast enough in this cat and mouse game. In all this, the guy uploading it probably goes scott free regardless. Something needs to change.

Edited by softwareNerd
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The videos were really great and gave me an opportunity to see Miss Rand in action. I don't know how people like that woman who made the "cult" accusation think they can slander and get away with it. :rolleyes:

Rand is a public figure who makes her living by her ideas, so they are subject to public scrutiny. Look for the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in New York Times vs. Sullivan.

As far as copyright, it's probably owned by the company that produced Donahue's show, unless the rights were sold to another company. Copyrights do expire, but I'm not certain if it has in this case.

What is curious is how the courts will rule in intellectual property claims regarding sites like YouTube and Google Video. Some would argue it's fair use because what you see online is far from the original work and could be construed as a form of reporting or journalism. It's not intended as a replacement for the real thing (such as a digitally remastered DVD of the show). There are also rulings allowing "fair use" in some educational contexts. The intro to this series looks like it was put together for a video tape or a classroom showing.

Someone will likely argue in court that putting a video or an excerpt on the Net would be the digital equivalent of quoting passages in the newspaper, a book, an interview or an online forum - all of which have been ruled as fair use by the Supreme Court, including the reproduction of photos. On a blog, which has already been ruled a form of journalism protected by the First Amendment, it more likely would be.

The modern world, particularly the U.S. and cyberspace, are evolving into a world where the only rights you have left are those you can get away with. The courts will end up having to address this.

Regardless of all this, it's up to the copyright holder to protect his copyright.

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I like how Donahue calls atheists arrogant.

Unlike religious people who know for sure that in the whole wide universe their particular god is the only one that can possibly exist and if you don't believe it you will go to hell.

Yes, it does seem ironic. But the rationale behind it is that atheists are willing to rely on their own observations and conclusions alone, instead of "humbly" accepting, on faith, the ideas of other peop-- I mean, the "Word of God." From a Christian's point of view, that makes the atheist seem audaciously, insultingly prideful, in the Luciferian sense of standing on one's own judgment rather than submitting to authority.

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