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Political Culture: The Rapture of Ayn Rand, Part Two
Thanks for sticking with me after the first half of this monstrous column wrapping up our series on Ayn Rand and her overlong orgy of Objectivism, Atlas Shrugged. I realize you could have ditched
Read More »Political Culture: The Rapture of Ayn Rand, Part One
“We do not tell – we show.” So says the mentor of Atlas Shrugged‘s three key “strikers,” philosopher Hugh Akston … on page 735 of a 1,168-page novel, in a passage that precedes by
Read More »Political Culture: Ayn Rand’s Shangri-La of Self-Interest
I tried. I tried so hard. You’ve gotta believe me when I tell you how I tried and tried to finish Ayn Rand’s oversize chronicle of obsessive-compulsive capitalism, Atlas Shrugged, over the holidays so
Read More »Political Culture: Maybe Ayn Rand Needed a Little Christmas
I have to admit, I’m a bit conflicted this holiday season. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve been going through the motions — spending lots of time at home with my family, plotting how I’m
Read More »Political Culture: Ayn Rand’s Polemical Porn
Here’s the thing about reading Ayn Rand: She forces you to think the way she does. Once you’ve immersed yourself in her black-and-white worldview — and once you’ve adjusted your expectations to accommodate her
Read More »Political Culture: Ayn Rand Takes a (Midas) Mulligan
When I was a senior in college, instead of prepping for a career as a Rand-ian Master of the Universe with high-level courses in economics or engineering, I chose a pair of classes in
Read More »Political Culture: I’ve Been Ayn Randed!
A homework pass to the first commenter who can identify what inspired this column’s headline – without resorting to the Google (honor system!) – and can tell us why The Man is so unhip.
Read More »Political Culture: A Liberal Reads Ayn Rand
Objectivism is back, baby! Don’t take my word for it – just check out this cover of the libertarian monthly Reason, which offers up a freaky old Audrey Hepburn-meets-the-wicked-witch photo of the philosophy’s founding
Read More »Political Culture: Of Afghanistan, and a Girl From Nantucket
It was such a simpler time, that summer of 2001. Remember it? That last season of America’s (cyclical) innocence shimmers in the memory, sorta like those gauzy images of lovebirds Robert Redford and Mia
Read More »Political Culture: The Healthcare Bill Stinks. Could You Please Pass It Already?
Ever since Al Franken parked his rear end in the Democrats’ 60th U.S. Senate seat, the conventional wisdom has held that no matter how much of a fuss the Republicans kicked up this summer
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