No, seriously, who is John Galt?

By Jonathan Bradley in Los Angeles, California

15 February 2011

I'm a pretty well-read kind of guy, but I'm going to admit something that some of you may consider seriously undercuts that claim: I never heard the name "Ayn Rand" until I was in my first year of university. In defence of my ignorance, however, I really think there's a bizarre American quality to the cult of Randism. There's an oft-told joke that, funny as it is, does not really resonate with my Australian dolescent experience:

There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.

Cute. Unfortunately, however, in the U.S., it's true. Young libertarians go starry-eyed at the mention of Atlas Shrugged hero John Galt, repeat koans about the nobility of selfishness and lug around dog-eared copies of the brick-sized monolith The Fountainhead. The Republican House member and brain trust Paul Ryan, in particular, is a big fan, to the extent that he requires his staffers to read Atlas Shrugged. From all trustworthy, non-politically biased accounts, the book is long, mechanical, and ideologically fantastical. All that aside, I feel compelled to someday struggle through it. Rand and her acolytes fascinate me, even if her writing might not, and understanding her seems vital to understanding American conservatism.

All of which is an introduction to the trailer for the long-awaited film version of Atlas Shugged. While I'm not the intended audience, it looks like it will keep the objectivists happy: the footage is filled with strong, dramatic, and determined industrialist-types. They have intentions, not character. Watching it, I already feel like cutting programs for the poor.

Tags: Atlas Shrugged, Ayn Rand, Books, Film

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Comments

Leo

5:02 PM on Mon 19 December 2011

So let me get this straight.. this is a book review blog. You have never read the book, although you plan to read it. But, you clearly don't like the book. What was the point of those blog?

Jonathan

12:05 AM on Tue 20 December 2011

I wouldn't say I don't like Atlas Shrugged; I haven't read it. I might be pleasantly surprised! The point of this post was to post the then-new trailer to the film adaptation of the novel and to discuss the curious prominence Ayn Rand has in American culture as compared to that of other Western countries such as Australia. Usually writers who are well known in America are equally well known in Australia. Rand is not one of these.

Leo

5:38 PM on Tue 20 December 2011

Thanks for the reply, have a merry Christmas and happy holidays

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