Atlas Shrugged - Movie

[foweler]

Quote:
I think "sitting at some big company inventing stuff" is a misread of the idea. If you are indeed "inventing stuff", stuff with a real, non-subsidized market, you should be starting and running the company. Otherwise you are the "replacement" leader that fills the void, not as good as the one who disappeared, not a front runner, and society continues to degrade.
I know the damage that Fed liquidity drove= stupid lending mandates, GSE absolution of loans made by said mandates, bogus AAA ratings on derivatives built of sand whose risk has been removed from those whom originated them, and finally a tsunami of ADDITIONAL inflation to paper the whole thing over....all in a high political risk climate hostile to business, both corrupt and not, has made it near suicide to do so....but the point remains true.

Of course if you don't mind being a quasi-looter...Brown has just upped CA renewable energy mandates by 2020 from 20% to 33%. Build solar panels and inverters.
Or better yet, come up with a good storage system for sun and wind.

BTW, San Jose is showing it....that's less mileage for you than I have to put in to see it.

I'll take any test equipment you are throwing away.......

 

[booker81]

I was worried this thread would die a silent death

I suppose I love the book and it's story for the plan fact it encourages me to not say "I want", instead says "I will". Each time I read it, it pushes me to strive harder, and do well at my work, to do a good job and do it right. I don't look for excuses why things didn't work out, they do or they don't, and if it's needed, I look for ways to really reach and get things done, even if it's not my job or my responsibility.

Fortunately for me, the heads of the company I work for must have read this novel, because they encourage and reward such behavior. In my previous position, I was hitting the wall of "don't do too much, it's not your job," and stuck in a hole of not utilizing my brain at all, but because it's my nature to keep trying to do more, a Director noticed me, and started overriding the manager and allowing me more responsibility. In return, I still did my regular job well, so the manager couldn't complain, but I also did the tasks the Director gave me, and did them well. In some cases, I made improvements on the previous way of handling. The Director then pointed me to a different position, with the blessing of my manager, and though I didn't have the educational or experience qualifications, I easily landed the job I have now in IT.

In a few months, I've become a go-to for the systems I work on, and yesterday, during massive server failures, was able to locate an issue, and proceeded to work on it (after contacting a senior programmer and verifying what I had found was indeed very, very bad). The hours I spent tracking and handling this little issue allowed the entire programming department to work on repairing the system and try to keep servers up. It came full circle and an email was sent that this little issue was the root cause, and it needed to be handled immediately. Luckily, I was almost finished, and was able to email back within 5 minutes that it was ready to be terminated by a programmer, all data had been replicated correctly by me. Taking action on my own ended up getting kudo emails from 4 different Directors in different departments, along with thank you emails from the entire programming department.

It wasn't my "job", and I continued to carry out my regular duties, but it needed to be done. I had the skill to do it though it wasn't my trained skillset, and rather than being chastised for doing something on my own without direction, I was praised for handling it independently. I didn't know at the time it was the root cause for crashing 30 servers and locking a giant database, I just knew it was bad. I left the other knowledge to those who are skilled such, but did my part. The praise afterward was very welcome however.

That's what this novel taught me, to work hard, do your job, and sometimes do the job of others if needed. Thankfully, as I said, my workplace must have been based on this premise, since they are thankful and rewarding of this behavior. In my old position or probably in other places, I'd be told to stop "helping", "it's not your job". Here, doing your job is required, but if you reach out and do more, it's appreciated. I know our programmers are often overwhelmed, and instead of being irritated I was able to fix this issue, they were grateful for being able to push it to the side so they could work on repairs. That was nice.

It's nice to be able to do well and not be punished for it, like the characters are in the book. Someday, I might overcome the worry about being shot down for doing something that's "not my job", or is done "too well" and makes others "look bad", but each small success I have at work now makes me feel that I'm hopefully in a place that follows the ideal of this book.

 

[bunnibird55]

Ayn Rand's works taught me to fear anyone who claims to have all the answers in "objectivism". My ex-sil is a devout follower of Rand - to the point of donating money every year to the Ayn Rand Foundation. He believes that he is the center of the universe to the extent that his children's wants and needs mean nothing if it does not coincide with his wants and needs. I have read all of Rand's works, several times. It made a lot of sense at the moment and I can see shreds of practical applications, but, and a big but, what would any of us be if everyone adhered to Rand's fanatical idealism????
Read and watch her teachings, but maintain a sense of not harming your fellow beings just to advance your own selfish wants and needs.
Did you notice, I said this is my EX sil who follows this to the extreme? He is a very well-educated, intelligent man. He is a well-respected engineer in the aviation industry. But, after knowing him for many years, I was concerned when he told us we are all fools for belonging to a church and believing in God. He was baptized as a child and brought up in a Presbyterian Church.....then when he went to college he found Rand. He told us that his marriage vows meant nothing - they were just lines he learned. He told us his children's baptisms meant nothing - he was just an actor on the stage agreeing with empty words. He told me that his happiness is first and formost the most important goal for him. Not making sure his children are properly cared for or happy. He said that is their problem to make sure they are happy. BTW, they are two little precious girls ages four and seven.
SO, to get off my soapbox, watch and read Rand for entertainment value, but please don't become a fanatic! I see what that does to many lives............

 

[redhen]

Just started reading this book... so far i'm really enjoying it!
I imagine it could make a pretty good movie!

 

[SJensen]

Fun to find this thread. I was an Ayn Rand junkie in my twenties. I guess I got over it when I realized that her philosophy doesn't fit so well with life on this planet, including life with children. Interestingly, my husband also had an Ayn Rand phase before I met him. It would be tough to be married to someone who was into it, if you're not.

Anyhow, I'll definitely see the movie. I'd still call Atlas Shrugged one of my top 3 favorite books ever. (others: Great Gatsby, 100 Years of Solitude).

Good luck to everyone trying to read the book!

 

[booker81]

Just want to say, saw the movie and really enjoyed it! I went with my brother, who only read the book years and years ago. He enjoyed it as well. The characters were very well done, and the ending, even though it's only the first part of the book, was well done and a good "stop".

I want to go see it again

 

[RabbitMage]

I'm trying to talk some friends into seeing it on a dare. Maybe start a money pot and see who can sit through it the longest.

So far, no takers.

 

[Dunkopf]

I have WHAT in my yard? :

My refutation of this is the concept that there is a small group of producers that are somehow inherently better than everyone else. When a vacuum at the top is created through any means, some one will rise to fill it. Period.

I do not argue that there are many people who are smarter than I. I do not argue that those who are smarter and more ambitious, those who work harder deserve their rewards. Never have argued that point.

But, society is not dependent on any one of us whether we're the guy at the helm or the guy in the bilge. It may be easier to replace the bilge guy, but the helm would be taken over by some one. And our current system- predicated on the belief that if you heartily reward those at the top, at the expense of everyone else, is even more skewed than the socialism Rand decried. It is socialism for the top and capitalism for the rest of us.

Neither of these systems is any good without balance and we are out of balance. What scares me is that the believers of doctrine treat economic policy like it was religion.

Economic ideology is a man made construct. The argument is framed as if it was black and white - either/or - its not!! Make up a new one!! We don't have to choose socialism or capitalism write your own new ism.

And please start the idea soon before these either or people start a war and either side wins!

You are always so spot on.

What's this country coming to? The responses to this movie are scary indeed.​