Ayn Rand: The Real Motive for the Socialist Mindset

[@jim-es8qk]

"Socalist dont love the poor, they just hate the rich" George Orwell

[@markrowley8177]

Which is Envy

[@nocturnaljoe9543]

There are rich socialists as well. They hate all humans.

[@jetman551]

Isn't that envy? Do not covet.

[@luz9979]

They do. People who in the power. They live luxury. In USSR our main comrades had everything.

[@gysgijsbers4202]

...& when in Power the Socialist elite do the SAME if not worse than Capitalist elites!!!

[@stevesherman1743]

Fear of independence; Fear of reason; Fear of reality. Wokeness has a fear of objective reality. During c19, people were ridiculed for reading about c19 thereby seeing through the nonsense we were told, everything seems to be pushing us towards dependence upon government all the while that same gov’t damages us.

[@stephenkalatucka6213]

Our government wants us dead.

[@RedroomStudios]

exactly... listening to this clip from Ayn Rand, she almost sounds prophetic for what our world has become the last 4 years.

[@MidMo4020]

@@RedroomStudios💯 She just totally summed up pretty much what’s been obvious and what none have dared to say in such plain language. If she were saying that publicly nowadays, the crying and the butthurt that would ensue I shudder to imagine 🤭🇺🇸

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the Post Office enquiry, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@dposting2941]

IM AGAINST SOCIALISM. That shared....She manipulated her best friend into letting her have an affair with her husband and rand's right hand, Nathaniel of the Nathaniel Institute (he created to promote her ideas), then she put the affair on hold for her own selfish reasons, then 6 years later tried to resume the affair, and when Nathaniel, having moved on from both his wife and Rand, she closed the institute and tried to cancel his career as an author. She then spun out of control in rage, then self-destruction. In the end, she cried daily, and Barbara (her best friend and Nathaniel's ex-wife) would go on to expose Rand, and her ideas, as fraudulent. EPIC FAIL. Again, I'm against socialism...but you need to watch out for the ear ticklers of the new age, who do things like take a good thing too far to the point of becoming an evil thing, mix 99% truth with 1% lies, but the lies lead to ruin and destruction and even death. The new age is a TRAP.

[@kenjohnson4423]

We are destroyed by lack of knowledge. Simple as that. No knowledge = fear. The state is afraid of those with knowledge.

[@porcudracului]

Nope. There's knowledge everywhere. Using it the proper way is what's missing

[@aisforapple2494]

"My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me:: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." - Hosea 4 : 6

[@rauminen4167]

Nah, that's what they want you to think. Those leading the movement do so with eyes wide open and with full intent and knowledge of the consequences. Keeping the rest of the movement ignorant is part of the plan.

[@kathymyers7279]

I love this. Knowledge of The Truth. Truth is a Person . “You will know The Truth and THE Truth will set you FREE”.

[@kathymyers7279]

@@rauminen4167this “truth” is weaponized through fear resulting in control. Those who possesses it , strive to enslave mankind seeking worship.

[@kurtcpi5670]

Ayn Rand is describing what we now refer to as cognitive dissonance. The difference between today's epidemic of cognitive dissonance and when this was recorded, presumably in the 1950s or early 60s, is that our education system 60 years ago sought to raise awareness of the phenomena and thwart it by encouraging critical thinking. Today, those institutions seek to reinforce that dissonance, the effects which can be seen anecdotally, with the methodology being objectively obvious. The effect on society is crushing, and begins with the effect on individuals. "The road to Hell...."

[@joeblow1942]

Yes, and that is exactly why Marx listed government schools in his Communist Manifesto. Gotta get em young!

[@michaelfoley1080]

Very well said.

[@ronwhittaker6317]

cognitive dissonance creates willing slaves.

[@libbestroosma8994]

Well said👌

[@Xirrious]

You make a mistake here This road to hell we are paving, there were never good intentions behind it by those who organized its construction. They knew the entire time what they were doing - that's why they worked so hard to keep it secretive.

[@gardnert1]

Whenever I hear someone say anything bad about capitalism, I just tell them "well actually REAL capitalism has never been properly implemented."

[@StigFerrari]

We only have corporate fascism

[@EobardFerguson]

@@StigFerrariYou give your money to corporations willingly. No one is holding a gun to your head to spend money on stuff you don’t need. If anything is fascist it would be taxation, ie the state forcing you to ‘buy’ things.

[@CIA.2024-u9b]

​@@StigFerrariOne must be very creative to see that in our world.

[@RS-lfdkb]

You could say the same thing about communism as well. No political ideology has ever been implemented purely.

[@EobardFerguson]

@@RS-lfdkb Socialism IS basically communism, with a different implementation.

[@arizonaarmadillo5829]

She is enunciating today's liberal/leftist Democrat mindest in excrutiating detail. Amazing.

[@NeoN-PeoN]

Yep.

[@raysearch-iu3fr]

Yes, she escaped from the Soviet Union about 100 years ago, came to America, celebrated freedom and spent the rest of her life warning Americans about the evils of socialism.

[@gg_rider]

Until recently, I would not have seen Hamas suicide bombers (and the murderous attack of 10/7 which would inevitably lead to mass deaths of the attackers) as one kind of sick, religion fueled altruism (for the Umma), and same for their supporters in the streets who see them as the weaker party and therefore morally good, more altruism, against Jews who PURCHASED LAND from Arabs when they moved to the area.

[@gg_rider]

Until recently, I would not have seen Hamas suicide bombers. Similar for BLM supporters who would not, nevertheless, move out of the house they own and turn it over to a random black family who is by definition more deserving of altruism, according to BLM.

[@Bob-v3g4m]

She is simply adapting to an insane system and attempting to make that appear as sanity.

[@stephencockett9959]

This is why 'politically correct' speech laws all have a clause stating: 'The truth is no defence ..'

[@stephencockett9959]

It is also why in politically correct 'hate crimes' legislation a 'crime' is commited when the 'victim' feels offended for some reason. It does not actually matter if no offence was ever intended - or even if the 'victim' mis-heard what was said.

[@GizzelleBrookes-vs5ec]

@@stephencockett9959 seems to be anymore when the actual truth is told they get to cry offense and the truth-tellers are shut down.

[@soapbxprod]

Oh dear, that is truly terrifying... Maoist...

[@krossnkuss2875]

Political correctness is kosher censorship.

[@nihilisticmonkeydancing9806]

@@krossnkuss2875 YOU ARE AN ANTISEMITIST, YOU CULTURAL APROBIATED A HEBREW WORD. XD jk

[@jimwoody3056]

"Fear of independence" speaks to the psychology of "Herding Mentality" and the prevalent fear of individual autonomy.

[@mattk6719]

It is one way people voluntarily lead themselves into slavery.

[@soap5393]

Yes, Herding Mentally, also sometimes called Hive Mind.

[@droog8400]

It is just delicious that these comments turn up in a huge list of similar comments

[@SkyPilot54]

Well said , thanks

[@carolynekershaw1652]

The MAGA are a great example of people who aren't thinking, preferring to have their grievances and insecurities incubated by right wing ideologues and a corrupt wannabe autocrat

[@mencken8]

“Political tags - such as royalist, communist, democrat, populist, fascist, liberal, conservative, and so forth - are never basic criteria. The human race divides politically into those who want people to be controlled and those who have no such desire.” - Robert A. Heinlein

[@TearThatRedFlagDown]

That's why my distinction between left and right wing really is just a distinction between statism (left wing) and liberty (right wing).

[@alsoascot02]

Show me anyone who doesn't want people controlled? Heinlein is talking what we call in the UK "Total bollocks"

[@mencken8]

@@alsoascot02 ….and if I were to show you that, you’d be controlling me. Clever! Good one!

[@alsoascot02]

@@mencken8 All government / governance is by definition about control. And even the most theoretical anarchist accepts the need for governance. What the political tags, Heinlein in effect dismisses, at least partly define is what kind of rules that governance should involve.

[@MichaelDamianPHD]

​@@alsoascot02I'd say you are, in your belief that everyone wants to control others

[@Sweeptheleg83]

Fear is the enemy of knowledge. When you take the responsibility to learn how to do things in the world, you eliminate fear one small bit at a time. This is a huge issue with young ppl today. They are becoming removed from having to learn how to do things and that lack of knowledge breeds fear and that fear is what will be exploited by the state. Become a rugged individualist, learn how to do anything there is to learn. Eventually you will accrue a substantial base of knowledge and will understand when the state is trying to manipulate you. You will be less susceptible to propaganda.

[@mountnman3609]

You posted your remark on KZbin. The single largest source for acquiring knowledge on nearly any subject matter.

[@MarcDufresneosorusrex]

fear of this battlestation~~

[@Songwriter376]

Seeing many parent/child interactions these days, it is extremely obvious the parent will do anything to keep their children from being responsible.

[@Bob-v3g4m]

Well, that is obvious, due to societal pressure. Who made the laws, those who claim ownership.

[@dustythurman5426]

It is rarely kind to do for others what they are capable of doing for themselves as a matter of routine. Whether it is raising children or loved ones dealing with addiction, etc, rendering them dependent will not have the desired outcomes.

[@rafaelgonzalez4175]

Did you have to work really hard for over thirty years to get no where and still have to work hard? My children are also BOYCOTTING CAPITALISM.

[@dustythurman5426]

@@rafaelgonzalez4175 Because any other system has worked so well, lolololololololololol

[@rafaelgonzalez4175]

@dustythurman5426 like what Capitalism? You mean where people get raises every year as inflation goes up by that same amount. Or like Capitalism now where they raise the price and offer you a loyalty rewards card that keeps the price up by a few cents, rather than just raise the price a few cents. Or like the very successful socialist country, Austria. You tell me.

[@brigandboy1425]

If you become aware that you are avoiding personal responsibility, and then you attempt to change that, and if you become in a way addicted to taking personal responsibility for yourself and your life, you without fail end up being anti-communist, anti-authoritarian, and anti-fascist. You inevitably become an individualist, and begin supporting liberty in whatever way you can. One small psychological change is all it takes.

[@stephencockett9959]

Well said Brigand Boy - however that psychological change must include bravery - and a revulsion of parasitic dependency.

[@pipsantos6278]

I always ask a socialist personally what means of production he want to personally seize so he can personally produce something. These people are hiding in the brute strength of the mob that somehow if they have in their control the means of production, they can also duplicate or make better than what the present system can do. But they have no excuse though. The means of production for our needs is readily available for them. Everything has become cheap. Thermostat is at $2. With that one can raise chicken.

[@gzoechi]

I'm not sure it's so simple. The state destroyed the family structure and intended to replace it, but did it very poorly. In a family or tribe we were supposed to help each other where everyone contributes to his ability and strengths. In our society, where every contribution is measured in money, this becomes very unpersonal and unfair. I'm not surprised many people lost sight of how to navigate in such a world and become susceptible to extremist ideas like communism.

[@catherinecastle8576]

​@@gzoechiI respect her, but, I agree with you. Every culture, belief, ideology, philosophy, etc. has a dark underbelly, even capitalism and democracy. Mainly because our human nature isn't always as "nice" (mindlessly agreeable) as we' humans like to believe. We can become mindlessly agreeable with Hitler and, equally, utterly rebellious toward someone like Jesus. In the word 'believe' we find the word "lie" in it, so it behooves us to learn, think, and proceed cautiously with whatever we choose to believe.

[@gzoechi]

@pipsantos6278 That's what I often see. People switch from one extremist position to another extremist position. I'm pretty sure it's laziness, because a sane middle ground requires constant evaluation. There is no black and white. Everything is on a gray scale, but that's too cumbered to deal with, so they bail out and fall back on a simplistic position that doesn't require evaluation and thinking.

[@obp6891]

I appreciate the high quality of the comments. Just as valuable as the video, thank you

[@johndillon2456]

I agree.

[@dkillips]

classic leftist, proving the point, with no argument.

[@davidhunt313]

*_Liberty_*_ means _*_Responsibility,_*_ which most men dread!!_ ~ George Bernard Shaw

[@donphillips5957]

Wow. She so clearly explains what we see going on around us today. I particularly like the end. Unearned so clearly describes the current political class, the government seizing so much power the should never have. Unearned.

[@jcvanbreugel]

She never made much sense to me in my youth. Now, at 55, she comes through crystal clear.

[@gnosis8142]

Hopefully when your 100 - you'll be even more wise.

[@Wahinies]

My dad spoke about atlas shrugged a few times but I never read it. I did read the imprimis newsletter and works of Von Mises, Thomas Sowell, Milton Freedmen etc. that my dad subscribed to and am thankful. Individualism needs to be respected is the rational conclusion.

[@stephencockett9959]

"Socialist politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding lots of it, diagnosing the problems incorrectly - and then applying the wrong remedies ..." Groucho Marx - when asked what he thought about the politics of his namesake - Karl Marx.

[@damo5701]

Love the quote to the point I looked it up a couple of years ago when first heard only to discover that the quote is mistakenly attributed to Groucho Marx and that it was Ernst Benn (son of a Labor politician, who ultimately turned against his fathers beliefs) in the 1920's who first said "Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedies." Great quote either way but perhaps funnier with socialism and the Marx name play. Thanks for sharing.

[@stephencockett9959]

@@damo5701 - perhaps they both said it.

[@murrayaronson3753]

@@stephencockett9959 I think Groucho could have said that.

[@stephencockett9959]

@@murrayaronson3753 - "Madame - I never forget a face .... but in your case I'll make an exception ..."

[@DarylSauerwald-g7n]

Exactly the same with religion, the first Marxist.

[@almico123]

The core of the issue, as I see it, is the fear that, left to their own devices, they do not have what it takes to survive. They need the state to take care of them.

[@edheldude]

It's emotional infancy and it's a real thing. Many people can't take care of themselves because they were raised wrong or lacked nurture. This should be accounted for - and harsh realities don't necessarily raise these people up but make them suffer endlessly. To achieve a self-actualizing population and a truly free population, you'd need to plan it and help people grow up psycholigically.

[@bobinthewest8559]

Placing your very welfare into the hands of ANYONE else… is a recipe for disaster.

[@gg_rider]

I was re-listening to a South Korean economist today, not an enemy of capitalism but a critic of what capitalism is today. I'm much more cautious, because many of them turn out to be closet Marxists. HOWEVER, a couple points were that in Adam Smith's ideal, industrial capitalists would reinvest profits in their business and production and to retain good workers, in a competitive market for all. The ideal was to starve the non-productive feudal Lords of Land while boosting production, driving down costs and prices. Today, under current regulations, finance basically invests in finance, with the minimal expense going into genuine capital improvements. The latest news is big chip makers asking govt for another $10 billion. This may be fine. Alexander Hamilton made the distinction of govt helping "infant" industries. With the shift to empowering Big Finance, it's as if the rent-seeking feudal landlords have seized back control, but under indirect auspices. A small entrepreneur in industry would likely agree. Monopoly pricing on The Commons makes US telecommunications more expensive than foreign nations, despite the US military having been the original founder of the Internet (DARPAnet). Ditto, medicine. Etc. Likewise, food is somewhat up, drought is affecting cattle, but the main issue people face is skyrocketing housing costs, far surpassing wage growth ... for a number of reasons .. but the F.I.R.E. sector has surpassed industrial growth and jobs. That's Finance, Insurance, Real Estate. House prices rising is not the same as factory profits growing due to innovation and productivity. This doesn't mean Marx was right. It does argue that neo-classical capitalism is based on some false pretences, and that the neo-liberal framing of handing over the entire management of capitalism to Wall Street, to maximize profits by maximizing risk (and the idea that complex derivatives have neutralized risk), is sheer foolishness. We saw the results of that in 2008. The idea is that sound regulatory remedies, which existed in the past before they were overthrown, can solve a lot of problems without going backwards to the ultimate feudalism of Marxism.

[@edheldude]

@@gg_rider Some regulation might be needed but that also creates corruption. Big companies want stiff regulation because they can afford it, and use it to stamp out competition. 2008 was a failure because they didn't let bad businesses go bankrupt. That's how it should go. Again gov interference was part of the problem.

[@bakters]

" *they do not have what it takes to survive* " Interestingly, Ayn Rand proposes, that we should "abandon the morality based on altruism". So she's happy to watch them die, it seems. If that's what capitalism really needs, why wouldn't they hate it?

[@kitchencarvings4621]

She's right. Those who preach living for others want others to live for them.

[@secularnevrosis]

Ayn Rand. Everybody should take care of them selves. Right!? Until she got sick. Then the goverment owed her and she demanded treatment free of charge. God help the Libertarians. They want all the freedoms and none of the obligations and responsibility. All of what a modern civil society can offer but they don't want to share the burden of it. The ultimate freeloaders. Only little children are allowed to have it like that. Then we have capitalism. What is that? It's the way we order our workplace. Slavery have masters and slaves. In feudalism we had serfs and lords. In capitalism we have employees and employers. It is the way in how the owner extracts money from the people doing the work. Libertarians love capitalism because it allows for extraction of wealth from the workforce without any of the obligations of the former models. Listen closely to the proponents of the "Free" market. What are they saying? They don't mention who the market should be free for. You and me? Ofc not! The people with the money is the people in control of the market. They have the money to do that because they control the extraction of money from the workforce. They can continue to extract the money, to the detriment of the workforce and their society, by buying our representatives. By owning our society, politics and democracy they can keep the cycle going. You and me? We are production units

[@Bob-v3g4m]

Not so, we all live together "no man is an island" and all those obvious factors of our interactions and interdependencies.

[@kitchencarvings4621]

@t7wb3yf3d Every man is an island to the extent that he is not a parasite and a mooch. That slogan is put forward by collectivists and is based on the morality of sacrifice which is what is destroying the world. There is no contradiction between being an independent man or woman and interacting and cooperating with others. None. It's a fiction put forward by those who are afraid of the very responsibility she talks about. It's through such false alternatives that the haters of reason sell their poison. They don't want cooperation. They want others to operate and they want to seize the results in the name of the collective and to skim a little off the top for themselves. Wake up.

[@jimvick8397]

If you don't think the devil is clever, you haven't been paying attention...

[@kitchencarvings4621]

@@jimvick8397 I don't believe there is a devil, just the same filthy ideas tried again and again.

[@Zach-h9k]

She literally described EVERYBODY supporting the trans movement and did it fifty years ago.

[@anab0lic]

why is it that of all my years if being on this earth I have never come across another women who speaks as much sense as Rand did.... in fact, most women I encounter are the complete opposite... devoid of logic and reason.

[@isrberlinerin4063]

anabolic , not most women i grew up under communism and i know exactly why . Marx himself was a parasite living of others mostly of his friend Friedrich Engels and other family members. Marx was a filthy lacy fool and that is why he came up with this diabolical system socialism !

[@marlajacques6947]

anab0lic I’m wondering the same...a very rare anomaly she is

[@mrjbg2000]

Is that as good as it gets?

[@celticcook3950]

@@mrjbg2000 more or less

[@woosh_hunter]

🤓

[@ainternet239]

It’s a welcome break when interviewers ask intelligent questions, instead of presenting pre-prepared „gotchas“

[@scottperine9820]

I was raised conservative. My Father pointed out the evils of the left. Straight forward common sense and logic was his tool for explaining it. He wasn't demanding or angry when speaking of the this. But you could see in his face the frustration and puzzlement with the attempt to reason with a Superiority complex that insisted they knew best. I'm grateful I had such a down to earth teacher. If he could see the world today ? I can only imagine what he would say. God bless America 🇺🇸 and those who are tolerant of the other opinions of their neighbors. MEGA MAGA TRUMP COME NOVEMBER.

[@tomkunich9401]

I see the majority of anti-Trumpers here that are really from foreign countries. Who is paying them and why?

[@kevinclarke1222]

Lucky you Bro!

[@geoffroberts1131]

Well clearly you havnt opened your eyes recently

[@CIA.2024-u9b]

I hope my two sons will one day speak so about me.

[@TheJimmyidol]

Sounds similar to me.

Now more than ever, this truth needs to be remembered.

[@Malbeefance]

Every supporter of socialism I have spoken with want socialism for only one of two reasons: have personal power over the masses or to live without any personal responsibility.

[@journathan]

Every supporter of capitalism does the same thing.

[@Malbeefance]

@@journathan Every supporter of capitalism IS a socialist because capitalism doesn't exist. The word "capitalism" was a term created by Marx to give a villainous phrase to the concept of the Free-Market system of commerce. "Capitalism" is just a mental construct used by socialists to confuse and antagonize the under-educated toward free-market economy.

[@SK-fp4ed]

​@@journathanThat is not true. Capitalism takes ownership and responsibility of their own hard work and productivity.

[@srghhh5589]

@@SK-fp4ed The working class def takes ownership in capitalism, not socialism lol

[@sanniepstein4835]

It's the return of the state as parent. The promise is that if you can't be important you will be cared for. Our founders specifically rejected that model. They knew it meant the fusion of wealth and power, with commoners having neither.

[@drdavid62]

What an incredible intellect, I wish she was still with us! Reading Atlas Shrugged was a life changing experience for me.

[@fazbell]

Atlas Shrugged was gibberish.

[@drdavid62]

@@fazbell don't feel bad, you're not the only person whose intellect failed them when reading Rand and came away with gibberish.

[@Stan-b3v]

@@drdavid62. Indeed, I’m sure he was not the only one who hadn’t developed his concentration skills well enough to get through Atlas Shrugged while following the actual philosophy. The 35 page monologue by the main character was really tough for me to get through at the time. Even though I had read thousands of books I was stretched to my limits to hold and collate 35 pages of points together and understand the cohesive whole of it.

[@drdavid62]

@@Stan-b3v Truly! And hopefully, well worth the effort!👍

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the Post Office enquiry, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@TornadoOfSouls777]

Ayn was on Donahue back in the late 70s...the level of REEEEEEEEE from the mudhens in the audience was big even back then...that includes Phil as well

[@soapbxprod]

I saw it live that day. Same with Milton Friedman. (I'm old)

[@murrayaronson3753]

I saw Ayn Rand interviewed by or in conversation with Edwin Newman on TV and remember the word epistemology was mentioned.

[@michaelshanahan4965]

Donahue was the first of the evil broadcasters. My parents always had him on. I couldn’t stand guy when I was a kid.

[@paulgardner5079]

@@michaelshanahan4965 I remember watching him as a kid. I like Morton Downey Jr better

[@RedroomStudios]

of course... Donahue was a huge leftist.

[@mrebholz]

The strange thing is that the forces behind socialism are mostly the same people who have unproportionally benefitted by capitalism.

[@johndillon2456]

Good point. Farmers are less likely to adhere to socialist ideals, whereas silver-spoon socialists have never held a shovel.

[@nevillearchibald6584]

Similar to our political parties, each one is really no different to the other. The pushers of both so called ideals are one and the same, at the top of the apex a small group of powerful people who wish to stay in control, so they actively encourage us to believe these things are opposites. Consitutional government, where all the limits to power are set out and somehow responsible back to the people is the only real solution. We have allowed monopolies and vested interests to become sole controllers of the many essential industries that cause influence over our populations. We are now reaping what we have sown.

[@carminone]

Exactly my thought.

[@jerrylyons9279]

yes, MSM, hollywood people as examples.

[@chrismm25]

It’s because they have a guilt complex

[@Dano.G]

Every intellectual socialist/communist I know all secretly want one thing, which is the root of collectivism: the idea that they wouldn't need to work and still have everything their neighbors have. They also secretly (not always covertly) hate those with more than them. It's envy. A normal person that wants more in a just and fair society needs to work hard and make good decisions, take on responsibilities and learn valuable/marketable skills. In their collectivist mindset, they imagine a society where they get to be influencers, artists and leaders, all their needs taken care of as they virtue signal while the peasants do all the hard labor to feed the intellectual who doesn't actually contribute to the nation's productivity. Once people are guaranteed to have as much as their neighbor, regardless of their contributions, you're going to see society collapse as productivity drops because nobody will be doing more than the bare minimum as they don't gain anything for that extra effort. There's a reason the Communists in the Soviet Union needed Gulags to force productivity at the cost of human well-being.

[@DemonicRemption]

@Dano.G So I'm not crazy. You see it too. The fact that the root of this crap is envy, and that by adopting Socialism they'll have the same wealth and privilege without having to work for it. I tend to look at these people and shake my head because I know they'll never have the privilege they want because should those in power succeed in making America a Socialist nation they will not include these people among their ranks because they weren't part of their cliq from the beginning.

[@ronnygibbon]

A member of my own family who I love very much recently turned 50. He is athletic, academic, funny, artistic and musically gifted and yet he has never had a full time job. He believes that the talents he has trump hard work, discipline, conscientiousness, ambition and responsibility. Therefore the people who work hard and build society should pay for him.

[@Furcorn-l9k]

Hate those with more than them? Well when more money equals better life quality, and the fact that for someone to have more someone else has to have less, it's very disheartening to see people with more knowing we had to get less for that to happen.....you do know businesses have made so much money, by either underpaying employees or overcharging customers, these businesses can sponsor athletes, donate to politicians to influence legislation, and dumb stuff like sponsor events? When businesses can pick and choose who they want to hire, and decide who they wanna sell their goods to through credit scores, they become obsolete and the government HAS to step in and provide for the people what they need, because business owners have shown that greed is the bottom line

[@GodwynDi]

There is the other side to it which is most of the beauracratic state. They believe they know better than everyone else how things should be done and want to organize everyone.

[@Dano.G]

@@Furcorn-l9k yes businesses make money... That's what they do. The problem is that instead of trying to better their own lives by being productive and having marketable skills, they focus on taking from the successful. This is envy. This is no different than someone who's on welfare, refusing to/cannot work, yet demanding more money. There's no such thing as free money, it comes from somewhere.

[@tashhashimi9483]

When I was 20 y/o in college, I read Moore’s Utopia. I thought it was the greatest thing ever until I thought about it for five minutes and realize how wrong it was

[@nextyrannis2151]

I too read Moore's Utopia years ago and it struck me how inherently authoritarian his ideal society was.

[@marcokite]

More's Utopia is in many ways a satire, it is NOT meant to be taken as a blueprint for society.

[@marcokite]

@@nextyrannis2151 - More's Utopia is in many ways a satire, it is NOT meant to be taken as a blueprint for society. 'Utopia' is NOT a reflection on St Thomas' idea of an 'ideal society'.

[@dragonfly656]

The word “utopia” literally means “no where,” non-existent. Built in the mind rather than in reality. It’s easy to build things mentally and to get attached to our own ideas of how things could or should be, while forgetting what people and systems are really like i.e., fallen, imperfect, and corruptible. That’s how to understand Thomas More’s book.

[@niteshades_promise]

"whats right for you, is a hell for me, and 2 perfect worlds just simply cannot possibly be" -suicidal tendencies. i learned as a child "utopia" is a nitemare. 🍻

[@marlinbethea-gullap4666]

It always confused me when I would see people giving Ayn Rand hate, with most of the videos of her speaking I don't see anything to inflammatory even when she was talking about being "selfish" it wasn't like she was pushing large wall street greedy scum bag culture or whatever, just stating the obvious about people acting with self-interest and self-preservation in mind.

[@SoloRenegade]

same reason they hate on JK Rowling. Ignorance, and not wanting to be forced to take responsibility for themselves.

[@Torby4096]

Simple--she speaks against what they hold dear.

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the Post Office enquiry, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@pirahnalasagne]

People require a balance of self-interest and cooperation to participate in a pro-social manner within a society. Arguing that you must favour one or the other is a falsehood spread by the left and right alike. As an example, are people saying there is no place for volunteer or care work in a capitalist system? Altruism is compatible with capitalism. Significantly when it comes to progressive taxation and the social contract.

[@chrislambert9435]

@@pirahnalasagne Your Socialism is just a matter of shifting cash out of the pockets of people that have earned it, and giving it to people that have not earned it

[@pipsantos6278]

If a system has no where do I sign to opt out, it's just two bullies agreeing you should trust them to take care of you.

[@RedroomStudios]

obviously. not sure what your point is. you can opt out though. move to a country that is less developed, where the governments dont have complete control, where cash is used in 90% + of daily transactions, where the majority of the population dont even have bank accounts. my choice so far has been Mexico.

[@pipsantos6278]

@@RedroomStudios My idea is more on the line "nah, I don't want any of your wares." Then I can go with my day unmolested. I am thinking along the line of government evolving into what Church has become. Optional and inconsequential. If humanity has done that to religion which was a formidable force then, we can also do that to government. Saying government is the only way to run society is just blind faith. Remember when the only way to heaven was by following the mandates of Rome? See how that turn out to be optional now and inconsequential.

[@ankavoskuilen1725]

​@@RedroomStudiosAnd yet, everybody there wants to come to the US.

[@RedroomStudios]

@@ankavoskuilen1725 no they dont. a small percentage do and they are being purposely manipulated into going there. all the big car companies have plants in Mexico and the standard of living is sky rocketing. meanwhile there are millions of people like me in the US, Canada and Europe who have chosen to leave our home countries and come to Mexico and other Latin American countries. life here is like how things used to be in the US back in the 1970's. it's amazing the amount of personal freedoms. stop believing all the lies you see on the news.

[@alsoascot02]

@@ankavoskuilen1725 hardly.

[@BunBun299]

I've heard of Rand most of my life. Only just recently started seeing these interviews with her.

[@edheldude]

Same here. I wonder if she lived like she preaches. Haven't read any of her books yet.

[@jgalt308]

@@edheldude Yes, she did. One of the often repeated myths by the ignorant is: She died on welfare. That welfare was Social Security benefits that she had paid into like everyone else, and twice as much as most because she was self-employed and it took quite some time for a social worker to convince her to accept the benefit. She also refused to compromise her principles to make money. After seeing what Hollywood had done to "The Fountainhead." she refused to sell the film rights to Atlas Shrugged even though it would have eased her financial difficulties.

[@Valehass]

Skip to 7:18 for the perfect explanation of the current year issues we face, made succinctly.

[@jaymudd2817]

63 years old. I am a quite the paradox. I've been Malcontent since childhood. However my anger for Leftism started around the same time. I now consider myself Blessed.

[@alsoascot02]

What about the left angers you?

[@jaymudd2817]

@@alsoascot02 Totalitarianism

[@alsoascot02]

@@jaymudd2817 Totalitarianism is no more an inevitable part of left wing thinking than it is rightwing thinking. Totalitarianism refers to total control of all aspects of public and private space, public and private society. I can easily argue that many calling for liberty are really just arguing (or more accurately shouting loudly because argument implies thought) that they should be ones in charge. They are not truly interested in the 'liberty' of those they disagree with. Liberty itself is a difficult idea to pin down. And Totalitarianism can also depend on how you experience governance and the society you live in.

[@nevillearchibald6584]

Agree with the malcontent part, and it does isolate you at times. Blaming leftism without acknowledging the same traits in rightism is backing one side of the same coin. Ultimately control over the populace by the "rich" few is the end result. We have passed the age of enlightenment sadly and are controlled largely by entrenched ideals within media, schooling and social media. So much so that many no longer even realise they are part of the problem. The ultra rich continue to stay in control despite the many proposed solutions, because they own the mechanisms of control.

[@sanniepstein4835]

@@alsoascot02 If you define right wing as favoring small government, it does make a totalitarian system harder to construct.

[@andymccoy2872]

When envy almost made the America we love disappear

[@soapbxprod]

IMHO It is all about "the politics of envy", as Winston Churchill said...

[@jonathanoverstreet4077]

It’s envy that caused the Great Depression? And what caused 2008 or what’s happening right now? I don’t think so

[@johnyoung3026]

@@jonathanoverstreet4077 Our government giving control of the money supply to an unaccountable central bank is what caused the Great Depression along with bubbles and crashes since then. Fiat currency is the ultimate expression of envy because it's designed to extract wealth from every citizen, no matter how hard you work nor how much you save.

[@lizicadumitru9683]

@@johnyoung3026 That doesn't seem to match up to the definition of envy...

[@johnyoung3026]

@@lizicadumitru9683 Inventing the power to reach into each citizen's personal savings, all the time and without requiring consent, is not based on envy?

[@ContrarianExpatriate]

This explains feminism to a “T!”

[@burnerjack01]

@@SuperBingo96 Not about "rights". All about "preference".

[@RedroomStudios]

feminism is only one element of an all out Marxist attack on western society that has been gaining momentum over the last 6 decades or so. these days it's woke ideology and critical race theory and censorship and weaponization of finances, etc. all devised to create chaos and disunity within western nations so that the middle class can be hollowed out and our elite ruling class can regain their feudalist power over society. this time with the help of high tech to enforce their will.

[@karelglasner2673]

And the rules don't apply to me communities of color 😂 we don't do rational we do radical

[@LaughWhileItsStillLegal]

Feminism is one of many branches of Marxism.

[@Burgundy24]

Simplistic, and smells like misogyny.

[@TH3F4LC0Nx]

Reading Atlas Shrugged legit changed me. Made me reconsider so much of ethics. I finally understood that there truly is no legitimate right from need alone. Sounds cold, (and it's why so many people balk at what she preached), but it's true nonetheless. One person's life has no inherent claim upon another's. We're all born free, then taught that we're to sacrifice ourselves for the sake of others and pretend like there's dignity in that. Rand gets too much hate. She showed me how precious the self really is.

[@waynesmith-h5f]

Tell that to the IDF in Gaza

[@jamwest3146]

Reading her books changed my life for the better.

[@therealjordiano]

bro you have a great point, and i don't mean to be a jerk but, but why is that your profile pic? that's a picture of a child suffering with syphilis before penicilllin, why use that to represent yoself?

[@Questforenigma]

@@waynesmith-h5fdon’t understand your attack? The defenders of Palestine are literally using the Marxist playbook!

[@bbblackwell]

There's a bit more to it than that. I'm not saying you don't know it, just that you didn't mention it. Morality ain't about absolutes in the specific. *Love is the Law.* As the saying goes, you don't owe another man nothing but to love him, but advocating a system whereby billionaires live in luxury while others starve does not fulfill that moral requirement. Both capitalism and communism are perilously off the mark.

[@1Skeptik1]

Capitalism rewards work and innovation, it punishes no one.

[@cibernerd]

And a side effect is that it destroys planets

[@CIA.2024-u9b]

​@@cibernerdNo, it doesn't. Soviet & eastern European, i.e. Socialist industry was significantly more dirty than Western industry was. China today is not cooperative on Sustainability goals.

[@RS-lfdkb]

LOL

[@guillermoelnino]

​@@cibernerd ok commie

[@joen8529]

I wish that were true. There is nothing harder than being a phenomenal artist, except maybe becoming certain types of top pro athletes. Unfortunately right now it’s punishing many outstanding artists who’ve worked their asses off for their entire lives because plagiarism machines called “Ai art”, which are nothing but theft, are allowed to flourish, unpunished, for their blatant crimes. That is capitalism ferociously punishing people working hard and innovating.

[@billdance8815]

Simplistic, honest fact driven, how come every single rational human cannot except what Mrs. Rand is talking about! Embrace realty, work hard remain independent and responsible for your actions or inactions! Simple, honest, right!

[@MrClockw3rk]

She’s right of course. The problem is that it’s also an objective fact that the bell curve persists throughout all time and all societies. At some point, when takers keep showing up, we’re forced to admit that such people are probably hardwired into reality, and any expectation that they might somehow not be at a future date is the irrational position.

[@RedroomStudios]

the thing is, that if we were disciplined and wary that we would not allow our societies to be slowly eroded away over decades under the guise of virtue and caring.

[@pipsantos6278]

The 1% has made every effort to move the peak of the bell curve to the left. What's moronic then is normal now. These attack on our collective intellect encompass all aspects of our existence. 30 years of almost daily bombardment of rap music to our eardrums made rap acceptable now. When the landscape is trashed, nothing seems to make a difference unless you exert the effort to separate the chaff from the wheat.

[@CIA.2024-u9b]

​@@pipsantos6278Finally someone who finds rap music as trashy, as I do!

[@QldTechie]

Very interesting. I was previously of the opinion that Ayn Rand was bad, but she sounds like some of my ancestors. As a man in my 7th decade and having achieved something, I must now agree with her.

[@noway905]

You just expressed what leftists in my early life convinced me of also. What a brilliant woman.

[@fjohnson9749]

Agreed

[@erichegrosse6874]

You just believed what your teachers told you. Then you actually read what she said. 🍷

[@QldTechie]

@@erichegrosse6874 you assume too much. I don't think this had anything to do with my teachers.

[@RedroomStudios]

of course the leftist media paints her as evil. her common sense ideas are a threat to them.

[@JonathanRedden-wh6un]

Altruism can only begin when a person has the means and ability to be self sustaining. A perhaps simplistic picture is the need on a plane to make sure one’s own oxygen mask is in position before help can be given to another.

[@buddhuu1]

No one is purely self sustaining. People are not separate from plants, they depend on them. We live in a connected world. I've never heard of a productive thing Rand herself did. Did she ever garden? I think she smoked and drank, and had some pretty iffy personal relationships. The philosophy itself seems toxic and destructive. A better right wing idol might be Kropotkin

[@jgalt308]

Then there is "biological altruism" as presented by Robert Sapolsky...one twin = two siblings = 8 cousins. Another interesting question is: Are humans a monogamous species or a tournament one? This answer is YES!!!!

[@HDSPKSRecords-gi1ob]

@@buddhuu1 Self sufficiency and confidence put us in a great position to form deep relationships with other people. Needy people will always stab each other in the back.

[@bobbypanda6685]

There are too many poor crooks, per one self sustaining person to remain so, for beyond few days. So forget about getting into that trap.

[@suga4all]

Wow! What a precise analysis! Just put this in context with the C-crises or with 'wokeness' in general. It is on point!

[@alexteli8846]

Ayn Rand had a great mind that must never be silenced. Seek her intellect with a clear, unbiased mind and find the freedom to be you in all your individual aspirations.

[@peterg76yt]

Pure capitalism does not deal well with extreme poverty or extreme wealth, so some minimal intervention is desirable, even with the compromises that that entails. Pure socialism does not deal well with extreme poverty either, and extreme poverty is all socialism has.

[@MDebou]

@@rogierb5945 He wrote "pure capitalism" which is a complete separation of government and economics. Can you explain how that is a partnership and how it benefits the government?

[@Rocinante1963]

Yet there is no law preventing anyone from donating as much money as they want to the charity of their choice.

[@offshoretomorrow3346]

Google 'Truckers', 'Canada'.

[@RobertMJohnson]

It’s not about minimal intervention, but intelligent intervention. For example, we cannot allow a manufacturer to dump and discard poisons into our ecosystem. We can’t allow people to build whatever they want on their own property. We can’t allow commercial buildings to go uninspected during the build. Etc etc. we need lots of regulation, it just needs to be intelligent. Unfortunately we have truckloads of corruption in our government and economy because of humans and lack of accountability through our corrupt courts

[@MeTuLHeD]

Why does capitalism have to "deal" with extreme poverty?

[@markvocci5356]

The real basis for socialism is an exaggerated sense of entitlement. You owe me whether I can fend for myself or not because I am worth it and deserve it and you must provide it..

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

Except its capitalism that is based on entitlement of other peoples labour, resources, culture etc

[@kehindeakiode2865]

​@@symbolsarenotreality4595you seem to have it backwards, friend. In capitalism, you don't get unless you give something back. How does that sound like entitlement?

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

@@kehindeakiode2865 Again all the supporters of capitalism can do is reframe reality backwards while accusing anyone who disagrees with them of reframing everything backwards. Its that your best relative projection and denial with no objective analysis?

[@revolutionaryhamburger]

Socialism is the theory that the desire of one man to get something he hasn't earned is more pleasing to a just God than the desire of some other man to keep what he has earned.

[@revolutionaryhamburger]

@@symbolsarenotreality4595 You are describing slavery. If you knew your history, you would know capitalism went to war with slavery and won, mostly. Because free enterprise cannot coexist with slavery. Socialism on the other hand is just another word for slavery, which is why socialism cannot coexist with freedom.

[@Freefolkcreate]

If you learn about narcissism and narcissistic enablers you will also understand why tyranny has so many followers.

[@scottsweet501]

Frisco’s speech at Jim Taggarts wedding about the so called evils of money as the root of all evil is the best explanation ever. We sure could use John Gault about now. I have listened to Atlas Shrugged audiobook, all 57 hours dozens of times, all should listen to it often, until they understand. Most won’t and that is a supreme pity. Cradle to grave support and baby sitting by the government is for mentally impotent cowards.

[@gaozhi2007]

The Christopher Hurt version is awesome. An amazing reader.

[@Gizmo42Rodeo]

Often misquoted. It's not money that is the root of all evils, it's the love of money. 1Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.

[@SBecktacular]

I have the utmost distain for those that exploit government programs- my family is littered with them! I’m one of two that refused this route because it went against everything in my soul that loves freedom and truth, independence and the ability to think for yourself.

[@paulreid2223]

The LOVE of money/possessions is the root of all evil ..

[@Deb0330]

She is on point! If you haven’t seen the 3 part series from her book Atlas Shrugged, I certainly recommend it. I had to pay to watch it, but it was worth it. The first one starts out slow, but it’s awesome. I’ve watched it a couple of times.

[@ankavoskuilen1725]

The book is awful though.

[@MrBowser2012]

The movie drove me crazy. I give them credit for the effort but the constant changing of characters and the gaping holes in the story just frustrated me. I’ve listened to the book 3 times and I highly recommend it. It’s a commitment but well worth it!

[@dogwklr]

​@@ankavoskuilen1725 why awful? I've never read it. Is it any more awful than the tripe marx, Lenin, mao and the other mental patients that thr world seems to still worship?

[@sanniepstein4835]

@@dogwklr It's badly written. If you're accustomed to reading the respected authors, it's a slog. I quit years ago & plan to try again without aesthetic expectations.

[@jgalt308]

It would have been better if it were presented in the era it was written for rather than the attempt to modernize it. To be understood correctly it must be considered in the same way 1984 and Brave New World were.

[@lydiafife8716]

Ayn Rand was brilliant

[@pledgestone]

Ayn Rand gets a lot of flack, but she is always more correct than wrong by a long shot. I agree with 90% or so of what she says.

[@cyberedge881]

I agree with her to an even greater degree than that. It's with some of her followers that I have more frequent disagreement.

[@howlingdin9332]

The most unique thing about Objectivism is that conformity to all of its viewpoints and conclusions would be counter to its fundamental precepts. You're supposed to be an individual, rely on your own judgement and come to your own conclusions.

[@AkiraNakamoto]

@@cyberedge881 Me too. 😀

[@stephenkalatucka6213]

Kinda like Alex Jones.

[@elaneradim6117]

to these 3 fears it is crucial to add: fear of responsibility Fear of independence; Fear of reason; Fear of reality

[@SBecktacular]

Huh- kinda like a narcissist 🤔

[@danielpye7738]

The most recent critique of capitalism lately has been “excess profits” of some certain sectors. It has been seized upon as some form of moral deficiency that companies should not make so much money. And most of the negative headlines are of course reserved for fossil fuel companies with companies who curry favour with a socialist mindset ignored. Completely ignoring the fact that the governments of the world in the past few years have added trillions of dollars worth of currency into the economy. Ignoring the fact that this act alone ensures price inflation and it’s destabilising effects. Here in NZ what I observed in 2020 is that people loved being told what to do by the government. As people went loopy over Jacinda Ardern and indeed she won a landslide victory in the 20 election. Yet by late 2020 people were beginning to sober up to the fact that maybe that was not the smartest move as inflation started to bite. Even now our media clamours for a socialist government even though we seemingly put a “right wing” one back in.

[@TheBereangirl]

I always have, and forever will, love reality and the truth. They are hard to accept, sometimes, but it's the "hard" that makes them so great! Embrace the reality of absolute truth, it's the adult and responsible thing to do.🤨😊♥️

[@micchaelsanders6286]

It always blows me away what a genius she was.

[@jameswinter6125]

Very true. Ayn was both brilliant and prophetic.

[@peterjermey7235]

If capitalism is so much better than socialism in all situations then how come the US is ranked 23rd in the world for healthcare and most of the countries ranked higher have socialized healthcare? Why is it that we have people who are "CEOs" who do no day to day work for a company (example Elon Musk is the CEO of Tesla, but focuses his day to day work on other companies) who get paid the equivalent of ten thousand employees? If an employee got a similar job for a different company and didn't show up for work then they'd be fired! Our national of socialism is being used to keep workers poor and the billionaire class ever richer

[@nagabuzz]

@@peterjermey7235 USA does have capitalist health care, it highly red tapped, regulated for few beneficiary. Also, Health is not fundamental. It is a privilage. Go and live in socialism. I will lived through it so **** ***

[@billyliar1614]

What, the Hannibal Lector school of geniuses ?

[@drumyogi9281]

@@peterjermey7235Simple answer for a simple question. The United States healthcare system decade after decade has become more regulated. First by congress then by the conglomerates. If it stayed more laze it would have been better off. Just like how university got so expensive. Guaranteed government loans.

[@betterd9160]

Afraid of competition even with elements of the self

[@JohnZornAscended]

That’s because the self knows something is a Lie.

[@jameslindsay24601]

Ayn Rand was a bit extreme regarding the power of rational thought, but that is minor. Rand is a vital writer who exposed the insanity of socialism and communism. This is how a society destroys itself. The “omnipotent state” is the goal of many right now. She warned us and we must take that warning seriously.

[@jacob.tudragens]

When no one has anything, we will all be equal. No other path will take us there...

[@33wanwan]

equity they call it

[@tashtastictash]

That would crush the human spirit- no one having anything? No humans. Last I checked we live on a physical plane of matter and energy- everything “has” something.

[@monkfoobar]

MythBusters “I reject your reality and substitute my own”. One of the most popular TV shows ever. Barack Obama “hope and change”

[@mattt21]

The *reality* that so many want to escape and run away from, is the Bible.

[@Primitarian]

The motivation behind antipathy to capitalism, particularly in its irrational aspect, is basically populism, one that finds relief from individual responsibility in a simple-minded appeal to equality and community that is simplistic and dramatic but often dressed up as science, philosophy or religion.

[@ronwhittaker6317]

the lust of power over other men regardless of the form it comes in,, regardless of how flawed capitalism is greed and lust is the problem.

[@hilding2063]

"There is no alternative to a free society, except the establishment of a totalitarian state" - Ayn Rand It's unbelievable how true this is and how apparently visible today.

[@craighansen7594]

Ayn hits the nail squarely on the head by logically explaining why socialism is so wrong.

[@philbohr9224]

Atlas shrugged - one of the best books ever.

[@mernshepherd6009]

I find this to be totally true..i have never worked by the hour or for a company..i have always made my own money..people look at my way of life with fear..never knowing where your next money is coming from..some hate on me and try everyway to make it tougher on me..but i actially do better and have more than most..i also owe nothing and own everything i have ..to them it seems scary..but to me i cannot see myself working for some company clocking in for a capped pay check .dealing with all the politics of othet co workers jocking for a better position..seems constricting..it seems safe to them but i see them get layed off even when they gave 10 years of no call ins..i know and accept that i must make my own and if i dont i will suffer..but all the free and easy times far outweigh any bad times iv had..but i do run into people that hate hate hate my freedom..only because it disproves their belife that you need a steady pay check from a job to live good..

[@tonycrook2955]

Congratulations. Glad there's people like you. And I feel ya, I'm a self employed gardener, although I do work for my customers on an hourly rate. I was just telling my brother I couldn't conceive of ever working for a computer again

[@mernshepherd6009]

@tonycrook2955 I did not mean I never charged my customers by the hour..I did do that while I was a young man.i found that by the man hour didnt work for me.I just never work by the hour for a weekly pay check for someone else..when I was 12 my first work was for my father..he did roofing and paid me like everyone else 12 bucks a square..but that wasnt an hourly and it was my dad..then I worked painting barns with my uncle. But it was a percentage of profit. Then by 16 almost 17 I started working for myself. I tried mobile mechanic by the hour..but it did not suit me..I tried many things I finally around 20 started working with my grandfather because he was getting to old to do all the work ..we did auto body work ( he was a master) but I did not like body work and I was the one doing the grunt work..so he asked me what I wanted to do..I chose paving..was able to work with my grandfather everyday until he passed at 99yrs old..so I have lived a blessed life..but I know of no other way..if I ever really wanted something I just go find work and do it..may have to do a few jobs but hardly anything I want is out of reach..had some ruff times but really only because of my own mistakes..and never as ruff as others..I was homeless without even a car one day in my life..but I refused to give up..walking in the hood I hustled an autobody job for 900 cost me 100 in materials had it finished by the next day and then rented a friend's car to find myself more work .within a week I had bought an old pickup and was rollin again.. . I have lived an adventurous life and traveled all over and met so many great people..

[@heavenlydays2838]

Your BS way of thinking is obvious of the dishonesty of your narcissistic ways. The road that is " Wide & Easy" is the road to Hell.

[@mernshepherd6009]

@heavenlydays2838 your exactly who I was talking about..freedom is great..you should try it don't be scared..if you read what I said..there are hard times ..but to me punching a clock and listing to guys like you tell me what I can and can't do on the job or ill het fired sounds way harder..

[@user-conservative-wasp]

I agree with you in principle. I think you're missing something though. Most of us work for someone else, and there is nothing wrong with that. It's almost literally impossible for all of us to be self-employed. That's not the point Ayn Rand was making however. Even if you work for someone else, the belief that you can be self-employed one day is still believing in capitalism. We should be happy that we have jobs, and realize how fortunate we really are to live in such a free society, even if employed by someone else. We can have truly good, worthwhile and happy lives, even if we work for someone else. It took me decades to come to that realization, and having achieved this state of acceptance, I'm only now feeling free and content in my employment and life in general. For the first time I honestly feel fortunate to have a job. God bless capitalism.

[@winstonsmith8240]

I think she's talking about free market capitalism. Which we don't have.

[@marianhunt8899]

We have instead monopoly oligarchical rule where the uber Wealthy take everything.

[@madlynx1818]

We have corporatism not capitalism.

[@Sweeptheleg83]

​@@madlynx1818yup. Flirting with Fascism.

[@RedroomStudios]

it doesnt matter about the specifics or that fact that our capitalism is corrupted. everything she says is true and still applies. the worrying thing for us now is those people who have corrupted the capitalist system for their own benefit are using the weak minded leftist revolutionaries as pawns to gain even more complete control over the system and to eliminate the middle class. they want zero independent businesses as competition. they want everything provided and profited from by mega corporations. they want to make everything so expensive and over taxed that people can only afford their bare necessities... so that people wont be able to travel or enjoy recreation. all that will be reserved only for those at the top who control the system. in the end what we are headed towards is a high tech version of feudalism. all those old families who lost wealth and power through the revolutions of the past have been slowly working to regain their former power and put the masses back in their place as servants.

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

except you do, its called the black market, free of all pesky legal regulations. One of it's industries is the sex slave trade, rife with pedophilia.

[@arthurdixon5890]

I can understand Rand as she speaks of the USSR citizens of that time. I also agree with her, that capitalism is the best outcome for a nation. Early capitalism was more altruistic. The capital wealth was spent in the nation to improve the infrastructure and life of the citizens. Capitalism has taken a darker side in more recent times. There is good capitalism and bad capitalism. The good capitalism of the past was inclusive to the workers creating the wealth. Now we see shareholders and Leadership taking the share of the wealth in dividends and annual bonuses and those creating the wealth with a wage moving ever closer to the national minimum wage. This creates animosity and the unwillingness in the individual to be as productive as possible to boost profits. Capital moves across nations and the world now at the press of a button. In minutes the financial capital can evaporate from a nation state forcing a crash in the city. Capitalism now is not what Rand had in mind in her analysis. It has evolved. I believe capitalism is the best system but multinational growth is not serving the nation.

[@jessemalone8083]

Sure. Multinational growth requires subservience to the laws and bodies politic of multiple nations. Multi-headed "fascism" comes to mind. Concurrently, small businesses are extinguished and entrepreneurial middle classes are diminished. Capitalism is subsumed.

[@arthurdixon5890]

@@jessemalone8083 Globalisation has a lot to answer for, I agree. They help their self, not the world.

[@brooke4627]

She was essentially making a mistake by equating a defence of capitalism with a rejection of altruism. Not only was she ignoring the fact that many capitalists are also altruists she likewise showed her ignorance of the diversity of altruism as it manifests in different cultures, religions and societies as well as how it appears in different types of people.

[@revolutionaryhamburger]

Arguably some of the worst damage done in he modern age was and is being done by billionaire's with their do gooder altruism. George Soros, for example, used altruism to cause great social unrest at the cost of countless lives here and abroad. Bill "Eugenics is Good" Gate's altruism manifests on the ground as evil incarnate. Most altruism causes more harm than good. Anyone who has given sober consideration knows this is true.

[@gnosis8142]

I think it's pretty accurate to say that there is a line - where on the one side - there is Capitalism ― on the other - there is Communism, or more specifically - Rejection of Private Property. Both sides are bad. In the middle ― is the correct system.

[@paulgorael3354]

Beautiful how she can precisely describe each answer to every question

[@abracadabra5624]

All ENSLAVERS rule by fear. The smart ones get you to hand over your autonomy, critical thinking, and obedience. Just ask anyone who's escaped a cult. I have and there's many reasons people continue to allow their enslavement but FEAR is always the motivator.

[@SteviePaints]

And that’s the role of the media: to keep the fear going.

[@abracadabra5624]

@@SteviePaints yes it is and to cause panic. It's a real con job going on.

[@elisabetbarth5573]

We dont have capitalism, we have lobbyism.

[@heathclark318]

Its an oligarchy, no different than Russia. Pick your flavor of MIC, Big Pharma, Financial Institution. As a famous man once said, "its a big club, you and I, we aint in it!"

[@loonaticsrunningtheassylum]

Corporatism which is kinda fascism

[@a2ndopynyn]

She takes a REALLY long time to say, "Socialists want free shit at someone else's expense, so they oppose any cultural ideology which disapproves of such things."

[@mateosimon4237]

What a brillant mind, it's a delight to listen to this woman

[@LePedantSemantique]

At the risk of waxing sexist, how did modern society so quickly deteriorate from women of such depth to the cast of The View? 🧐

[@nicolascarrez3409]

I would add something important to this video: what causes individuals to be irrationnal & have fear of freedom ? Response: immaturity. Look at kids, they are kind of super-socialists, they are not responsibles, they except for their parents to solve their problems and mistakes, they do not care for consequences & causations... and only a learning imposed by confrontation with reality and necessity (and by parents) can change this. Being an responsible adult NEEDS TO BE LEARNT. The problem is, in our modern and technologic society, you are protected from everything, you can be as passive as you want, andthis explains why there are more and more child-adults, and so more and socialists, who see the state as their over-protecting parents they have never left...

[@Yabberfrat]

Totally and completely agree Nicolas!

[@cyberedge881]

Well said and very true.

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

A gibberish sales pitch. Maybe they are just realising that capitalism doesn't work and are witnessing the collapse of it and the USA in real time. Meanwhile China is moving ahead leaps and bounds and has raised more people out of poverty than any nation on earth and unlike the USA, has not invaded nation after nation with lie after lie all for profit, power and resource control. You must really enjoy this echo chamber on this page.

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the details of Post Office enquiry in the UK, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@VincentBuonora]

Well said, well observed…!

[@SeanandBlanca]

I think independence also means fear of “RESPONSIBILITY”. But this is excellent.

[@SoloRenegade]

you can't be independent if you are afraid fo responsibility.

[@SBecktacular]

I’m independence is the opposite of the fear of responsibility

[@davids5257]

Amazing!! I really like old style Free Thinkers.

[@phillipharris8277]

She has a point, the popularity of socialism is rooted in fear.

[@john2001plus]

​The term "Capitalism" gets thrown around and has become a pejorative on the political left. So maybe we should define what we mean by "Capitalism". A free market is one in which you get to make free choices. The opposite of this is tyranny, but no society is either completely free or completely tyrannical. Being free to make choices includes the freedom to make voluntary exchanges, to own property, and to do business for your own benefit. The definition of Socialism is that the means of production is socially or collectively owned. By definition, the means of production can't be privately owned, which requires an authoritarian state to take away people's right to engage in commerce. This makes Socialism not only evil, but impractical because it prevents people from acting in their own benefit, and it prevents the innovation that would come from large numbers of people doing business. It also takes away incentive structures of success and failure that result in a more efficient free market. One thing that the political right believes that maybe the political left doesn't is that people respond to incentives. Give people an incentive to not work and they won't work. Give people an incentive to be productive and innovative and they will be productive and innovative. These claims are easily demonstrated by looking at how various economic systems have faired. Far-left economic systems have faired very poorly and have been a disaster for the people living under them. All you need for a prosperous society is to embrace a free market to at least some degree.

[@davidhawley1132]

Fascinating. It is clear that both the individual and the collective are fundamental and inescapable aspects of humanity, but some emphasize one and some the other. This basic philosophical issue of the One and the Many can only be solved by something that transcends and integrates both. The Christian Trinity is precisely the concept and reality which does that.

[@petjobedet4650]

David Hawley - I also read Rushdoony,s One and the Many. He’s a brilliant guy but gets way off into OT tangents that deny the Teachings of Christ in the sermon on the mount.

[@davidhawley1132]

M. Pettibone I’ve not read Rushdoony, but I read Colin Gunton’s Brampton Lectures on the subject, and promptly forgot everything but the title and the ‘aha’ feeling :)

[@BenSchillaci]

Only when the individual has healthy roots does his state of health become contagious and inspire other individuals toward their own highest function. To focus on a group is to focus on an idea, a label and not reality. Imagine treating all of your house plants the same because the broad heading you give them is “My House Plants.” You’ll have a lot of over watered succulents. Real cooperation requires each individual to be able to function independently and all of this independent function viewed from a birds-eye view only appears to be a group effort. Just as a field of wild flowers appears to be a group effort, if that were a true identity, if you tried to pluck one flower it would either dismantle the group or itself as they would be mutually exclusive. By this reasoning the integrity if the individual must always be the focus making the group a consequence of the validity of the self.

[@davidhawley1132]

@@BenSchillaci You appear to assume that a collective is simply a set of unconnected individuals aggregated conceptually or formally. This seems very Western, in the face of (while we are talking theology) Paul's teaching about the church (e.g. in Romans 12) as differentiated but interdependent organs in a single body. The latter is a certainly idealized but still more realistic view of the way human society works. I.e. you can't be a healthy individual without society. Of course individuality is important. Christ unites both the heroic individual and the collective ('body of Christ'), another expression of the Trinity principle.

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the details of Post Office enquiry in the UK, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@ClericChris]

Freedom or Independence just means you are responsible for yourself. Socialism and communism seeks freedom of responsibility or not responsible for being responsible.

[@mw7527]

Perfect summation from a of what we now have in US. And around the world. Its been here for as long as I can remember. But now they have come into their greatest power.

[@Lolly4twDasOrginal]

1. Capitalism isn't perfect. 2. But still better than the alternatives. 3. Let's focus on the bad things in capitalism and make it better. I'm glad for all reasonable ideas. 🙂

[@wilsontheconqueror8101]

The wide-spread lack of rational thinking is one thing because thats too much to expect from such a large mass of people like the U.S. . But the increasing lack of rational thought from the political ruling body is down right jaw dropping frightening.

[@ibatan7243]

IMO, anti-capitalism people, are afraid from working hard/smart to reach their financial goals for themselves and their Loved Ones. Rather, they prefer to work in an unionized environment where it does NOT matter how lazy and slow you are but you are more senior than the hardworking/skillful person who joined the same entreprise after you. Thus, you get more rewards/benefits by being an obstacle before the goals of the enterprise rather than the one one who merits such benefits, but still relatively newer, by taking sacrifices to enable the entreprise to reach its financial goals. .

[@opnavesea]

Sam bankman-fried making the case like a champ.

[@fleurdrose5504]

Sadly parents are teaching socialism in their homes. Self-reliance and independence should be taught from childhood. Socialism is expecting others to do what you ought to and are capable of doing for yourself. Parents by example should be teaching their children Conservatism/Capitalism at home as a form of parental leadership that will prepare children to be independent and responsible adults in the real world. For example, determine laws and boundaries, allow free speech and debate, set practical guidance ie. give each child a day of the week to do their washing, set a time limit in which to achieve this task and then reward with recognition which nurtures self-reliance and self-esteem, not treats and stuff after all this is what should be expected of oneself. Thrift is a good one, grant pocket money on condition it is fiscally managed ie, 10% saved for long term goals, 10% for midterm goals and 10 % for short term goals, 10% for good causes and the rest spent as wished but accounted for in a ledger of sorts. etc.etc. Suggested reading: Kane and Abel by Jeffery Archer a fantastic read with an amazing historical and practical scope of knowledge.

[@symbolsarenotreality4595]

Capitalism is expecting others to do the work for you for money. Money deliberately misrepresents value to generate profit. Paying people to do stuff is not actual work, actual work is actual work. Money is just the mechanism by which those who do no work themselves, exploit the labour of those who do. All you can do is misrespresent capitalism and socialism while accusing socialism of doing the same because like liberals, you conservatives have no objective measure of reality either and refuse to accept the true nature of capitalism and socialism.

[@shaunkelly3562]

"Socialism is great, until you run out of other people's money." Not sure who coined that phrase!

[@zacatkinson3926]

Thatcher

[@matthewmaggio3484]

I agree with everything she said here. It's brilliant. The problem is that this degree of thinking is not scalable to most people. Most people are haplessly led by whims and emotions. Look at the bell curve for IQ to see where many of our problems lie.

[@2Hesiod]

Marx's best criticism was that capitalism exploits when it exploits less than socialism. This kind of illogical criticism is characteristic of envy, tearing down the other, instead of constructive.

[@cmojo68]

Yes, very insightful.

[@holycannoli64]

@@99Yteu no - socialism can be nationalist (Nazi) or internationalist (communism). Socialism in either form is anti individualist and collectivist, doctrinally speaking.

[@holycannoli64]

@@99Yteu socialists are all Marxists. There is a spectrum within socialism from those who are incrementalists (fabians) to the revolutionary socialists who are basically Trotskyists as far as I can tell.

[@applesaucelarry813]

@@holycannoli64 Wrong. The fact that you think the Nazis were actually truly socialist is laughable.

[@holycannoli64]

@@applesaucelarry813 their party was called the national socialist worker's party of Germany. Their political philosophy was Marxist in origin. Mussolini wrote for a Marxist publication. Please don't give me the "not real socialism" and "not real communism" canards. The only point of doctrinal difference between the national socialists of Germany and the Soviets was that the latter were international socialists not national socialists.

[@colin5577]

In business I have generally found that those people most worried about getting screwed in a deal are those most likely to try to screw everyone else. I see a parallel in those social activists most keen to police everyone’s language and behaviour. The talk about fairness and safety is a mask to hide their own dark, resentful and controlling natures.

[@mitscientifica1569]

How did the man who wrote Grapes of Wrath ( exalted by Socialists worldwide) and is a life long Socialist get Freedom and the Value of the the Individual’s Mind so right in one of his seminal books, East of Eden . It is dualism at it’s best: “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, ideology or government which limits or destroys the individual. This is what I am and what I am about. I can understand why a system built on a pattern must try to destroy the free mind, for that is one thing which can by inspection destroy such a system. Surely I can understand this, and I hate it and I will fight against it to preserve the one thing that separates us from the uncreative beasts. If the glory can be killed, we are lost.” -John Steinbeck, East of Eden, Author and Life Long Socialist I know this passage will scare some of you because it comes from a socialist, Steinbeck, but it almost sounds like something out of an Ayn Rand novel .

[@gabrielduran291]

Does the freedom he conceptualizes stop at freedom of thought? Or does he also extend that freedom to the results of thinking i.e. material goods produced by individuals? Does he recognize property? If so how does he square that with his socialism?

[@marianhunt8899]

Two cheeks of the same. Left and right rulers of the masses.

[@neilreynolds3858]

I have a socialist friend who thinks they're a libertarian too and somehow socialism promotes the rights of the individual. I've been talking to her daily for over 10 years and still don't understand what kind of mental gymnastics she has to perform to make sense of it. I understand why she is that way, it comes down to hate, but she can't see it. People get their minds twisted up when they're young and think it's perfectly normal. On the other hand, I have a friend who was raised in the USSR and read Marx every day the whole time they were in school and rejected the whole thing so I don't think the explanation that propaganda crammed into your mind every day is why people reject reality. She's incapable of hating anybody. I think it must be more about the psychology of the individual so it must be something like what Rand says.

[@stopper90004]

​​@@neilreynolds3858 I've noticed that a very large number of highly educated and apparently intelligent people have deep roots in religious Faith beliefs somewhere in their recent family's history. The seeds of altruism/self enslavement-sacrifice are sown by most religious ideologies. Once infected, it gives meaning to their life and forms an invisible base layer in their thinking. It is to objectivism what oil is to water.

[@chrislambert9435]

Just Look at the details of Post Office enquiry in the UK, this was/is a "Government" owned & controlled Company/Department, and you can see what "culture" is produced through "Government" control influence

[@mortimersnerd8136]

“ Socialism is a philosophy of failure,the creed of ignorance, the gospel of envy, its inherent virtue is the equal sharing of misery “ Winston S Churchill.

[@ralphbernhard1757]

*The people of Eurasia, including Western Europe (most of whom are Christians) have been divided and ruled over by outsiders for centuries.* Because it is easier to divide people based on personal differences, than it is to unite them, based on what they have in common. Strategically ambiguous rulers make use of this, for own advantages. In the era of European Imperialism, first London dragging along her junior partner Paris, then after 1945 as European colonial powers' influence decreased, the role of divider was simply taken over by Washington DC (the entire world was the playground during the Cold War). Now the intention is simply to avoid unity in Eurasia, in order to "rule" over the dissent which is classical "divide and rule". Today, their leaders are too weak to unite. Endless wars, constant dissent. Insert "levers" of lies, mistrust... Create favorites: favoritism... Point the finger, everywhere else... Divide and Rule. Oldest trick in the book... Who wields the POWER? Who has had (in all historical cases in the ME/Levant) the GEOGRAPHICAL ADVANTAGE of being able to reach all the other little buck catchers (tools, and other Roman-era style instruments of POWER), but could not be reached itself, because of a geographical-, technological-, organisational-, military-, strategic-, political advantage at any given point of a historical timeline? "Most of the great problems we face are caused by politicians creating solutions to problems they created in the first place." -- Walter E. Williams

[@RickAtchley-d8l]

Read her books

[@martino8114]

I have and in my opinion she’s the smartest woman I’ve ever known of. To date

[@jamwest3146]

Sir, my opinion as well. Certainly, the greatest mind of the 20th century. @@martino8114

[@mikeb5372]

​@@martino8114Agree!

[@stevenscovill14]

It's Natural human to have Capitalism and Socialism I'm a man in the world dealing with nature to survive evolution makes me compete that takes Capitalism Than my gains I give to my family as they need it that's Socialism So it's Father hate and fear of failing that keep people wanting Socialism

[@R3tr0v1ru5]

Giving to people isn't Socialism nor is it altruistic. You give to your family because that is your self interest. Giving is the opposite of Socialism, which is only achieved through force.

[@MW-sw7so]

So there just children who dont want to grow up?

[@crimson1919]

Her mastery of the English language is magnificent. Brilliant woman.

[@Meermarial]

Powerful sermon! I now concur with the premise that knowledge is power. The knowledge Ayn Rand had is very transforming in nature. People who hate her are the collectivist society.

[@heathclark318]

Exactly. Those living in an echo chamber of collectivist ideology discourage any critical analysis of their views. Which in itself shows they lack the ability to be self aware. If one can not step back and critically look at the situation they are in, and how they play a part in that situation, that person is incapable of being a problem solver thus could never become a problem preventor.