What if the Tea Party read Ayn Rand properly?
Summary of story from the Guardian, April 22, 2011
Ayn Rand, whose philosophy, Objectivism, advocates the “virtue of selfishness”, has long been something of a literary hero to American conservatives.
The rise in the US of the rightwing populist Tea Party movement has increased her popularity.
But Megan Gibson, writing here, is not sure that Ayn Rand’s philosophy would be so popular if the Tea Party looked at it properly rather than picking and choosing.
For Ms Rand, an advocate of capitalism and limited government, was also a staunch advocate of abortion rights and sexual hedonism, and an atheist – facts which her conservative admirers have largely ignored.
She was also outspoken in her disgust for Republicans, feeling that they were soft on individuals’ rights.
The first instalment of the three-part film adaptation of her epic tome, Atlas Shrugged, opened last weekend in around 300 movie theatres throughout the US.
As with any system of belief, one has the personal freedom to put into practice the tenets she admires while leaving aside the ones she does not.