I am stunned. I probably should not be. I probably should have expected it. But I am stunned.
Just when I thought that it could not get any worse I read these words in a Wikipedia article titled "Objectivism's rejection of the primitive":
"Rand's Objectivism rejects primitivism and tribalism, while arguing that they are symptomatic of an "anti-industrial" mentality. Rand believed that the indigenous Native Americans, who in her estimation exhibited these "savage" traits, thus forfeited their property rights in doing so. Rand also contended that Native Americans, "having failed for millennia to create a heroically productive capitalist society, deserved to be stripped of their land." When Rand addressed West Point Military Academy cadets in 1974 and was asked about the dispossession and "cultural genocide" of Native Americans which occurred en route to forming the United States, she replied that indigenous people "had no right to a country merely because they were born here and then acted like savages .... Since the Indians did not have the concept of property or property rights – they didn't have a settled society, they had predominantly nomadic tribal "cultures" – they didn't have rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights that they had not conceived of and were not using." Rand went on to opine that "in opposing the white man" Native Americans wished to "continue a primitive existence" and "live like animals or cavemen", surmising that "any European who brought with him an element of civilization had the right to take over this continent."" (emphasis mine).
I kind of sensed all along that Ayn Rand was on the side of evil. However, I never would have imagined this.
And there are people who admire Ayn Rand. During the last presidential election in the U.S. we even had a candidate for Vice President who considered her work to be gospel so much that he requires his staff to read it.
Scary.
Just when I thought that it could not get any worse I read these words in a Wikipedia article titled "Objectivism's rejection of the primitive":
"Rand's Objectivism rejects primitivism and tribalism, while arguing that they are symptomatic of an "anti-industrial" mentality. Rand believed that the indigenous Native Americans, who in her estimation exhibited these "savage" traits, thus forfeited their property rights in doing so. Rand also contended that Native Americans, "having failed for millennia to create a heroically productive capitalist society, deserved to be stripped of their land." When Rand addressed West Point Military Academy cadets in 1974 and was asked about the dispossession and "cultural genocide" of Native Americans which occurred en route to forming the United States, she replied that indigenous people "had no right to a country merely because they were born here and then acted like savages .... Since the Indians did not have the concept of property or property rights – they didn't have a settled society, they had predominantly nomadic tribal "cultures" – they didn't have rights to the land, and there was no reason for anyone to grant them rights that they had not conceived of and were not using." Rand went on to opine that "in opposing the white man" Native Americans wished to "continue a primitive existence" and "live like animals or cavemen", surmising that "any European who brought with him an element of civilization had the right to take over this continent."" (emphasis mine).
I kind of sensed all along that Ayn Rand was on the side of evil. However, I never would have imagined this.
And there are people who admire Ayn Rand. During the last presidential election in the U.S. we even had a candidate for Vice President who considered her work to be gospel so much that he requires his staff to read it.
Scary.
