Objectivism vs. Bolshevism

I've noticed something really weird over the last few years: right-wing regressives have adopted Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophies as their own. I find this weird since her fiction was written around creatives, who usually fall into the progressive category, because of their willingness and ability to recognize creativity in others and in all forms of expression, which usually leads to a "live and let live" philosophy.  Regardless of the intentions of the author, all manner of corporate greed and avarice has been justified in the last few years by people citing Ayn Rand's work. This has left me scratching my head to a certain degree. But I have finally begun to see the appeal of Rand's so-called philosophies to regressives. 

Before you think this blog is going to take a political turn, let me assure you that this post is not about politics, per se. It is about using the veil of politics to attempt to cover up our own personal shortcomings and lack of compassion. 

I read a really interesting post in Salon yesterday: "How Ayn Rand ruined my childhood," by Melissa Bereznak.  I encourage you to read it before continuing, because the rest of my post will make more sense if you do. 

In short, she blamed Ayn Rand's objectivist philosophy for her father's bad behavior when she was growing up; and I would say rightly so (read the article and you will know why). 

I read Ayn Rand's books when I was in college, not because they were assigned (they never were) but because I was a voracious reader and they were loaned to me by a friend. But the point of interest that spurred me to read them was that I recalled them being staples on my own father's bookshelf when I was a child. So I read them. As an artist, I found them refreshing and liberating. But I was also a young mother, very concerned about the welfare of my own child. My mind never made the leap that Alyssa Bereznak's father did; perhaps because I wasn't looking for a justification for anything beyond being able to make the kind of art that I wanted to make. It never would have occurred to me to stop caring for my daughter, because that is not what Ayn Rand was writing about. 

Meanwhile, the regressives rail against socialism while citing Rand. And since every action has an equal and opposite reaction, the progressives have nearly uniformly rejected Ayn Rand out of principle. I find both of these positions regrettable and short-sighted. 

It is truly unfortunate that Ayn Rand's philosophy of objectivism has been adopted by some as justification for their own personal and corporate selfishness, greed, and avarice. However, her commitment to the right of the individual to self-determination is understandable when you consider that it was an extreme reaction to the treatment of her family by the Bolsheviks--they confiscated her father's business because he was Jewish, and her family fled for their lives and livelihood from a state that had absolutely NO respect for individuals or their  human right to self-determination.

The deconstructionists would not like for us to consider the context within which Ayn Rand's books were written, but when we don't, this happens: everyone blaming Ayn Rand for individual and corporate selfishness and greed without considering that (like the author of "How Ayn Rand ruined my childhood") she was merely responding to the personal troubles and global politics of her time.

Though I will not promote any religion as the solution to Bereznak's father's problem, I will suggest that perhaps the reason he hated religion so much and insisted that she not be raised in any is this: all of the great religions of the world teach some form of compassion and responsibility to one's community (which begins with one's family). If she had grown up learning about that, he likely wouldn't have gotten away with his cruel and selfish treatment for so long.

Good for you, Alyssa Bereznak, for holding your father accountable for his true crime: pure, unadulterated selfishness, poorly camouflaged under the cloak of a personally convenient philosophy. And good for Ayn Rand for glorifying the rights of the individual to freedom of creative expression and self-determinism. 

As with all things, the "truth" can be found somewhere in the middle, between the far extremes of the philosophies of selflessness and selfishness. Jesus called this the straight and narrow way, and the Buddha called it the middle road. We should all spend more time in the middle, contemplating the wisdom and foibles on both sides of that road, with a primary goal of changing ourselves for the better, not justifying our worst behavior.