Quote:
Originally Posted by taosaur
The slogan "Mediocrity despises excellence and hates success" is ironic given that Rand was a relatively mediocre 20th century sociopath with lots of unpleasant things to say about more successful sociopaths like Lenin.
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Ironic if you factor in her own life choices and personality for sure.
But the flawed messenger still can deliver a valid message, no?
One thing books are good at is delivering mesages that can stand by themselves, independent of the originator, outlasting their origins. She would hardly be the first person to create a work that transcends their own limits and weaknesses.
Rand directed her fury at communists but her message applies even more so to modern populists than the bolsheviks. That right there puts her work on a different plane from other screeds that fall by the wayside when their targets vanish. Whether by insight or sheer dumb luck, she directed her ample spleen at the root cause--the very real human weaknesses that allow people to enable their own victimization. And that means that strident tone or not, her screed wil remain relevant until human nature changes.
People may despise her and decry her but her points stand just fine on their own, warts and all. They do stimulate consideration and evaluation of the world about us and remain at least as relevant today (witness the Depardieu affair in France) as they were 50 years ago. Debatable but relevant.