Stop reading Ayn Rand

I was introduced to Ayn Rand during my undergrad days. I had read The Fountain Head and frankly had thought that it was a decent book. Later I found that several of my friends and acquaintances swore by it and labelled it as eye opening. I had begun to wonder if it really deserved all that praise. Then I got my hands on the 1100 page tome of hers, Atlas Shrugged, which actually is one the biggest English language novels of all time.

It is the toughest book I've ever read. Tough not because it was too cerebral or because of its length, but because its one of the most boring fiction novels I've laid my hands on. I finished it because it was a challenge, because I looked cool reading it during the commute to work and because I could proclaim to my friends over the coffee table that I had read it and hence was better than them. Not until somewhere near the 700 page mark did it stop being a potent soporific. After that the plot does get interesting for a few hundred pages. But then it gets carried away and ends with the most conceited and bizarre 50 page monologue ever by John Galt mofo that you just might bang your head on a wall screaming, 'Why the fuck did I start reading this shit?' Reading Atlas Shrugged converted me from an Rand agnostic into a strident Rand anti-theist.

Somehow Atlas Shrugged has developed and maintained its reputation as an eye opener, a classic that ought to be a text book instead of being labelled a boring book with crazy, bitchy lead characters who belong either in jail or in a mental asylum. When I later heard an unanimously hated manager at my office pledge his admiration for Rand and wish that he could emulate her heroes (this during an overseas work call) I smiled inside thinking no wonder people hated him. Whenever I saw someone read that book I warned them about it. And yet they all continued to read it and a tiny percentage of them managed to live through the exercise. I figured out why they do it. Its because it is intellectual masturbation. What about all those Rand worshipers who wake up early in the morning and recite verses from her work? Jerks all of them.

At this point you are probably wondering why I rant on about Rand being the individual responsible for the most number of hours wasted by humanity (OK second most, the first being Shah Rukh Khan). It is because of this. A serious wtf trend that is the most incongruous given the current hatred towards corporate greed. Why? Why are the jerks winning? I want to stymie this trend and hence this post.

First let me point out why reading Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead (to a lesser extent) is a waste of time:
1. Atlas Shrugged is obviously too lengthy with too many boring monologues that could have been edited out without missing on any content. I believe if the whole thing was shortened to around 500 pages its would have been a good read.

2. Some Problems with Rand's Objectivism - A meritocratic society that values creativity, integrity and innovation is undoubtedly good. But pushing capitalism to the extreme and applying techniques used at the stock market to dating and in relationships is ridiculous.

3. Superhuman/inhumane heroes: Roark, Rearden, Galt and that other guy were probably born in Krypton. I agree that it is wonderful to love and obsess about your work or creation. But to blow up a completed housing project even when the design was an obscene mockery of your original work is simply a crime. They are all egocentric maniacs without an iota of compassion. Disagreements can happen between equals without either party acknowledging the other to be on par. But if the disagreeing parties behave the way these guys do life would be impossible.

4. Bitchy Heroines: Obvious to anyone who reads it. The rationale given for the infidelities is stupid.

5. Ignorant and useless Populace: Almost all the people other than her central characters are slackers and leechers. Her lack of faith in contemporary society is staggering

6. Views on Altruism: She implies that letting her heroes thrive would ultimately help humanity more than any form of charity. This is probably true. But if charity is not highly regarded the world would be a much worse place. I am not engaging in wishful thinking here. Just think of the missionaries imparting education to remote African villages. They might do it for religious reasons but the people there benefit. Once these regions develop they might open up new markets or at least stop being a threat for existing markets there. But this might take one or more life times and hence this kind of charity might not be of interest to an objectivist. May be if the world had paid more attention to Somalia we wouldn't have pirates running amok today in the Indian Ocean. This is why I believe all forms of charity should be praised or in other words why none of them should be ridiculed.

There are several other people who share my opinion. Here are some funny ones: cracked, another rant (more extreme). Just search for Ayn Rand criticism or Ayn Rand evil to see what I mean.

Even if you dont agree with any of this it still doesn't make sense to read and praise Atlas Shrugged. Almost everyone today, especially among the young generation that makes up most of Rand's readers, recognizes the importance of meritocracy, individual rights and integrity. Do you really need to torture yourself and read this humongous book to learn what you already know?