Overall I though the show was a success. It was great PR for Ayn Rand, Atlas Shrugged, and Objectivism. I think it hit upon some good points in the novel without going past an average person's understanding of philosophy and politics. None of the guest were rushed to speak (though John Allison was talking pretty quick at the beginning) and the opinions were concise and clear. Stossel did take some opposing viewpoints from people in the crowd, but he did not have an equal amount of dissenters on stage to rebuff the Objectivists. It was a smart choice because it allowed the focus to be on Atlas Shrugged and Ayn Rand, rather than letting it dissolve into a heated back and forth argument where little is heard and nothing is accomplished. The opponents didn't deserve equal time because frankly, they had nothing to say. There was not a legitimate argument from any dissenters, only ad hominems and misunderstandings about the book and the philosophy. I think Brook, Allison, and Thompson did an excellent job of addressing each comment with a calm, brief reply that left no room for confusion.
I also think Allison did a great job of demonstrating how win-win relationships without sacrifice or predation helps businesses grow, which is in contrast to the stereotype that corporations only succeed in taking advantage of people. "We won't ever consciously do something that's bad for our clients. In fact, we believe that if we do the right things for our clients, in the long term, we'll be more successful." I wish he had made the reasons why BB&T took TARP money a bit more clear, but the confusion stemmed more from my lack of economics knowledge than his explanation. I'm really glad he mentioned that education needed "10,000 experiments, 9,990 of which fail" just like business. The idea of competition in education (not just secondary) needs to be promoted more. If education is ever going to get better in this country, it needs to be entirely private so that the best teaching methods win out over bad ones. With the government involved, public education is just a "monolith" that never improves because there is no competition.
And the segment on the growing nanny state was accessible to anybody with a brain. The government is getting involved with fish pedicures? During this part of the show my mom yelled out, "This is what I'm paying my government to do?" It put in very simple terms just how absurd the government is in "protecting" citizens.
But don't take my word for it. Watch it yourself:
Posts
2 comments:
WHO VALUES LIFE MOST?
There are only two different political systems in the world. One is the oldest which is where the elite few rule the many. That has been around since man first walked on the earth. These are the Chiefs, Kings, Emperors, Sultans, Caliphs and dictators, regardless of labels. The other has been around for almost 400 years in one place, America. Ayn Rand is one of the best describing how we work. It is where individual interests are more important than community interests, where the people rule themselves through constitutions, charters, elected representatives and law. The value of individual life is greater in the newer system, primarily because it rises out of religious beliefs, mainly Judeo-Christian teachings. Look at who gives the most help to Haiti, and who the least. For those nations that do not value individual life, the help provided is mainly for image, while America actually helps. America is condemned for it because that help is seen as unnecessary in saving lives deemed worthless. Claysamerica.com.
I was disapointed that Stossel closed with an Adam Smith-style defence along the lines of, "If people pursue their own self-interest, everybody prospers!" His understanding of Atlas seems very superficial. I still enjoyed the show, though. It was certainly great publicity.
Post a Comment