Anybody here read Ayn Rand's book "Atlas shrugged"?

[XinTX]

I realize they made some major changes to the book, I get that. I mean, they were using cell phones in the movies, something that wasn't even a dream in the mid 50's. My issue with the movie was some poor acting. And the actress playing Dagny seemed like they picked Pee Wee Herman to play the part of Aaaahnold in Terminator 3. Totally failed to capture the nature of the Dagny character of the book.

And as far as the book being 'prophetic', keep in mind it came out years before Johnsons "Great Society" programs were started.

 

[macshooter]

I realize they made some major changes to the book, I get that. I mean, they were using cell phones in the movies, something that wasn't even a dream in the mid 50's. My issue with the movie was some poor acting. And the actress playing Dagny seemed like they picked Pee Wee Herman to play the part of Aaaahnold in Terminator 3. Totally failed to capture the nature of the Dagny character of the book.

And as far as the book being 'prophetic', keep in mind it came out years before Johnsons "Great Society" programs were started.

Yeah, but she came from soviet Russia, so she was well versed in the ins and outs of totalitarian collectivism. Also you had Wilson and FDR, so she could see it had taken root here, and knew where it was going.

 

[biglucky]

Read the book once, listened to the 57 hour unabridged audiobook twice..

The looter messiah, aka the looter in chief, is an amazing clone of Mr. Thompson.
There are so many others in the gubment that can be tied to the behavior of characters in the book. The US gubment has a Wesley Mouch (Cass Sunstien). Warren Buffet stars as an amalgamation of Orin Boyle and James Taggert.

The part that I have always thought about is the thing that had to happen before the book. And that is repeal of 2A. There is no way that an armed society would have allowed what went down in that book to happen.

 

[macshooter]

Armed is one thing. Having the guts to die for your freedom if need be is another thing all together. I think there is a massive shortage of guts in this country. People allow the govt to put it's hands on their children's private parts at the airport, all because people are afraid to offend some guy from Yemen with the laundry on his head, in order to pull him aside and ask him some questions about where he is going and what he is doing in the US. Instead we need to make granny take her depends off to show the TSA she doesn't have a bomb in her ass, and we need a cancer survivor to take out her prosthetic breast while in tears. And we shrug our shoulders and say nothing. These are the people you think will put together an armed revolt against tyanny?

 

[Acera]

Look for part 2 on October 12.

Atlas Shrugged Movie (Official Site)




As far as the comments about the acting, it does not bother me that much. The fact they had to use a lot of unknowns and worked on a tight budget to make it happen is all made up in the fact that it did get made. Whatever it takes to get the message out, I am good with. For what they did, with what little they had to work with, and against opposition in liberal Hollywood I think they did a pretty good job.

However for those that care, the cast of the second movie is totally different from the first installment. Same characters, different actors.

 

[Acera]

 

[Kyle]

School teachers are great at killing a book. Atlas Shrugged has enough repetition of ideas in it that you really don't need any more of it outside the book.

That's probably true. I think Ill pick it up again this next week.

 

[M. Sage]

Read the book once, listened to the 57 hour unabridged audiobook twice..

The looter messiah, aka the looter in chief, is an amazing clone of Mr. Thompson.
There are so many others in the gubment that can be tied to the behavior of characters in the book. The US gubment has a Wesley Mouch (Cass Sunstien). Warren Buffet stars as an amalgamation of Orin Boyle and James Taggert.

The part that I have always thought about is the thing that had to happen before the book. And that is repeal of 2A. There is no way that an armed society would have allowed what went down in that book to happen.

No repeal of 2A necessary. Nobody stood up and fought the government when FDR started doing stupid shit that made the Great Depression happen. Are you going to stand up and fight when your kids are starving, or are you going to try finding a way to keep them fed?

This question is especially scary when one of the only ways to put food in their bellies is to suck up to the government.

 

[Acera]

Nobody stood up and fought the government when FDR started doing stupid shit that made the Great Depression happen.

Huh?? Check your dates there M.Sage, Herbert Hoover was in office for less than 8 months when the stock market crashed in Oct.29. That is generally accepted as the start date, however many economists will claim that was just a symptom of a problem that had been going on for quite a while before. That being said, FDR did not assume the presidency until March of 1933, 3+ years later when the depression was already in full bloom. You can blame a lot of stuff on him, but don't blame him for the depression.

 

[stdreb27]

Huh?? Check your dates there M.Sage, Herbert Hoover was in office for less than 8 months when the stock market crashed in Oct.29. That is generally accepted as the start date, however many economists will claim that was just a symptom of a problem that had been going on for quite a while before. That being said, FDR did not assume the presidency until March of 1933, 3+ years later when the depression was already in full bloom. You can blame a lot of stuff on him, but don't blame him for the depression.

Most of the more Milton freeman following economists, will point to the smoot Haley tariffs as the starting point of the great depression. After that massive tariff increase was passed, and reciprocating tariffs were enacted. World trade fell by over 50%.

Most people cover it up, but there are quite a few less politically motivated economists who do point to FDR's policies particularly in the second half of the decade when the courts stopped blocking many of his more left wing policies from being enacted...

This is when it the poo really hit the fan and you see the soup lines and 25% unemployment...

(also, the great depression basically had 2 troughs of GDP and unemployment, A shallow dip in the beginning part of the decade then a much deeper dip in the second half.)

 

[M. Sage]

Most of the more Milton freeman following economists, will point to the smoot Haley tariffs as the starting point of the great depression. After that massive tariff increase was passed, and reciprocating tariffs were enacted. World trade fell by over 50%.

Most people cover it up, but there are quite a few less politically motivated economists who do point to FDR's policies particularly in the second half of the decade when the courts stopped blocking many of his more left wing policies from being enacted...

This is when it the poo really hit the fan and you see the soup lines and 25% unemployment...

(also, the great depression basically had 2 troughs of GDP and unemployment, A shallow dip in the beginning part of the decade then a much deeper dip in the second half.)

Yep. A stock market crash a depression does not make.

Conventional thinking is wrong about when it ended, too. It ended in the '50s.

 

[AcidFlashGordon]

That being said, FDR did not assume the presidency until March of 1933, 3+ years later when the depression was already in full bloom. You can blame a lot of stuff on him, but don't blame him for the depression.

I think most of the blame on FDR comes from lengthening the time frame of the depression, although there are some who still think he "caused" it.

As for Ms. Rand's book, I haven't read it...yet, nor did I see the movie. But from all that I've heard about it, it almost feels like I have. And after the reviews here, now that I'm "retired" and have a lot of time on my hands, I think I'll head over to Amazon.com and pick a copy up.

 

[macshooter]

As for Ms. Rand's book, I haven't read it...yet, nor did I see the movie. But from all that I've heard about it, it almost feels like I have. And after the reviews here, now that I'm "retired" and have a lot of time on my hands, I think I'll head over to Amazon.com and pick a copy up.

Enjoy. I wish could read it again for the first time. There were times when I just would put it down and stare off into space going "Oh my God..."

 

[Domineaux]

Enjoy. I wish could read it again for the first time. There were times when I just would put it down and stare off into space going "Oh my God..."

I had those moments as well.

 

[grasshopperglock]

I started the book a few days ago.

Now mind you, that I'm not a book person per se.

Even after the amount I have read in Atlas Shrugged....

It's scary as hell just how much Ayn pegged it all. If anybody hasn't read this book. Your missing out.

It's amazing how she tones the human condition and desires. Ones own right to have what they made, the simple thought of living your life as your own. And not for somebody else. The power and disgust of greed. To rejoice in the fruit of your labor. No matter what it is.

It opens the eyes.....for sure

GOOD DAMN BOOK

 

[M. Sage]

I started the book a few days ago.

Now mind you, that I'm not a book person per se.

Even after the amount I have read in Atlas Shrugged....

It's scary as hell just how much Ayn pegged it all. If anybody hasn't read this book. Your missing out.

It's amazing how she tones the human condition and desires. Ones own right to have what they made, the simple thought of living your life as your own. And not for somebody else. The power and disgust of greed. To rejoice in the fruit of your labor. No matter what it is.

It opens the eyes.....for sure

GOOD DAMN BOOK

Hahah, we told you so!

Still love the sign in front of Wyatt's Torch. If someone makes that a t-shirt, I'll buy ten and wear it all the time.

 

[XinTX]

Look for part 2 on October 12.


However for those that care, the cast of the second movie is totally different from the first installment. Same characters, different actors.

Great! Some of the actors in Part 1 did a pretty good job. The actor who played Rearden (Grant Bowler) did a good job. But Taylor Schilling was a swing-and-a-miss on the Dagny character. Looks like they've (thankfully) replaced her as well as Jsu Garcia (D'Anconia). Looks like they've taken their time more with Part 2. Hopefully they'll slow down and try and capture the essence of the book a bit better. The two biggest gripes about Part 1 were the poor acting by Schilling (who appeared to have never even read a couple chapters of the book to learn the nature of the character) and the elimination of the "Money speech" by D'Anconia.

 

[XinTX]

Hahah, we told you so!

Still love the sign in front of Wyatt's Torch. If someone makes that a t-shirt, I'll buy ten and wear it all the time.

Here you go:



ProudProducers.com | 2-sided Wyatt Sign

 

[grasshopperglock]

Here you go:

View attachment 15123

ProudProducers.com | 2-sided Wyatt Sign

Im not looking...I havent got that far

But oh man..... if it gets shoved up their a** like the Bulls**t copper mines got shoved up the mexicans.....Hell YEAH!

 

[fortbriscoe]

Great book. Jimmy Carter and ATLAS SHRUGGED are the reasons I became a conservative. I disagree with Ayn Rand on Christianity and charity, but believe the book is prophetic and frightening.