Tuesday, April 21, 2009

On the Back of a Car

On the way back from New Hampshire Saturday evening, we passed a car with the words 'Where is John Galt?' written on its back window and '1773' on its side window.  While I'd guess that it was someone pushing for tax changes using the conservative "tax party" lobbying approach, it nevertheless made me very, very happy that a character from  one of my favorite books of all time is being involved in current culture and politics the way it is.  Charges that applications of Rand's objectivism are simplistic or outdated for the 21st century clearly have their basis-- I've been appalled at the ignorance and  one-dimensional analysis with which modern objectivists have been writing on 21st century environmental issues, for example-- but I can't help being delighted that Atlas Shrugged is continuing to be seriously read generation after generation.  We honked and gave a thumbs up to those in the John Galt car and then drove by them.   What they made of that coming from folks in a Prius that sports a bumper sticker with the words 'coexist' and representations of all the world religions on it  is something I would love to know.

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