Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Ayn Rand's sycophants should check their premises

It seems to me that there is a contradiction in the way that Ayn Rand's friends Mary Ann and Charles Sures perceived Rand's attitude toward's being a celebrity. First they say:
She didn’t want or need an adoring, protective entourage around her, going with her everywhere she went, fawning over her, flattering her. She frowned on that practice. She had seen a lot of that in Hollywood and considered it phony.
And shortly after they say:
...she couldn’t get a cab. So she decided to take the bus. As she was sitting down, she noticed that the woman in front of her had a paperback copy of The Fountainhead, an edition that had her picture on the back cover. Now, here’s the charming, playful aspect of Ayn Rand. She tapped the woman on the shoulder, the woman turned around and said, “Yes?” and Ayn pointed to the paperback and told the woman to look on the back cover. When the woman realized that Ayn Rand was sitting behind her on the bus, she was very surprised and excited. She asked Ayn to autograph her book, which Ayn did. Then other people on the bus observed what was happening and inquired about the woman signing autographs, and this led to a few others requesting autographs. Ayn told this story with such delight, and said it was the best bus ride she had ever had.
So let me see now, Rand sees a woman minding her own business, reading The Fountainhead and so Rand feels the need to get right in her face and point out that she is the author, and as a result she had a crowd of bus passengers fawning over her. And Rand said it was the best bus ride she ever had.

Yah. OK, whatever you say, sycophants.