Flamethower!

Today I flamed someone via email. I think it may be the first time I ever really flamed someone directly, and so I feel somewhat ambivalent about it. But anyhow, here's the details: One of the campus papers had a column the other day by someone I don't know, but I've read her material a few times. Generally, I've been quite unimpressed by her work, which many times seems rambling, unfocused, and generally pseudo-intellectual in nature (lots of "buzzword" usage" designed to promote the feeling of "substance"). A big thing with me is what authors and works people read. I believe that one can tell a great deal about someone by what people read, as I think it says a lot about their character and inner nature. So, if you find "Mein Kampf" appealing, I think that might say something about you, something that I would probably find quite unappealing. With some other works, or if Oprah guides your reading list, then maybe you'd seem not so much evil to me, but perhaps just not so interesting. The works of Ayn Rand I find very unappealing, in a very visceral way. She was a so-called philosopher (no philosophy dept. anywhere takes her seriously), who extolled individualism, to the point of promoting greed and selfishness as amongst the very highest of "virtues". I truly despise her. So, when "Ms. Poodle", I'll call her, mentioned her regard for Ayn Rand in her recent column, I responded with a letter to the editor, and cc'd it to the Poodle, explaining that many of our current political hacks who have taken us into illegal wars, and who have sat back and watched people die in floods and hurricanes, are proponents of the thought of Ayn Rand. Ms. Poodle didn't really seem to know that (surprise!), but had a lot of ideas on "learning all sides of a story" and "everyone has much to say", "I have an open mind", and blah blah blah. This probably sophomore level (from the writing) campus celebrity (except that no one reads that paper) eventually got quite condescending. It's always funny when dumb people get condescending. Well, I didn't buy into her baloney. Tell me the the "misunderstood" side of the Hitler story and Nazi philosophy. And you know, I never really got to know the "softer" side of Stalinism, I'd like to know more on that. I feel much the same about Ayn Rand; and anyone who promotes actually, shamelessly, the ideals of greed, avarice, selfishness, self-centeredness, and the innate superiority of some over others, to me is not someone who should have a one-way avenue by which to reach young, impressionable minds, and so, in addition to my Letter to the Editor response, the Poodle got back a little bit of what she gave out today. She's probably not used to that, thinking that every confused, convoluted sentence she writes,is "brilliant". I'm sure her boyfriend and her momma tell her so, at least.

I think she's a little worried about next week, when that paper comes out again, and people read my letter, and then say, "Oh, yeah, Ayn Rand/Ms. Poodle, now I know why she's so full of crap each week!". If one finds that they're really ashamed of what and whom they extol in their columns, then that's their problem. One might, in fact, even call that, "progress".