This is one of my favorite parts of the speech I think. In this part, the learning that collectivism IS evil is the core. An important thing also to remember is that this being presented AFTER the word “sacrifice” has been described and dealt with. It is no coincidence! One could say that collectivism – in all forms – is the product of sacrifice. Collectivism would not exist if no man or woman was willing to sacrifice himself or herself for some “greater good”. In order for evil to exist good men must empower the evil men to power. Remember that.
Is there a higher power? I don’t know, but I have been asking this question for ages. God or Goddess or Gods, do they exist? I don’t know – none of us do. Freedom to think is what we have and what matters – solely. To do as we please is the ultimate achievement of man. The “sacrifice” makes us a slave to that someone accepting the sacrifice …
Here is the 2nd section of the John Galt’s Speech. This part deals with the basic doctrines of altruism – the ideology that means that you are here in this world only to serve others and what these others wish and demand. These basic doctrines are categorized into two main groups – Religion and Political Collectivism. Religion can of course be any religion there is, as we mentioned before the Muslims have their Eid and the Christians have their Christmas. The names may be different but the praise to Sacrifice and the righteousness in giving your good so it become the good of others are central themes in both.
It also explains why these basic doctrines are naturally evil and why it leads to destruction. It is an ongoing thread about the concept of morality that the latter dealt with. A very important question being asked in this section is “what is Sacrifice?“
The essence of previous moral codes (these basic doctrines mentioned above) is to demand that you surrender your mind and your life to the good of a God or the “society”.
But no one came to say that your life belongs to you …
This is the first YouTube chapter of the “This Is John Galt Speaking”- speech, in which the philosopher Ayn Rand deliver her ideology and belief. The speech itself is about a vast amount of pages and is quite heavy to read. But thanks to YouTube, capitalism, and enthusiasts like myself, even the illiterate can now enjoy the wisdoms of John Galt.
It is in this first chapter the question “Who is John Galt?” is answered. John Galt is a man disgusted that non-productive members of society use laws and guilt to leech from the value created by productive members of society. Why are the most productive people leaving their work and disappearing from society?
In this first section (stretching throughout some more YouTube chapters), Galt presents the moral code of reason and individualism (The Morality of Life) that the producers embrace.
The central theme in this YouTube chapter is the moral crisis (”You have heard it said that this is an age of moral crisis.”). This is an age of moral crisis, brought about by the doctrine of Sacrifice (!!).
The coming ads will all be about the philosophy of Ayn Rand, Objectivism and Ayn Rand herself. I will present it with the help of YouTube ads and through the famous (?) speech of the John Galt- character who is so central in her book, Atlas Shrugged. I am not a staunch follower of Ayn Rand, although I dig most of the things she’s written. I am still critical towards a lot of things. But there is a coincidence with the date and why I choose to broadcast this school of philosophy now. December is a lovely month and I adore it in private. All the shining snow, the coziness of the season. But I hate it truly, madly, and deeply – in a political sense. All main religions in the world have this month as some sort of gathering for their traditions and faiths. And they all demand one thing – sacrifice. The foolish Muslims and Druze even call their holiday “the Festival of Sacrifice” (Eid al-Adha). It is celebrated now (December 8 to December 11). They are all fools. Why? Because they celebrate evil. The Festival is in commemoration of Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son for Allah (”God”). And then the likewise foolish Christians – of all sorts, who celebrate that a man suffered, sacrificed and died for the good of others – Christmas. Why this is one of the most dangerous threats against mankind there is I will hopefully now depict with these upcoming ads. This is my answer to all Muslims and Christians out there wanting us all to be slaves under someone/thing else. I will now explain their irrationality and unmask their belief. They, the followers might not be evil themselves. But they are fools who have chosen to fall for altruism. What needs to be unmasked is therefore not only their foolishness (that is, here, highly irrelevant), but their faith’s unmasked malice. There will be 14 ads, one for each day to Christmas, starting near the very end of Eid al-Adha – thus including both of these festivals of “Sacrifice”.
Who is John Galt, you may now inquire? Why, you are about to find out. My videos are meant to educate, entertain and foster discussion of Ayn Rand’s work and her philosophy of Objectivism. All my thanks goes out to a compadre in Dallas, Texas, who goes under the name of Richard. He is the one who editing these excellent videos for us putting them up for everyone on YouTube.
Thank you, Richard, again.
As he says: “I ask that my subscribers and viewers purchase Rand’s novels and non-fiction themselves and view this channel as merely an ongoing discussion and exploration of those works we all legitimately own”.
A brief warning to my readers however (!!). Be aware, the upcoming ads MIGHT include spoilers of the novel. IF you want to read the book (which I suggest you do) you should be aware of this. I don’t want to spoil the plot by giving away its outline, just the basic ideas.
Short on Objectivism then. Excerpt from Wikipedia, Objectivism is a philosophy developed by Ayn Rand in the 20th century that encompasses positions on metaphysics, epistemology, ethics, politics, and aesthetics. Quite a vast field to say the least.
Objectivism derives its name from its conception of knowledge and values as objective: neither intrinsic nor subjective. According to Rand, concepts and values are not intrinsic to external reality, nor are they merely subjective (by which Rand means “arbitrary” or “created by one’s feelings, desires, ‘intuitions,’ or whims”; like wishful thinking). Rather, valid concepts and values are, as she wrote, “determined by the nature of reality, but to be discovered by man’s mind”.
To conclude, I want to quote Ayn Rand and her novel.
—
“If you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater the effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders – what would you tell him to do?”
“I … don’t know. What … could he do? What would you tell him?”
That the European Union has completely lost its ways and is now a Union for protectionists and border-huggers is nothing new. The next example to add to the file however is the EU subsidizing million of euros to support Swedish (!!) oyster-farming. From 2011 is it meant that Sweden will be able to have its own oyster-farming business.
With the financial crisis in the world, causing a real debacle in Iceland and eastern Europe, liberals should now be honest and scrutinize their support for these countries. A leopard never changes its spots, or will at least have a rough time to do so. Iceland was until the liberalization era starting in 1991 an extremely isolationistic and nationalistic socialist country. And the history of Eastern Europe probably don’t need any further detailed exposition. Incredible changes HAVE occurred and it would be dishonest (like the Left-wing does) to neglect this. Only a real fool would deny them this. But we have to keep an open mind still towards these countries. You won’t change something like their past situation over a fortnight.
Iceland have no longer a privatized banking system. All banks here belong now to the State. Prior this, it was illegal for outsiders (everyone not being an Icelander (especially NOT Danes)) to own banks, and it still is. Until 1998-1999, everyone moving to Iceland had to name their father’s name and have their old family name removed and were then given an Icelandic patronymic. All foreign loan words are still carefully removed and replaced with an Icelandic analogous.
Latvia is next to the scaffold. The old Soviet state has moved beyond a poverty-stricken eastern Europe country to become a modern up-to-date capitalist country with a truly romantic capital city on the shores of the Baltic Sea. But times are hard and Latvia has been suffering from it. However, other problems have followed in its tracks. A college lecturer arrested by police on charges of attempting to undermine the Latvian economy said Thursday he would be more careful about his public statements in future (?).
The professor was detained by police and has been banned from leaving the country pending further inquiries. And this is not all. In a second case, a local pop singer was detained by police for a remark he did against the nationalization of Parex Banka, the country’s largest indigenous financial institution, at a concert he held in Jelgava on November 9. Apparently, in order to crack down on talk that could worsen the economic situation, the government has enforced some sort of emergency power act. Unfortunately, once you start banning rumors about the financial situation you don’t have too far to go before you have a totalitarian dictatorship, and that is something that we must keep in mind. :S Strangely, this has been totally absent on the news in the rest of Europe. A great blog dealing solely with this topic however is the sc. “Free Speech Emergency in Latvia“. The guy running the blog apparently speaks Swedish. He has made an interview for Swedish radio.
It would be good if this would be better elucidated on blogs elsewhere. European bloggers especially should really try to shed a light upon this issue. A big shout out to all of you!
As Roberto Zahler once said, “you do not transform yourself into a tiger overnight if you have been a cat for far too long“. And now is the time to be honest and oversee our “tigers” and see how they manage storms. We can only help them move towards the tiger stage if we regonize them for what they are, not for what we want them to be in the future.
New York and London have their ray of sunshine, but there’s nothing like Stockholm. The capital of the North beats them all. I have never lived there (though not far away, since I lived for 5 years in Uppsala which is 30 minutes away) but a great deal of my family lives there. I don’t know if I would like to live there now though. I wouldn’t like the idea of being forced taking the subway everyday. I hate public transportation. If I would live there it would be a must for me to be able to get around with a car or a cab.
But you all should definitely consider a visit. First of all, Stockholm is one of the oldest European cities and the most prominent one in Scandinavia and the North. I can give you some tip-off about Stockholm. It really depends a lot on what you are interested in seeing. If you have some suggestions you can write that to me here and I check something out.
First of all you have to visit Gamla Stan (Stockholm Old Town). It’s the city’s oldest section still featuring the medieval street layout. Then when you’re there it’s not far away from Riddarhuset (the House of Nobles). You should also take the boat trip out to Djurgården The Royal Game Park), which is also a must. If you’re into castles (and we have a lot of them) you should go and have a look at the Royal Palace, situated at Drottningholm.
The Stockholm Globe Arena is just cool to see from far away (it’s a huge white golf ball, basically). Don’t go there, it’s not worth it.
I don’t know when it is, but if you go to the Stockholm Palace (also near Gamla Stan) you may be able to see the changing of the guards. That’s pretty fancy.
When you go out you should look for a place called Stureplan, there you will have a rich offer of night clubs and pubs. If you’re more into cozy pubs and so on you should though go to “Söder” (the “South”) or stay in Gamla Stan.
Through the Swedish organization CIU,36 young people between 21-26 years old can participate from Sweden, Zambia and Cambodia in YPD, Youth Partners in Development. This year 32 young people are participating under the theme of HIV/Aids. The Swedish participants will leave for either Zambia or Cambodia in January and spend three months with a team-mate from Zambia/Cambodia to volunteer and complete a project under the theme of HIV/Aids. After three months the participants will return to Sweden to introduce the project here, and again volunteer and complete a project. The participants will stay in Sweden for three months in Växjö, Kramfors and Umeå. The project is now searching for host families and organizations where the participants can work with issues concerning HIV/Aids.
Do you know of any organization who might be interested in taking part in the project?
Or do you know someone who would be a great host family for the participants?
Here’s a funny picture on the kind-hearted men that the left-wing in USA and Sweden (and more) are supporting. Here they are doing a Nazi salute to offend the Jews they hate so much. One picture says it all. Steeped in Nazi heritage and Islamic hatred.
Apparently the terrorists in Gaza get food and other things from Egypt through secret tunnels that go under the border. I say Israel should fill those tunnels with gas and gas out Gaza once and for all. I mean, an economic blockade is an economic blockade and it should be upheld. If the people in Gaza wants this to stop all they have to do is to say that they want to respect democracy, human rights, and acknowledge the State of Israel. Shouldn’t be that hard to do.
I’ve always felt uncomfortable with people blindly following a leader. The Obamaniacs are no exception. A lot of them have rashly followed Obama and created some sort of idolizing cult surrounding him. But believe me, the difference between reality and myth has never been greater.
Those of you who believe he will dramatically change the US foreign policy (like that dumb teacher bitch in one of my last threads about Obama or the hippie who capaigned for him at Lebanon Valley College in Annville PA) will be seriously disappointed. He is answering to incomprehensibly powerful interest groups that simply won’t allow a too drastic change in policy-making. But how was it now, Mr. President-elect, as you said in your speech the money from your campaign came from “poor people putting one or two dollars” into your fund? That’s BS and you know it, Mr. President-elect. Tell us all instead about Penny Pritzker and the support from the international big businesses. Naw, I thought you wouldn’t …
Furthermore, he’s about to undermine the economy. There is no secret that Obama is a huge admire of FDR and his New Deal Keynesian politics. President-elect Obama is surely trying to tackle the roots of many of our problems. I wonder, if there is enough money around to really accomplish the project if you want to go down THAT road. But in general he is wrong, a recession is the time for governments to stay cool and to hold out. A recession is not the time for governments to spend, not in Sweden nor in USA. Instead it would be a great idea to start to facilitate for business to work smoother and to stimulate the spending power with other means, for instance getting rid of the VAT tax on special key products or lowering the income tax.
Alas, instead, we are now facing a new New Deal a la Obama. But, this time, I think there won’t be enough money around to really accomplish the project and I think a depression is lurking in the future for us now. Question is what it will bring us. Last time it brought us Hitler and the World War II.
Iceland is sinking (?) and the US is going bankrupt, but nothing bad that doesn’t bring something good with it, as we say in Sweden. Thanks to the upcoming (?) recession/depression, oil prices are bottom low. This does of course in the long run also affect the countries whose public revenues rest heavily upon the black gold. Most of these countries are dictator-ridden rat holes. One of them is Venezuela, and the rat running this country is Hugo Chavez.
A recession doesn’t have to be all bad, and that can be examplified that Chavez communist revolution has now being haltered by the dropping oil price. That is of course superb news. I hope the Venezuelan people rise up and execute their Red Dictator like the Romanian people did (they killed their dictator and broadcasted it all on TV).
Other good news is that no other Norwegian government has spent more oil money than the current government is doing right now. Hopefully, this will lead to that people in Norway understand that they can’t build up a socialist state resting on a finite natural resource. As we Swedes tend to say (we say a lot of things), one day will the Norwegian state’s oil drillers hit a dry spell and then they come crawling back to us.
Does anyone else feel the same? That we are just peeing against the wind of reality here? During these times when banks, real estate businesses, and car industries are about to implode the guys at the top who should have all the know-how about the basics of economics are screaming louder and louder for regulation, government bailout plans, and that it is a good-idea that tax-payers should own industries.
However, some of us urinate in the right direction. The Swedish associate professor in economics Bengt Assarsson, gives us today in DN (Swedish newspaper) “alternatives” to these other sc. “solutions”. Briefly, he put forward suggestions on how to help the Swedish car industry without bailing them out. Johan Norberg has also been on to something alike when debating the US bailouts. One suggestion that I personally thinks protrude the most is that we should do away with the VAT tax on car sales.
It says itself that this is a much better way to help the industry (a drop in prices will increase the likeliness of people buying new cars) rather than bailing them out (shoving the problems onto future generations and (possibly) increasing the income tax).
Instead of listening to sound people like Assarsson, politicians seem more keen on today to adapt some outdated Keynesian doctrine from the dust-laden 1930s. It’s a real shame.
Keynesian economics seems to be the hottest thing since sliced bread right now even though it’s best-before date is long gone. In Sweden, along with almost all other “Capitalist” countries in the world, this current trend is taking over the hearts (and brains and judgments?) of politicians and policy makers. Even the Swedish Liberal-Conservative *sigh* party Moderaterna has lost their ways (it’s, however, nothing new in the world of politics) and the newest example of that is Sten Nordin, a Conservative spokesman who nowadays want us to spend our asses out of the financial meltdown.
We heard it before … New Deal, building roads, Adolf Hitler, the autobahn, Social Democracy, US Liberalism … yada yada… but shouldn’t we KNOW better this time?
I don’t want to get into this in to much detail, but, in short, the problem is that excessive expansion of the money supply is inherently inflationary. A good example that is commonly used is the global crisis of the 1930s. This was a result of a massive contraction of the money supply, which in turn lead to stagflation (skyrocketing inflation and rising unemployment rates). When the governments of the 1930s responded with even more spending to improve their economies, the situation got even worse.
In short, there is a risk that executives and other policy-makers reach for more state involvement during a crisis and increase the spending of state revenues.
Þór Sigfússon (Þór = Thor) is my new Icelandic hero. For the simple reason that Þór dares to state the obvious. He wants “foreigners” to own banks rather than states. Doesn’t sound that extreme, does it? Well, in Iceland it’s a sensible topic. Iceland enforced a law that made it illegal for foreigners to own banks at the same time when they “privatized” them in 1991ish. I mark privatized with brackets since it was no real privatization due to the fact that the management just went into the hands of retired politicians and friends of the politicians.
Þór and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (which he’s the leader of) wants to change this. In an article in the Icelandic news today he states that it is much worse if the government has the power over the banks (like it is now) rather than “foreigners”.
So please, all you Icelanders out there, there is nothing to be afraid of. Others than Icelanders have the know-how to manage the banking business as well. I mean, how much worse can it get if you compare it with your current situation? I promise you, politicians – with their “when is the next Election?”- perspective on economics – are a far greater threat for you and your precious island. So listen to Þór, he might be on to something here… *hint*
Like Santa’s elves I have been busy in the Christmas Workshop. In Scandinavia it is a tradition before Christmas to go together and potter about with Christmas decoration and all other sorts of stuff. Make a Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer with a nose that really glows! Make gingerbread houses! In our age it does also of course include heavy drinking.
I was playing Santa at the party. Here I am with some weird beard-like material attached to my face. Had some huge problems getting it of afterwards .
Later, while taking a closer look at the pictures on my computer, I found out that I look an awful lot like Karl Marx. Therefore I just had to turn the picture above into THIS picture below (Thank you Paint Shop Pro!!). Goodbye Santa, Hello Marx. From materialistic distributor of gadgets and bits into a political philosopher devoted to planned economic thinking. Yey!
As you might noticed I changed my header. I find the new one more suitable for the season and it’s really beautiful as well. The view is over Reykjavik downtown with the Hallgrímskirkja (literally, the church of Hallgrímur) in the center. As you can see Iceland’s only city still exists and has not yet exploded. Everything is FINE! Or more or less. I’m right now in Reykjavik. The houses here seem to be thrown together from different eras and different cultures! City planning isn’t an Icelandic specialty, that’s for sure.
Soon I will cruise downtown with my fat Scandinavian wallet and take advantage of the Icelandic financial meltdown. Well, nothing bad that doesn’t bring anything positive, as we say in Sweden. I could really use a new suit – especially if it’s – due to financial and political mismanagement – record cheap!!
While I’m writing this in a civilized manner, extreme groups on the far left and the extreme-authoritarian right clash together in Lund, southern Sweden, in a not-so-civilized way. Sweden of today is, thanks to socialism in combination with mass immigration (an, of course, impossible mix), a hotbed for neo-Nazism. The neo-Nazi group is “celebrating” Karl XII, a Swedish King who was the King of Sweden from 1697 to 1718, who happened to die on this date. I want to tell you all a little about him before attacking BOTH these groups.
At his coronation Karl was only 15 years old (he was born 1682, which makes him exactly 300 years older than me, since I am born 1982 ). In 1700, Denmark-Norway, Saxony, and Russia united in an alliance against Sweden, using the perceived opportunity as Sweden was ruled by the young and inexperienced King. Early that year, all three countries declared war against Sweden and Karl had to deal with these threats one by one. However, Karl was a skilled military leader and tactician and he had inherited Europe’s finest army at that time by his father Karl XI. During the turn of the 18th century, Sweden was at its peak, having a huge northern Empire and Russia and Denmark had no say over the Baltic Sea and its surroundings. Karl succeeded in defeating all three, one by one. The Russians fled, the Saxons (Germans) fled, and the Danes fled. But, alas, as all great leaders, Karl got crazy with power and sought to conquer Russia. Estonia and Latvia/Lithuania was a part of Sweden during this time (as well as Finland) and we attacked Russia from there. However, the Swedish army of ten thousand men was outnumbered four to one by the Russians. But Karl attacked under cover of a long-lasting blizzard, effectively split the Russian army in two and won battle after battle. Many of Peter’s troops that fled the battlefield drowned in the Narva River, and the total number of Russian fatalities reached about 17 000 at the end of the battle, while the Swedish troop lost 667 men. It would have been reasonable one would assume with the history book in the lap to feel satisfied with this. Karl XII had now freed all of north-eastern Europe from the Russians and all of it was now Swedish. But Karl wanted more. He summoned his men and hired more men from the Estonians and the Latvians and then he entered main-land Russia and marched towards Moscow. The Russian Czar Peter the Great embarked on a military reform plan that improved the Russian army. He then showed extraordinary political talents and skills when he united the Ukrainian Cossacks against the Swedes. And furthermore, the weather started to deteriorate. The best defense system in the world ever got its grip over King Karl XII’s Swedes – the Russian Winter. By the time of the decisive Battle of Poltava, Karl had been wounded, one-third of his infantry was dead, and his supply train was destroyed. The king was incapacitated by a coma resulting from his injuries and was unable to lead the Swedish forces. The battle was a disaster for Sweden and the king, and he fled south to the Ottoman Empire, where he set up camp at Bender with about 1000 men who were called Karoleans (after our King’s name). The Poltava Swedish disaster is by historians considered the turning point where the Swedish Empire ended and the Russian Empire started to rise.
Now, we should all cherish history. We should know it and learn it. In recent years the interest in “Swedish culture” has increased among young people of Swedish descent. That is good. It is healthy to know one’s history. But, great deal of the patriotism that these youths find is racist and Nazi. White supremacy music and Nazi-organizations are a huge problem in Sweden. Following this problem, you have the other group of teenagers who call themselves Left-wing and Anti-Nazi. Both of these groups are of course little interested in politics and much more interested in rioting on the streets and kick each other in the head. We who know better, find it quite amusing (and at the same time extremely scary) how neo-Nazis in Sweden adore Karl XII. A King who actually ENDED our Empire and opened up the door for the Russian Empire!! If it hadn’t been for Karl XII’s imperialistic dreams, Russia would not have been what it is today. And he allied with the Arabs and the Turks against Russia – groups who come under fire from the Neo-Nazis today because they are not Aryan. The Turkish Empire at that time (the Ottoman Empire) hosted King Karl after his defeat and they called him Demirbaş Şarl – Karl the Habitué (the guest/resident).
But I guess all mindless slaves need some figure to group around – let it be Marx, Hitler, or Karl XII. When I now look at video clips on my computer from the rally I can see nothing but animals, on both sides, acting irrationally and idiotic. What difference is there between your kind and the monkeys at the zoo? Look at the picture above. You savages! They are all a shame of Sweden – both the Nazis and the sc. Anti-Nazis. They are all the same. Right now they are throwing pavement stones at each other and at the police. You savages!
To take proud in who you are, your history, and in your country is no vice. But to hate others for it, is. A part of the patriotic movement is non-racist and should be encouraged. I’m a patriot to some extent and I love Sweden, but I keep it on a non-political level. Here in this group you will also find traditional Nordic folk music, national romantic music and the so-called Viking rock.
But where will this rise of foul nationalism and lack of knowledge in history education amongst the younger generation lead? Remember what George Santayana said: “Those who forget their past are doomed to repeat it.”
With their economy collapsing in what will be remembered as the first financial collapse in a western democratic country since the 1930s, the Icelanders now face the delicate question whether to adapt the EU euro or the US dollar. Never before has the public opinion polls showed such a staunch support for dropping their own currency, the Icelandic króna (crown), and replace it with a bigger and stronger and more stable currency. And never before has the politicians of Iceland actually listened to the polls regarding dropping their currency! But I guess the rules are changing when the currency drops on about a little less than 60 % in value during a year.
The financial turmoil has showed how hard it is to govern a small currency (there are only a little bit more than 300 000 Icelanders in this world) when it starts to storm. Maybe not if you live in a socialist closed society like the Nordic societies pre 1980ish but to date it is almost impossible for an open economy to keep a currency going for 300 000 people only.
I think it’s fresh and provocative that the Icelanders actually ponder on the question whether they should adapt the euro or the dollar and not just go strict to the euro which a lot of people would assume as natural. First of all, they ARE in the middle and their culture is as much as American as it is Nordic/Scandinavian. It IS a mixture between two worlds and therefore they now have the “luxury” to choose between the dollar and the euro. I wish they pick the dollar. I don’t know if it is wise, but it would amuse me …
A young man was brought to justice the other day in Gothenburg, Sweden. He is accused of attempted robbery and performed robbery. The culprit attacked his victims when they were using the ATMs threatening them with a butterfly knife. After the robbery the culprit apparently said that he did this only because of the Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt and the non-socialist government that took office in 2006. He explained for the victims that he now couldn’t get any social welfare money from the state and that there are (according to him) only Swedes who get the jobs. He also wanted to make a statement with his crime in a political way to show “society” what the consequences will be if the Reinfeldt- Administration will continue to cut back on social welfare measures.
I read this in the newspaper ‘Metro’ on the train on my way back to Norway. Isn’t this so typical for left-wingers? To blame their mischiefs on others? Personal responsibility doesn’t seem to exist in their vocabulary, no matter the language of usage …
I really like Johan Norberg and what he writes. I’m such a huge fan that if I was a girl and 10 years younger a poster with his face on would so be nailed to my wall. But this time he is – sadly – wrong.
He states on his homepage that the Thanksgiving tradition “is probably the only holiday that celebrates economic incentives and property rights“. Well, sure. It is true to some extent as Dr. Benjamin Powell points out in his article that Johan Norberg quotes from. But to make that to its only purpose is to widely misinterpret this American Christian tradition.
The tradition is first and foremost a strongly religious harvest tradition with religious undertones related to the Pilgrims (consisting mainly of Puritan Christians). The Puritan variant of Christianity was a form of religious fascism and definitely no political current to look up to from a classical liberal point of view.
Second, it is not a holiday for “economic incentives and property rights” as much as it is a holiday used for nation building and downplaying historical facts and real happenings. All nations need to have their foundation to stand on, and national holidays are a perfect tool to use when building the foundation for a nation. To get the citizens to gather around some certain things and values. The waving aside of historical facts is another important aspect. All countries have their own personal skeletons in their closets.
In mid-winter 1620 the English ship Mayflower landed on the North American coast, delivering 102 Puritan exiles. The original Native people of this stretch of shoreline had already been killed off. In 1614 a British expedition had landed there. When they left they took 24 Indians as slaves and left smallpox behind. Three years of plague wiped out between most of the inhabitants of the coast, destroying most villages completely.
In fact, the Puritans stole their land. On arrival, the Puritans discussed “who legally owned all land”. The Puritans embraced a line from Psalms 2:8. “Ask of me, and I shall give thee, the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession“. Perhaps not the strongest support to property right that is. They saw the new land as a gift to them from God, because they were Christian and the Amerindians were not. To declare God ones real estate agent is not particular “libertarian”, now is it?
Sorry Johan, but looking at the history raises a question you cannot deny: Why should anyone celebrate the survival of the earliest Puritans with a Thanksgiving Day? Certainly the Native peoples of those times had no reason to celebrate. At least it shouldn’t even be tried to be linked to capitalist and liberal believes and values, since it’s not.
Why don’t you want to celebrate and praise the Friday after Thanksgiving, the sc. Black Friday, which is the beginning of the traditional Holiday shopping season? I think you would like that one much better. I’m sure you can have your stuffed turkey even though!
Why, you are about to find out. My videos are meant to educate, entertain and foster discussion of Ayn Rand’s work and her philosophy of Objectivism. All my thanks goes out to a compadre in Dallas, Texas, who goes under the name of Richard. He is the one who editing these excellent videos for us putting them up for everyone on YouTube.
