tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post3954220525184265804..comments2023-12-28T06:30:48.808-05:00Comments on The Rule of Reason: George Bailey’s Wasted LifeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-67517210823351612992014-12-21T15:08:21.362-05:002014-12-21T15:08:21.362-05:00This article states observations which should be r...This article states observations which should be read by far more people, given how few have considered that this popular movie expresses ideas which undercut the basis which makes for a better, more fulfilling life.<br /><br />Author Ed Cline observers that, in the story told by the film, "Bedford Falls becomes Pottersville, a kind of upstate New York Las Vegas before Vegas was not much more than a literal desert watering hole, alive with gambling and dance halls and raucous taverns." Yes, in 1946, the tall-building casinos lining Las Vegas Blvd. were still to come, and downtown Las Vegas awaited its heyday, too, but 1946 movie audiences might have connected the corruption-plagued version of Bedford Falls with the cruel ugliness of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phenix_City,_Alabama" rel="nofollow">Phenix City, Alabama</a>, which differed from the small towns near it Bedford Falls differed from Pottersville.<br /><br />The transformation of Bedford Falls to Pottersville is comparable to the transition of Starnesville from before Jed Starnes's death to after his heirs take over the local major employer, in Ayn Rand's novel <i>Atlas Shrugged</i>. When an honorable person who respected others' rights to determine the course of each one's own life, is the principle influence on the town, all thrive and none are deprived of opportunities to deal with others lawfully; when one or more miscreants set law or morality in the town, chaos and corruption ensue.<br /><br />I don't believe Frank Capra thought out this theme as deeply as Ayn Rand. If he had, he couldn't have allowed himself the major conceit and flaw in the story: its stated message is that a person's being removed from the fabric of a society -- implicitly, this is supposed to mean <b>each</b> person (Clarence doesn't qualify or delimit his statement on the subject) -- will cause horrible consequences to redound all down the line, yet the evens of the story depict George Bailey being an exceptional person who achieves (no matter how grudgingly) where other are mentally or constitutionally deficient to do anything more than physical motions or narrow-focus mental work.David Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13783307783352271393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-61958907096700164232014-12-21T14:48:31.796-05:002014-12-21T14:48:31.796-05:00Regarding the bad link to the Wendell Jamieson art...Regarding the bad link to the Wendell Jamieson article: there's a slash missing between ".com" and "2008". Add in the slash, and the link comes up.David Hayeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13783307783352271393noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-10076192031308525332009-01-04T11:04:00.000-05:002009-01-04T11:04:00.000-05:00While we're on the topic of 'my answer to altruist...While we're on the topic of 'my answer to altruistic movie X' I'd like to see a Superman movie where Superman begins altruistically saving everyone else. He is crushed by criticism when he favours saving people in America instead of poor people in Africa. So he goes to Africa, only to be criticized for not helping people in China, etc. Crushed by the demands of the world, he sees The Fountainhead movie or reads the book and decides instead to found a construction company. His ability to rapidly move heavy materials around is quite profitable and he ends up offering jobs to super-villains whenever their skills would be useful to contruction.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-53190797515231120052009-01-01T23:43:00.000-05:002009-01-01T23:43:00.000-05:00Frank Capra vs. King Vidor: I'd pay to see to that...Frank Capra vs. King Vidor: I'd pay to see to that... (probably a better match-up than "Petrified Forest")Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-13439643469166182892008-12-31T20:56:00.000-05:002008-12-31T20:56:00.000-05:00I had forgotten that George Bailey originally plan...I had forgotten that George Bailey originally planned to become an architect.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps a good double-feature would be two films, each about a budding architect, but who take different life-paths: IAWL and The Fountainhead.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-52085720237802561092008-12-30T06:43:00.000-05:002008-12-30T06:43:00.000-05:00I absolutely despise these movies, specifically fo...I absolutely despise these movies, specifically for there message, but also for the how these movies are used. They are always shown right around christmas time, and you can't argue against them, because, well, it christmas time. Seems kind of cowardly to use the time of year to sneak propaganda by people.<BR/><BR/> Then the double standards come out. If I try too make a point against the movie I am told, "I don't care, I just want to enjoy the movie" in other words, don't judge. Which is fine, except not a minute earlier when asked whether I liked the movie, and answering "no", the response I got was, "Your a Scrooge!".Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-69936129540460920122008-12-28T13:01:00.000-05:002008-12-28T13:01:00.000-05:00At least March's banker required evidence of "char...At least March's banker required evidence of "character". Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and their ilk didn't require their borrowers to do anything but show up, preferably alive.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-18588364488749126362008-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:002008-12-28T10:47:00.000-05:00Your mention of "The Best Years of Our Lives" remi...Your mention of "The Best Years of Our Lives" reminded me that sometime during the recent banking bailout I fleetingly remembered the scene in that movie where Frederic March's banker character is asked to give a loan to someone without any collateral based on nothing but an appraisal of the man's "character". I never thought that scene would turn out to be prescient.Robhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14081336591414529365noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-36568809012125850202008-12-28T03:45:00.000-05:002008-12-28T03:45:00.000-05:00thank you very very much ed and revererridesagain ...thank you very very much ed and revererridesagain for your pat on the back.<BR/> there seems to be a whole underground objectivist mini movement in pakistan. i haven't met any myself but i know they are there.<BR/> somebody even made a tele drama out of the fountainhead in the early eighties during the dastardly dictatorial regime of general zia.<BR/> anyway, keep on pumping these wonderful ideas into american cultural arteries.thank youpomponazzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15650762047420820104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-17454636363204152982008-12-27T22:17:00.000-05:002008-12-27T22:17:00.000-05:00P.S. As I noted over at IBA, one of the most insid...P.S. <BR/><BR/>As I noted over at IBA, one of the most insidious things about IAWL is that it provides excuse for those too cowardly to pursue their dreams, or those too thick to have any in the first place.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-13298354090615757542008-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:002008-12-27T22:15:00.000-05:00Revereridesagain and Ed,I just chimed in my two-ce...Revereridesagain and Ed,<BR/><BR/>I just chimed in my two-cents worth over at Infidel Bloggers Alliance.<BR/><BR/>And thanks again Ed for another excellent essay.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-64629035603944312472008-12-27T21:18:00.000-05:002008-12-27T21:18:00.000-05:00RevereRidesAgain:I'll have to visit IBA to see wha...RevereRidesAgain:<BR/><BR/>I'll have to visit IBA to see what comments have been made there. <BR/><BR/>Thanks, EdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-79310991642985627322008-12-27T19:39:00.000-05:002008-12-27T19:39:00.000-05:00EdI'm probably in the doghouse again having just g...Ed<BR/><BR/>I'm probably in the doghouse again having just given Damien and Christian Soldier what for over at IBA for their whiny and illogical comments on your essay. It is frequently frustrating being Objectivist and trying to work with sacrifice junkies against the Islamist threat. But next time I feel sorry for myself I'll think about Shahnawaz trying to teach Objectivism over there in Pakistan which must be like standing in the middle of the tiger cage throwing raw meat. <BR/><BR/>Thank you for an excellent article. I gotta go order your novels...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-40898180093599168822008-12-27T10:53:00.000-05:002008-12-27T10:53:00.000-05:00Malcontent: The movie was based on an awful short...Malcontent: The movie was based on an awful short story by Philip Van Dorn (has a last name, can't remember it now), which was based on or inspired by the Charles Dickens' story. I never liked the Dickens story either, chiefly because Scrooge is more or less terrorized into become charitable and altruist. The same happens to George Bailey. <BR/><BR/>Anonymous: The links to both NYTimes reviews worked when I tested the posting. This happens often, I don't know why.<BR/><BR/>Shahnawaz: You must be a lonely fellow there in Pakistan, but I send you two thumbs up for your stalwartness and intrepidness.<BR/><BR/>EdAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-37894624560771026172008-12-27T09:26:00.000-05:002008-12-27T09:26:00.000-05:00I agree that this movie is pure poison. I work wit...I agree that this movie is pure poison. I work with many people younger than I am and they love the movie. I do what I can to explain why it is evil...with some success.<BR/><BR/>I'd also like to see a response to A Christmas Carol (not a comedy, but a serious story of a man who is an altruist learning of rational self-interest and embracing it in the end).malcontenthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12641961662241651629noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-55323435238344145382008-12-27T08:58:00.000-05:002008-12-27T08:58:00.000-05:00Very timely post Ed. I hope you don't mind me dump...Very timely post Ed. I hope you don't mind me dumping a [local] link to something related:<BR/><BR/>http://www.stltoday.com/blogzone/the-platform/published-editorials/2008/12/christmas-and-the-failure-of-greed/all-comments/#commentsAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-65369680806340438112008-12-27T04:03:00.000-05:002008-12-27T04:03:00.000-05:00Ed, your link to the review doesn't work.Ed, your link to the review doesn't work.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5200276.post-37997228359047532402008-12-27T02:56:00.000-05:002008-12-27T02:56:00.000-05:00ed, i realize why objectivists are not able to m...ed,<BR/> i realize why objectivists are not able to make a dent in the culture to the extent that they should.<BR/> the reason is to be found in the contextual nature of knowledge.people bring a warped context to bear on objectivist ideas and thus end up not seein that which is but an obvious implication of objectivist ideas.<BR/><BR/>i am a an objectivist living in pakistan and tried to teach objectivist ideas to university students.talk about frustration.<BR/><BR/>so please take heart if you feel overwhelmed at times.we are all fighting the good fight.<BR/> thank youpomponazzihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15650762047420820104noreply@blogger.com