Simple fact is Ayn Rand’s outnumbered. For all the force and topicality of her Atlas Shrugged – Fraser’s recommendation of which I heartily agree with, although I think The Fountainhead is a more effective dose of Rand’s objectivism – the artistic and literary worlds seem to have much more room for works that, on some level, can be used as counterweight to Rand’s philosophy. There’s plenty of literature, cinema and music which almost solely deals in the dangers of enterprise, ambition, industry and the American Dream.
Now, I’m not saying there shouldn’t be – after all, no social or political system’s perfect, and critique is always necessary. Besides, much of this art is excellent. An American Tragedy and The Financier, by the avowed socialist Theodore Dreiser, could easily become standards for the Left now the Debt Bubble’s burst. They also happen to be two of my favourite novels. Not because I completely agree with the philosophy that underpins them, but because they help me clarify my own worldview; because they succeed as melodramas; because of the force of Dreiser’s prose; because of their shining artistry. Ditto for the music of Woody Guthrie; Money-era Amis; F. Scott Fitzgerald; the films of directors from Fritz Lang to Paul Thomas Anderson. The list goes on and on and on.
All this begs the question of why. Is it because creative types are natually politically-inclined that way? Is there some global-historical reason, along the lines of Hayek’s Road to Serfdom? Is it down to the machinations of the political class, or what? None of the explanations have ever completely convinced me, and I doubt we’ll ever hit on a definitive answer. But, even so, I’d be keen to hear what CoffeeHousers think on the matter. So, comment away…
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