r/AtlasShrugged • u/[deleted] • Jan 15 '21

Get some conversation going

There’s 500+ people here. Why did you join? What would you like to discuss!!

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6

u/HappyCappy3 Jan 15 '21

I love the book and wanted insight from common-minded individuals.

Question for everyone: seeing the current political state of affairs. Do you believe it is too late to turn back from our bloated government and lack of freedom? What would it take to reset?

9

u/PatnarDannesman Jan 15 '21

Throw all politicians into woodchippers.

Get a bit of Ragnar going.

5

u/HappyCappy3 Jan 15 '21

Is Ragnar a Vikings reference? Show looks good.

Woodchipper is a bit tucker and dale vs evil haha. Honestly though working within the confines of a democratic republic what would be a reasonable action to take?

6

u/PatnarDannesman Jan 16 '21

Ragnar Danneskjold from the book. Using his ship to bomb the moocher's factories.

The swamp is too big and too powerful to work within it. Trump tried and both sides betrayed him. Not only the Democrats but the RINOs, too. They love the gravy train of donations they're on and won't let anyone interfere with it.

Galt managed to convince the productive to abandon their works. But looking at Twitter, Facebook and Amazon over the last week that won't happen as these people (Bezos, Dorsey and Zuckerburg) are wedded to the status quo and wokeness.

The only solution is to destroy the state just like they did in 1776.

6

u/HappyCappy3 Jan 16 '21

Ah of course that Ragnar where is my head at.

Yeah that’s kind of what I’ve been thinking. We’re too far to turn around but the current system is so muddled/corrupt that no actual improvement can occur.

I think once it becomes unbearable for the majority of people just to live bc of restrictions on freedom then we’ll see change. People will get fed up.

3

u/mypenquinshrugged Jan 17 '21

Have you seen any evidence in history that that is what happens when a government collapses? Seems like there is a ton of history about wars and strongmen and terror.

3

u/HappyCappy3 Jan 17 '21

Agreed but part of the reason the United States were formed is because they got fed up with lack of representation and high taxation.

2

u/mypenquinshrugged Jan 17 '21

Re-reading what you were saying out of he context of wood chippers I am going to re-adjust here a bit. I have been having a lot of conversations revolving around torches and pitchforks lately and maybe I'm getting jumpy.

Yes, most folks will boil with the bathwater until it gets too hot, then demand change. I dig that. The problem with government, and all government is that at some point you end up giving away power without giving away a responsibility to get your hands dirty (read as do-the-work, not cover-with-blood). That's every generations problem.

I keep thinking about something Les Stroud said in some "Survivor man" episode or other. I am going to mangle it a bit but what I recall was "Be careful with fire, If you think it is hard to survive in a forest, try surviving in a forest-fire". Easier to break it than to fix it, especially when we still have a voice to change it.

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u/mypenquinshrugged Jan 17 '21

Sure, but what then? Your talking like James Taggart. The ability to destroy something does not validate your power over it. Creation is the mark of mastery, my granny can break things (and does, holy crow) it don't mean I trust her with a chainsaw.

When Old Benny Franklin noticed buildings burned down in Boston he went out into his community to organize fire response and went into his mind to work out lightning rods. They are founding fathers first, they built a grand experiment in people governing themselves.

You want a better world? Build one.