Atlas flexes

Ayn Rand: Ayn Rand is ready for another close-up. Though her capitalist magnum opus, ‘Atlas Shrugged,’ was widely panned when originally released in 1957, it went on to become a bestseller. And Rand’s tenets enjoyed a revival in the 1990s thanks to the ascendance of her friend, Alan Greenspan. Now, a film version of the book is coming out just as a populist US Tea Party movement embracing her views takes hold. Rand’s economics are fairly conventional by today’s standards and the book rather turgid. But the silver screen may yet help her speak to a new generation.

As a novel, ‘Atlas Shrugged’ is flawed. Such as it is, the action, built around a railroad boss, ceases altogether for a large swathe of the final act so another character, John Galt, can express his philosophy. Yet ,Galt’s message of protest has taken greater hold and is finding fresh appeal among a younger set of conservatives, especially ones conditioned by the more collectivist ideals sometimes espoused in American schools and churches. The book is intrinsically anti-Christian, glorifying self-interest over self-sacrifice. That has helped to polarize responses to ‘Atlas Shrugged.’ Rand spots moral flaws in government, but almost all her businessmen are honest and beaten down by the authorities. Even free-marketers living through the financial crisis would have to agree Rand’s oversimplifications don’t hold true in real world. That hasn’t stopped a Randian renaissance.

It began with Ron Paul’s presidential campaign of 2008, which demanded much smaller government and a return to the gold standard. The Tea Party movement then grew out of those “Atlas”-evocative ideals, which are further evidenced in Republican policies, including those of Senator Rand Paul and Representative Paul Ryan. Of course, Rand’s politics have been somewhat misconstrued. She endorsed the rights of the individual more than either party. The film adaptation, regardless of its quality, probably won’t much alter how ‘Atlas’ is interpreted. But the more people ask “Who is Ayn Rand?” the more they will be in a position to ponder the book’s eternal central question: “Who is John Galt?” That just might help produce a new wave of free-market disciples.