…and no, the irony isn’t lost on me 
. But I feel bad just putting that teaser out last week with no follow-up yet; I haven’t been even able to get around to replying to a few interesting comments (and indicating my appreciation for some supportive others), so I’ll throw a couple of quick points up right now.
1) A lot of those who value political liberty in the U.S. are devout Christians. I’m an atheist myself (I wouldn’t classify anyone as an objectivist who wasn’t), but a large majority of the best people I know on a personal level (as well as the people I most admire in history) are people of faith, and the large majority of them are Christians. As a homeschooler in New Jersey, I feel particularly indebted to the Christian families who did (and continue to do) the yeoman’s work in making and keeping homeschooling a viable educational option for my family, even if some of their motives for doing so are not the same as mine. And in this fight in particular, I’m proud to stand with anyone who recognizes my right to be free, even if they may disagree with my personal plans for my freedom, or with my reasons for valuing it. In short, nothing would make me happier than for people of all faiths and of no faith to win the fight for liberty so we can be free to be bitter enemies once again, our common foes having been vanquished 
. I’m not diminishing the significance of our differences, but neither should the strength we can derive from our common values be diminished.
2) I’ve made this point before, but I think it bears re-emphasizing as it might not be obvious to someone unfamiliar with this site: I really, really don’t want to ever actually have to go “John Galt”. Now I still feel quite certain that the only way to avoid having to do so is to show that you actually are willing to. But there’s more that can be done too, and that’s what I’ve been thinking about lately. And it has to do with recognizing an important fact about the conflict between your average producer and your average functionally anti-freedom person: neither one has their heart in this fight the way their opponent fears they do. The producer is not pro-freedom because they desire to see widows and orphans starving, and the person who thinks that freedom is undesirable does so out of a miscalculation about both the impracticality of freedom and the efficacy of force as a necessary evil, not because they desire to see productivity punished. There are exceptions to this characterization on both sides, but they constitute a minority small enough to be ignored when considering the forces that shape society. More to come eventually.
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I agree, down with the stimulous package. The ppl who lost our money dont deserve handouts. And ceos who make money doing nothing dont deserve to keep making money off the backs of their workers
Dude, seriously, go galt. I’ve got a bet going with my friends on how long it will take you to do it.
So far, all my bets are that you won’t for the next 20 years. I have $500 invested in this bet with my friends.
This is a sure fire bet for me, because I win either way.
You don’t, my point is proven, I win $3000.
You do, and I’m happy because fuckwit morons like you aren’t the people I want around anyway and would throw the biggest fucking party once all you assholes “go galt”.
“There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.”- Oscar Wilde.
Just found the site. Consider it bookmarked.
Your first point is one that I often find myself making and it’s always good to find a like mind-set.
Your second point is exceedingly important because the mischaracterization of the other side (deliberately or accidentally) results in demonizing the other side which is really only good for rhetoric and agitating the center of the pot. Goal oriented action requires the honest assessment and understanding of the other side’s motivations.
I quit my job and I’m going back to college for further degrees. So I shall be producing no wealth for a least two years, perhaps more. Does this count as going John Galt?
Thank you for your kind words regarding devout Christians. I am one of those myself, and I appreciate not being bashed and despised for a change. I am also about 1/3 the way through Atlas Shrugged, and finding that it in many ways parallels evangelical thought. Long ago someone told me “All truth is God’s truth”. I think that we can agree that one of man’s biggest challenges is to correctly perceive and respond to reality. I’ll enjoy working together with likeminded people.
To “go Galt” is not to be unproductive. I simply produce more now for deferred realization — advisory work, new product development, marketing networks, building inventory. But I only cash in what’s needed day to day.
He’s out of office in 1,349 days and a lame duck well before then.
Hey, I’m a Christian and I don’t have any Atheist enemies. I think that as long as we remember our shared values: truth, honesty, rationality, and respect there’s a lot to base a successful relationship upon.
Either deity exists or it doesn’t. He won’t stop existing if you convince me otherwise and he won’t start existing if I convince He does exist. If we can talk openly and rationally we’ll get along. The fellow who coined the phrase, “All Truth Is God’s Truth,” Cornelius Van Til, claimed that all reasoning is circular. If you believe God exists, you’ll successfully prove God exists. If you believe there is no god, you’ll successfully prove it, too. I think that theism/atheism is like euclidian / non-euclidean geometry:
Both approaches yield perfectly consistent systems of thought. Whether you believe or not probably says more about yourself than the external reality where God does/doesn’t exist. Nothing to base emnity upon in my opinion. If there’s a God and you don’t believe, that’s between you two.
I should mention that I was once an Atheist, but I lost my unbelief.
But since you’re not willing to go “John Galt”…you have to do so? I think I’m lost.
Oh come on, you’re not lost. For any strike threat to work, it has to be credible. Hell, forget strikes; think of two opponents negotiating a treaty or a surrender: A tells B “You can give us what we want, or we can keep on fighting which will be worse for us but much worse for you.” For this to work, B has to know A is willing to keep on fighting.
Typical modern conservative. All talk. No action. No courage of convictions if having such might in any way lead to discomfort or inconvenience. Felix – methinks you’re too cautious. I’d wager at least $5,000 that this guy won’t “Go Galt” unless he moves back home with his folks.
think of two opponents negotiating a treaty or a surrender: A tells B “You can give us what we want, or we can keep on fighting which will be worse for us but much worse for you.” For this to work, B has to know A is willing to keep on fighting.
Okay, so long as you realize that Galters are the B side of the equation. Leaving will leave the Galters much worse off, while the rest of us Americans won’t miss them.
You know that. That’s why you don’t go. We know that, which is why the response is a sarcastic “Go already.”
LOL! Everyone knows wingnuts don’t have a hair on their asses! Going Galt? Please. Going SOFT is more like it. You pukes are all talk.
You idiots are the producers alright, the producers of false perceptions…
So you’ll go Galt when things lighten up enough that you can take a vacation, huh?
Don’t worry. There’s millions of people who can do your job as well if not better, lined up waiting.
Enjoy a lonnnnnng vacation, son!
Hilarious.
How can we miss you if you don’t go away?
Yes, you make a compelling argument in the home school debate.
“Going Galt” is a bit like waiting for Godot isn’t it? Lotsa talk but it never actually seems to happen.
Why is that?
Man, I’m going Galt. I’ve just got to *wheeze* round up my — *heaves fat gut off of computer desk* — Mountain Dew and *wheeze* Cheetos.
America will be sorry I’m gone.
Lemme get this straight: There is a novel in which various heroes denounce collectivism, and then repair to their ideal society, which is a commune; its existence is only made possible by a science fiction concealment “lens” and another science fiction device that creates unlimited energy; its social and political arguments are illustrated in the context, not of the real world the author and reader live in, but a cartoon “collectivized” Europe of People’s Nations (of England, of Germany, etc.); and its dialogue consists of literally pages and pages of speechifying, declaiming, and rhetorical gassing off..
…and this is the central text and holy ur-document of your movement?
BWAH-HA-HA-HA-HA-HA, etc.
Yes, I read it.
You people are ridiculous.
While I haven’t read Atlas Shrugged (I like my literature to be literary, not dogmatic), the whole concept of Going Galt seems to preface itself on the idea that an Galt has something that society will come screeching to a halt without. Without that, this idea of turning away from society does society no harm at all. Unemployment is nearing 10%, so whatever you do as a working person (unless you’ve patented that perpetual motion machine), can easily be done by someone else. So don’t be surprised if the response from the greater society to your supposed revolutionary act is “Meh.”
Let me get this straight: You’re an atheist, but the majority of the best people you know are not atheist. You believe that they base their lives around a religious belief that you consider false, but they are the majority of the best people you know. I just want to make sure I’m following your train of thought.
So, you don’t really want to “go Galt” but you want to show that you’re willing to “go Galt” without the downside, which is that you’d lose income without anyone else noticing that there’s suddenly a job opening at the local telemarketer.
Do you realize that of the extremely rare cases of any Americans “going Galt” the most famous, a man who lived in a place called “Walden Pond” only survived because a friend of his, on whose land he lived, (who happened to be a homosexual), supported him so he could write his romantic tale of “going Galt”?
In my community, I know many of the people who participated in the recent “Tea Party” to protest big government. Many of them are also people of faith. I’ve spoken to a lot of them, wondering how much each of them depend on the government, whether social security, medicare, public schools, or even have government jobs themselves. I was surprised to learn that among this group of rugged individualists who believe in personal responsibility above all, not one of them had ever turned down a government service. I’m not talking about driving on the Interstate, either. They got on Medicare the first day they were eligible, got in line over at SSI the minute they were too overweight to work comfortably to sign up for disability checks, and in more than a few cases, were currently getting food stamps. One of them was not working because they had been in a car accident and had “back problems” and got a nice settlement.
The point is, you are living in a fantasy America, and count yourself among a group of people who claim independence but grasp at any offered assistance from above (and I’m not just talking about the “people of faith).
There are two novels that can change a bookish fourteen-year old’s life: The Lord of the Rings and Atlas Shrugged. One is a childish fantasy that often engenders a lifelong obsession with its unbelievable heroes, leading to an emotionally stunted, socially crippled adulthood, unable to deal with the real world. The other, of course, involves orcs.
– Kung Fu Monkey: Ephemera 2009
Dude, you are such a DORK. Own it.
hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!11!!!!!!
Q: if a bunch of wingnuts “go Galt” and no one notices did they really “go Galt”?
A. Who gives a shit?
Considering that all the crap and chaos that surrounds us now dates from about 1980, I’d hafta say that anybody for whom “going Galt” would have mattered is long, long gone. And they’re certainly not hanging around with you losers…
notdependant.com – refered to in another post, had a whopping 24, count ‘em, 24 people signed up to go on strike on April 1st through April 15th.
Yes, I felt a disturbance in the blogosphere. As if dozens of cheetoos stained wingnuts suddenly went silent.
That’s hilarious. What a pussy.
Just be honest with yourself. You don’t want to pay taxes but you want to enjoy the fruits of living in a modern society. Yeah, I know.
Lisa, thanks for quoting that. It’s just about the best thing I’ve read this year.
When you Go Galt, can I have this website? I would make it a lot more fun than you have; for instance, I would have a place for all the Galters to show how much their Galtness had lowered the national GDP. Maybe sell Galt ranchspace in the middle of the desert where they can demonstrate their incredible industry by building their own little Galtropolis from nothing. Oooo, a Survivor – Galt’s Gulch where every man is his own tribe and is tempted by evil atruism by passing strangers.
Wow. That’s the best rationalization for non-action that I’ve ever read. Very eloquent. Almost as much so as those young war hawks and their elaborate excuses for not actually having to go fight in the wars they want so badly to happen. If you could just hear my applause.
I can think of a whole group of people who “went Galt” about 150 years ago. They’re called The Amish. Not saying they don’t lead happy & fulfilled lives, but on the other hand, America didn’t come to a crashing halt then either.
Talk – Action = Going Galt
Insired! I myself am proud to announce that while I do not WANT to actually STOP wanking once per hour in my work cubicle, the fact that I COULD stop it and even talk about stopping it demonstrates the strength of my commitment to the idea of stopping the hourly wank, which would be quite good for society at large.
Is there some way we can force them to go galt – surely we’re all suffering intolerable psychological trauma from them repeatedly reneging on their repeated promises? I think they’ve broken some sort of verbal contract. I’m calling my lawyer.
The critics of the concept of going Galt are thinking a bit too literal.
“Going Galt” doesn’t require those of us who still depend on society to completly withdraw from society. It simply requires a concerted effort to stop playing ball with the current administration’s efforts trample capitalism in the name of advancing socialism.
There are examples all around us already. The many banks that refused TARP. The many banks now eager to repay TARP after realizing the magnitude of error in their ways. The companies and investment funds unwilling to buy agency MBS while the government destroys the economics of that market. The Indiana state treasurer who would rather push GM into a real Chapter 11 bankruptcy than accept a strong-armed government deal. As this economic correction plays on we may see a lot more examples, which may inspire many others to do the same.
The realistic version of going Galt is slowing (and maybe someday reversing) the migration away from capitalism through our actions. In that fight none of us matter as individuals but in sufficient mass we make a difference, just like voting.
As an example, supporting Chrysler following the government’s populist intervention would be explicitly not “going Galt.” Refusing to buy Chrysler would be. Refusing to bank with Citibank would be.
Perhaps the capitalists will lose at the voting booth, but in sufficient numbers perhaps we win at the cash registers and in the capital markets.
I don’t believe truly Going Galt is realistic, but it does give me some ideas. Why add my money to the economy? Why go out of my way to help others? Why help the coworker who is not carrying their own? Why not call off sick when I just don’t feel up to working, even though I know it is a busy time for us? Yes I know that no one may notice, but I am saving my money rather than buying that new lap top, I am stopping my united way contribution, I’m not helping the coworker that wants to avoid doing the job they are paid to do and I will call off sick rather than toughing it out (I currently have a good attendance record) and I will feel good about it! I am not doing this to make anyone take notice, I am doing this for myself. But, I do admit I would love it if many other like mind people did the same. You don’t have to be rich to take a stand.
Wow, you’ve got a lot of idiots flying around here. Sorry.
Atheism – I think that everything in the universe is connected, that nearly all people perceive this fact on some level, and that it is this fact which gives rise to people’s belief in God. Whether that actually means I believe in God or not… that’s something I’ve never quite been able to figure out. I’ll leave it up to you to decide. However, I have never been a follower of God of Abraham in any form.
For those of you who don’t understand what Going Galt really is or means: you would not lose the big CEOs or many of the leading figures whom you are currently blaming for your problems. They are part of the problem, though not in the way you think. You would lose people like the best science teacher in your kid’s high school who is sick of seeing the incompetents in his profession being subsidized by the teachers’ unions; the doctor who lives down the street and is tired of being forced to accept Medicare patients; the civil engineer who is tired of being called an evil bastard because he knows that if he doesn’t put reality above emotions or feelings, his buildings will fall down; the woman who runs your favorite local restaurant who can’t stay in business because her business is being forced to provide health insurance that it can’t afford to its employees; the artist who loves his work, but can find no support or motivation in today’s culture; the scientist who cares passionately about the truth, but has been edged out of his profession because of political considerations….
You do not want to lose these people. You do not want to see them get disgusted, run down, give up. They are the ones who, more than anyone, run the world and move it forward.
In the words of Charles Sykes, whose 10 things you didn’t learn in school has often been attributed to Bill Gates, “Be nice to nerds. Chances are you’ll end up working for one.”
Be nice to the productive. Chances are you’re depending on them.
Continuing the Discussion