Step away from The Fountainhead

Sure, when all of us were narcissistic seventeen-year olds, the novels of Ayn Rand held a certain thrill for us. But most of us moved on to other things, like making out with members of our preferred sex and bonghits. Lots and lots of bonghits. But what happens if this Randian obsession continues? Let's look to the fine thinkers of the Ayn Rand Institute for answers!

Exhibit A: Sure, Christopher Columbus was a con-man and a third-rate sea captain responsible for the mass enslavement and extermination of the indigenous populations in the Caribbean. But on Columbus Day, we're not celebrating the man, we're celebrating the entire project of Western Civilization, from Aristotle to Einstein and beyond! Which, to me, begs the question, if we're going to have a day to celebrate the glory that is the West, why not an Aristotle Day or an Einstein Day, rather than a day that celebrates a really, really bad individual? Oh, because the former probably diddled little boys and the latter was a socialist peacenik? Right, Columbus it is, then.

Exhibit B: Did you know that every time you drive your Prius or buy organic vegetables, you're actually supporting nihilistic eco-anarchists hell-bent on wiping off the planet any trace of human existence rather than, say, a multinational corporation or a farmer looking to support his weed habit? It's true!

Both are reason enough to re-think any plans you had of giving Atlas Shrugged a second read. But if you need more proof, there's always Exhibit C.