The Writer's Life 7/19 - Parts

There were some interesting numbers in Kyle Smith’s op-ed piece in today’s NY Post. The last figures on the U.S. economy revealed a workforce participation rate of 62.7%, a 36-year low. In France it is 56%, Italy 49% - and there are many who wish America would become Euro-like. Smith also mentions a new campaign one country has begun. Alarmed at the low birth rate, officials took out an ad in a newspaper urging citizens to reproduce. It said: “Do it for Denmark.”

In an article criticizing the Iranian deal, Amir Taheri states: “To admire this regime because of Iranian culture is like admiring Hitler for Goethe and Beethoven and praising Stalin for Pushkin and Tchaikovsky.”

Last night, courtesy of Netflix, I watched the third and final part of Atlas Shrugged, Who Is John Galt? (2014). Although Ayn Rand’s ideas remain compelling, the film comes off as shallow and unconvincing. The main problem, just as in the novel, is that it's too close to science fiction. The characters are either villainous government hacks or heroic capitalists. It is more like propaganda than drama. It proposes a nightmare scenario unlikely to occur, although many conservatives would argue that it has already begun. There are two instances that are particularly ludicrous: a sex scene at a crucial moment when a railroad is in jeopardy, and the almost Christ-like pose of Galt as he is being tortured. Part One was good, Part Two mediocre, Part Three terrible. I do not recommend the novel but instead The Fountainhead, which, although long, is much shorter, more grounded, and contains the exact same philosophy. Leftists still are incensed by Rand’s views, particularly “Selfishness is a virtue,” which is akin to Gordon Gekko's "Greed is good" in Wall Street (1987). The difference is Gekko is a criminal and Rand's characters, even the cynical media mogul of The Fountainhead, are not. Liberals refuse to accept that humans are driven by self interest, that even charitable giving is motivated by it. The vitriol directed at Rand is astonishing. In an episode of Elementary, Holmes disparages her followers, although he is a selfish, driven egomaniac Rand would likely have admired. There are weaknesses in her philosophy, but its foundation is solid. Read The Fountainhead and decide. Do not expect to glean its essence from the 1949 film version starring Gary Cooper and Patricia Neal.

The floating book shop's good luck continued, despite the heat. My thanks to Sheila, who bought Killing, to the gentleman who bought all 18 of the Russian DVDs I had on hand, to B.S. Bob, who purchased James Patterson's Witch & Wizard for his granddaughter, and to the woman who bought a popup version of The Little Mermaid.

Vic's 5th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/okxkwh5Vic's 4th novel: tinyurl.com/bszwlxh

Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3

Vic's Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx
Vic's Short Story Collection: http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tiny.cc/0iHLb Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/kx3d3uf
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tinyurl.com/l84h63j

Vic's Rom-Com Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/kny5llp

Vic's Horror Screenplay: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3f

Vic's Blog: http://vicfortezza.blogspot.com/

Vic's Web Site: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/