Objectivist Roundup

Have you noticed, the summer is almost over? The regular TV season is about to start, the TV producers begging us to pity the protagonist, sacrifice ourselves for those in greater need, condemn those who produce, celebrate the ones that speak for the people. Our kids are going back to school and bring back ideas such as, "If you don't take care of the earth, the earth will die!  It's the truth!" (an idea my three-year-old holds onto for dear life.) And the guilt associated with recognizing one's own selfishness: "Mommy, I am a little selfish... Isn't that a bad thing?" (Brought to you by a thoughtful five-year-old Alex.) In-between all of that, we manage to hold on to reason, teach our kids to set goals and achieve their dreams, collaborate with others, finding the virtue, which makes human cooperation possible in each person we encounter - and when the day is over and we slump in exhaustion on the couch, we are often surprised to find that there is much good in the arts as well: someone will take the heroic place of Jack Bower, the never-ending search for the truth continues on House, and evil continues being ultimately impotent on Criminal Minds.  So relax, grab a glass of wine, and enjoy this edition of the Objectivist Roundup!


Edward Cline presents Hillary Clinton Auditions for Lady Macbeth posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a woman scorned, first by her husband former President Bill, who favored swishier skirts and less nagging, and then by the Democrat machine in favor of a nobody from nowhere during the 2008 election, finds every little opportunity to vent her wrath on her own country."
Mike Zemack presents Education Tax Credits: Taking the Political Offensive posted at Principled Perspectives, saying, "85-90% of America’s K-12 education is government-run. Can a complete separation of education and state be achieved through incremental free market reforms directed over time at the heart of that institution? Or, are such efforts doomed by the intermediate threat of statist inroads into the private school sector, leaving the public school sector essentially off limits to major political challenge unless and until the ideal of free market education can be achieved in a single sweeping transformation?"
Edward Cline presents The Light That Must Not Fail posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "Not even the most ardent anti-jihadist would portray Muslims in the frank and objective terms that Winston Churchill did. He did not flinch from the evidence of his eyes. He did not search for some “saving grace” in Islam or in a Muslim that would forego a blanket condemnation of Islam"
C.W. presents Self-Fulfilling Fantasies: US Treasury Bonds posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "US Treasury Bonds were downgraded, so what happened? Their price went up. You ask, "Why? How does this make sense?" Context. It is understandable, but revealing, and not good."
Diana Hsieh presents Ancestral Health Symposium: My Experience posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Here's my report on my fabulous experience at the "Ancestral Health Symposium.""
Kate Yoak presents On Social Security posted at Parenting is..., saying, "We were talking about social security. Despite the myth, there is no easy way to get out of paying the tax. Alex (5) walked in at the end of the discussion and here is the story of what I told him and what he learned."
Ari Armstrong presents New Harry Potter Essay on Religion posted at Free Colorado, saying, "Are the Harry Potter novels fundamentally Christian works? Here I counter claims that they are."
Jason Stotts presents Pornography posted at Erosophia, saying, "Pornography is good for you, but it can also create unrealistic expectations."
Santiago and Kelly Valenzuela presents Tell President Obama: Stop Separating Our Families! posted at Mother of Exiles, saying, "A US citizen and AIDS patient may see his spouse and caregiver deported later this month. Please sign this petition and tell our government to stop this atrocious rights violation!"
Rational Jenn presents Morgan's Things I Want to Do and Learn List posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "It's the time of year when I'm making homeschool plans with my kids. This post is the list my six-year-old daughter came up with. I think such a list is a great way to help her stay on track with the pursuit of her values, and it helps me know how I can help her, too."
C.W. presents FOUR BOOKS: One Great, Two Good, One to Avoid posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "These are brief comments about four books I have recently read (or am currently studying in the case of Dr. Buechner's book). Three are worth reading and are recommended." 

That concludes this edition. (Time to get more wine!) Submit your blog article to the next edition of objectivist round up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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On Social Security

      "Would you like me to tell you what we were talking about?" I said to Alex. "Sure!" So I began...


      "One day, you will get old, just like Granny, and you won't be able to have a job any more. Or at least, not a job you would like. Because it'll just be too hard, because you are too old and your health isn't so good." "Right!" he said enthusiastically.
      "So what will you do for food?  Where will you get the money?"  "You would.. No... My ... family, my kids will help me!"
      "Yeah, that's a good thought! Your family would take care of you when you are old! OK, let's suppose, you don't have any kids.  Like our friend Mike. What would you do then?" "Mmm... I don't know..."
     "Well, think about it, if you were to give Mike advice for what to do, what would you say?"
     "Make so much money that there is enough left over!" Alex was quick to come up with a rather reasonable solution.
     "Right, so perhaps a good idea is to put away a little money every month your whole life and then you will have enough that you won't need to worry."  


Ok, so we got the concept of retirement.  Now to the heart of the matter...


      "What about those people who didn't plan ahead? Didn't save any money? Now they can't work and don't have enough to eat.  What would they do?" "Ask neighbors to help?"
      "Yeah, great idea. People do tend to help each other. There are lots of organizations whose business it to help people find help from each other.  They are called charities. But our government has come up with another approach.  Basically, young people save money, just like we talked, but instead of saving it in their own account, they give it to the government.  The government in turn pays it out to the old people. Now when the young people get old, the new young people would be giving money to the government to pay them. So it kind of works, right?" "Yeah! It rolls over and over and over!" Clearly, Alex saw the concept in his mind, and it sounded just as good as it did to the FDR generation.
      "There are a couple of problems with this approach.  First, what happens if there are more old people than young ones?"  "Oh..." "And there is a bigger one. See, you might decide that you can do better at managing your old age money than the government and have more money in the end. So shouldn't you get to decide, you would prefer not to pay the government, but do it on your own instead?"  "Yes, of course! I can do it better, I am sure!" "But then who would put in the money to pay people that are old?" "Well, not everyone would decide to do it on their own!" "Hmm... if you think you can do it better, don't you suppose, most of your friends would too?" "Yeah..." "So all of you would tell the government, you can't control my heart! I am doing it on my own!"  (You can't control my heart is Alex's favorite  expression, which means, he gets to make decisions that concern his own self.) "But the government doesn't have enough money to pay the old people. So they say, 'Yes we can!' And you say, 'No, you can't!' And they say, 'Yes, we can, it's the law!' Doesn't that hurt your feelings?"
        "Yeah... I wish they didn't decide to do that. I wish, they didn't have this law and this program... I wish, I could manage my own money!"


        "And that, my dear child, is what daddy and I were just talking about... It makes us sad that we don't have a choice."  "Can I play on your computer, mom?"


Heh... life clearly goes on! For Alex, and for the rest of us...

Domestic nudity

A conversation recently sprung up. Is public nudity OK? Should it be banned? Is it ok for parents to run around naked with each other? Is it ok to be uncomfortable with public display?

I have happened to pick a path on this issue that disagrees more or less with every camp. Yet, it seems so simple and straightforward, so obvious, natural and easy - it surprises me that I am quite so unique. So here you go.

Point one. Public nudity is impolite. Your behavior in public, generally, is a matter of politeness. You act in accordance with your culture's customs in a way that is considerate of what others will find comfortable, when this is not in conflict with your values. This means, you say hello when you walk into a room, shake hands without immediately pulling a tissue out of your purse Monk-style, cover your mouth when you cough, refrain from taking screaming infants into an evening movie and excuse yourself if you need to answer a phone call. Politeness, however, does not require you to give up things that are important. You do not refrain from breastfeeding your child regardless of the stares, nor are you obligated to stop and pick out an appropriate outfit prior to running out of a burning building. As I tell my children, "We do not go out naked in public, because it is rude. It is only ok if we are certain that the people around us don't mind."

Point two. Casual nudity within the family is natural.  In my childhood home, the custom was the same as in most: same-gender nudity was ok, opposite gender strictly prohibited. The result? My first encounter with a penis was a copy of PlayGirl my friends picked up at a train station in Germany. I was horrified at the deformed-looking hairy appendage. My second? My own boyfriend. While it was slightly better, I tried to avert my eyes. It took me years, a lot of thought and reading, before I could be comfortable seeing that particular portion of male anatomy. My own body? Not much better. I was mortified at the thought of somebody seeing my underpants. An occasion of that sort at the age of twelve caused me become violent toward an classmate.

One's body is not to be ashamed of, not to be hidden for "a special occasion", nor flaunted as it is in a brothel. It should be comfortable and natural with those closest to us. I do not walk around naked at home.  It is not hygienic, too cold and my butt sticks to furniture. I do not, however, try to hide my body from my children, when I am getting dressed or walking out of the shower. What is the only possible message I can send to them if I swiftly cover up my breasts when they walk in on me changing? Shame and embarrassment on my own part, to be reflected on theirs.


We have a boy and a girl, both well-familiar with each other's anatomy, sharing a bath and frequently a bed. They know what is there, what it is for, and there are no questions, which remain. They run around naked when they feel like it, but get dressed unfailingly to greet strangers.


Point three. A law banning public nudity is reasonable, but probably harmful.  As Ayn Rand points out, there is a "need to protect people from being confronted with sights they regard as loathsome." It is probably legitimate to argue that I should not be afraid to come to my front porch and be assaulted with the sight of the neighbor's testicles.  However, such a law is likely to do more harm than good.  People should demand fewer laws and learn to talk to each other more. "Dammed, George, I please put away your treasures!"

Point four. Strong discomfort with the sight of nudity is an indication of a mistake.  I would argue that if you abhor all nudity outside of a sexual connotation, you probably have a mistaken sense of body shame. Why do you dislike it so?  "Because it should be private" isn't a sufficient reason for the visceral "Oh my god!" we tend to experience. This is a reaction of shame and guilt, of recognition that you are party to something that should not be. When you accidentally walk in on somebody changing and spend the rest of the day disturbed, something is off. On the other hand, "I did not want to see that shriveled thing peeking out from under the giant gut, YUCK!" may be a perfectly healthy reaction, akin to "Ewe, dog poop!" But notice that no legislature is required in this case.

This is the key reason for my emphasis on point number two: casual nudity within the family. Body shame is a horrid, vile problem we settle our children with (and most of us inherited from our parents). A good sense of politeness, with the self-confidence and healthy psychology are all that we need to have a healthy society with a proper outlook on nudity.

Am I as alone as I think?  What do you do? Do you disagree with me? Don't be too shy to post a comment.

Objectvist Roundup

Welcome to the July 28, 2011 edition of objectivist round up. Please enjoy the recent posts by Objectivists on a variety of subjection from rational parenting to objective art, proper politics, sports, science and more. One might classify a collection of Objectivist Roundup posts as an overview of applying reason to every endeavor in life. I highly recommend browsing these posts whether you consider yourself an Objectivist, would like to know more about it - or are wondering what all the noise is about. If you value reason and rationality, you might discover that whether or not you agree with all the ideas, much of what you encounter will hit so close to home, you'll want to know more.  Any blogger on this list is likely to respond to any question about their ideas and approaches.

[UPDATE] I was mortified to find out that after my glowing recommendation of the posts and bloggers, I was alerted to the fact that nearly a third on the first go-around were spammers! This reminded me that the primary job of a carnival host is to ensure that all the posts do in fact come from objectivists (and certainly not from lead generation companies!).  Have no fear.  Everything below is now valid.

Enjoy!

Jennifer Snow presents Limitless posted at Literatrix, saying, "A discussion of the underlying theme of the movie Limitless."
Edward Cline presents The Oslo Factor: Blame Free Speech posted at The Rule of Reason, saying, "The horrific attack in Oslo, Norway last Friday, in which 84 Norwegian youths were mercilessly gunned down by Anders Behring Breivik, a psychotic Norwegian Christian fundamentalist and anti-Muslim who also allegedly planted a devastating and lethal bomb in central Oslo, has produced an “Islamaphobic” fall-guy, made to order for the part."
Benjamin Skipper presents Dragon Ball Z as it Parallels to America posted at Musing Aloud, saying, "I love Dragon Ball Z for its awesome portrayal of good and evil: how the villains are cool, the heroes *actually* admirable, and the victories in the end overwhelmingly in the favor of good. Recently I've realized that the three different parts of the series actually reflect America's history and current affairs in uncanny ways."
Tod presents The Hockey Project posted at Tod.FM, saying, "Can a small, non-athletic geek become a hockey hotshot in 10,000 hours?"
Kelly Elmore presents Guilt About Traveling Without Livy posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "In this post, I talk about mommy guilt and reason my way out of "perfect parent syndrome" and into a selfish enjoyment of my own values."
Kelly Elmore presents ATLOSCon Survey for People Who DIDN'T Go posted at Reepicheep's Coracle, saying, "If you heard of our mini-conference ATLOSCon, maybe even considered going, but didnt, we'd love to hear why you didn't come. We hope getting more information will help us improve ATLOSCon for everyone. And its a REALLY SHORT survey."
Paul Hsieh presents The Limits of Comparative Effectiveness Research posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, "Why "Comparative Effectiveness Research" (CER) is dangerous when policy-makers use it to treat all patients as "average"."
Rational Jenn presents On Minilectures posted at Rational Jenn, saying, "A "minilecture" is one part statement of the obvious and one part "I told you so." Minilectures can insult a child's intelligence and can set parents and child up for a battle. I offer a couple of alternatives to minilectures--a good reminder for myself because I minilecture my kids too often!"
Rational Jenn presents Podcast #16: Our Favorite Books for Kids posted at Jenn Casey and Kelly Elmore, saying, "Kelly and Jenn have a new podcast in which they talk EXTENSIVELY and ENTHUSIASTICALLY about their favorite books for kids. And more! Don't miss it!"
David Masten presents If you don't read this, I swear I'll...On the Non-Aggression Principle posted at Blazing Truth, saying, "An light-hearted analysis of the non-initiation of force, and why it is rationally immoral."
Scott Connery presents CBO: Boehner's Plan Only Cuts 2012 Deficit by $1 Billion posted at Rational Public Radio, saying, "o far, speaker Boehner's performance in the budget battle has been mixed. That's the best that can be said about it really. Not too long ago, we witnessed the terribly embarrassing budget cut debacle. He pushed for the "huge" cuts of 100 billion, which got lowered to 36 billion, which the CBO finally revealed to be a mere 353 Million. His "massive" budget cut that he "fought so hard to get" was less than .01% of the Federal budget. Color me unimpressed."
Santiago and Kelly Valenzuela presents Who "Pulls Their Own Weight"? posted at Mother of Exiles, saying, "Santiago writes about the problems with the welfare state and puts the blame where it belongs rather than on immigrants."
David C Lewis, RFA presents Are You In Control Of Your Investments? | Twin Tier Financial posted at A Revolution In Financial Planning, saying, "Are investors rational? Do they need an external authority (i.e. a financial planner) to take control over their investment portfolio?"
Diana Hsieh presents Evolutionary Theory: Fact Versus Faith posted at NoodleFood, saying, "What do American students learn about evolutionary theory today? Alas, far less than they ought."

That concludes this edition. Submit your blog article to the next edition of objectivist round up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.    


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I am a little selfish

"Mommy, I am a little selfish sometimes,"  said Alex.  I knew that he was struggling with the internal conflict caused by the culture he is embedded in, their attempts to teach him that he ought to live a life of sacrifice rather than pursuing values, though not quite successful, resulting in a predictable turmoil.

"Tell me about it!" I said cheerfully.  "Well, I am selfish about my special Smurf," he continued.  "And my penguin pillow." Alex was enumerating things of personal value and significance within eyesight.  "Oh yeah?  Well, me too!" I added, not letting on anything was amiss. "I am selfish about my beautiful new house! And my newly painted bright-yellow car, and, of course, my special special babies!" I leaned over to his bed and we took a moment to giggle and cuddle together.


"Eh, mom, so what does selfish mean?" My point hit home. Now he needed to know more. "It means, caring for yourself and things that matter to you."

From there, it was easy sailing.  He was relieved at having been granted the option to pursue his values, and I took the opportunity to illustrate the difference between selfishness, self-absorption, and hedonism. "One more thing," I said. "You know, if you care for yourself, it doesn't mean you always do whatever you feel like.  Sometimes you have to decide what's more important, the thing you want right now, or what it's going to do to your life. If you care for yourself, your life is important, right?" We talked about balancing short-term and long-term values, caring for people in our lives, making each other happy and how that ties back to caring for oneself.


Mommy one. Immanuel Kant zero. But who is counting?

Moving and surviving

I am ashamed of myself for having been absent from my blogs and online generally for so long. Yes, I am unbelievably busy as we just moved and I am juggling unpacking, getting babysitters, handymen, insect killers and all the other things you have to do after you move, with my job, and business concerns and, of course, the kids who  - instead of being supportive and appreciative of my labors - are having a hard time adjusting to the new environment.  (If this last sentence sounded like I was running out of breath at the end - well, it is a good representation of my days!) 

On the other hand, I have two blogs, with an internal commitment of posting at least one post per week - half an hour per post - seriously, can I fail to find one hour a day to dedicate to something this important?  YES I CAN! 


Yesterday, there was a breaking moment - and things started getting back to normal.  Suddenly, after consuming junk food and meals out for two weeks straight, I found the energy to go to the grocery store.  Once there, I announced, "That is it!  Mommy is back.  I'll make you dinner and it'll be amazing, and we'll get back to eating well and feeling good again!" After the trip, we got to frantically setting the table.  My husband had said, we had too many wine glasses.  No problem!  I broke three of them in the process.  We had shrimp and edamame and strawberries with whipped cream for dessert. 

All of a sudden, half way through this frantic preparation, my lovey-dovey five-year-old was back! Back from the spazz-land he has been at since we moved.  He told me, "Mommy, I just feel good all over when you are next to me."  And that he felt like I was his girlfriend (quickly following up with questions about whether boys were supposed to have boyfriends.) And this evening, informed Lily that she had to marry him when she grew up, so his whole family would be attached to him.


And I felt different, too.  At one point, during that same hectic dinner preparation, I heard myself say, "Damned, Alex! You don't have to get whiny every time some little thing you wanted doesn't work out to your liking!  Ahem... Eh... What I mean is... " and the old phrase came back from the recesses of my mind, buried somewhere behind all the boxes, "... sometimes we don't get quite want we want - but things often work out for the best anyway!"  I have said this one at least fifty times over the past year.  It was as familiar as the finally unpacked old worn out and slightly chipped flatware we were putting on the table...


All along, I knew we were all having a hard time. We were holding on to each other, sometimes whining, sometimes losing our temper,  but I have a feeling that all  of us understood: it's tough, but we'll get through it. And when we did, it wasn't a surprise, just a relief. The important thing is that at no point did I think, my kids "misbehaved." It's a silly notion, which enables parents to get by without thinking too hard about what's bothering their kids.  I gave them leeway, but I can also tell, they gave me some too. The move is not yet behind us, boxes are still everywhere - but it is nice to reflect and notice that we've made it across the toughest peak - and didn't lose perspective in the process.

Objectivist Roundup

Welcome to the June 23, 2011 edition of objectivist round up. This is my first time as the Roundup host, and I would like to share how I came to know the Objectivist Roundup. Long, long time ago, before I started using Facebook, before this blog, I was a stay-at-home mom who wished more than anything else in the world that I would meet a person who was trying to figure out the same things as I was, who wanted to raise her children to be individuals first, treated them with respect, valued their independence, understood the principles of education, and more importantly, wanted to discuss the ideas of parenting as a science and an art. In other words, I was lonely in my new career and I was hoping for a team. Then I discovered the Objectivist Roundup and the community it represents. Parents, doctors, chefs, activists, teachers, people from all walks of life who have chosen to apply their mind and reason to everything in their path. Here they are!

Harsha Vardhan presents Indian "ideal" method of protest posted at Harsha blogs!, saying, "This post observes how altruism plays a role in protests happening in India."

Benjamin Skipper presents You Can Only Hate What's *There* posted at Musing Aloud, saying, "Only existence exists, so when a person claims to be directing their emotions towards attributes that don't exist, then what they're instead targeting is something of another nature."

C.W. presents Inflation Update: Mid 2011 posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "Things are starting to perk up. The waiting time is probably over. What can we expect next? Recession or depression?"

Jared Rhoads presents Sally Pipes on doctors, students, and activism posted at The Lucidicus Project, saying, "Our interview with free-market healthcare advocate Sally Pipes, on the topics of doctors, medical students, and getting active."

Benjamin Skipper presents Defeating Negative Humor posted at Musing Aloud, saying, "I never realized before how negative my style of humor often is. Now I'm determined to alter the habit."

Ari Armstrong presents Rethinking Education Tax Credits posted at Free Colorado, saying, "In replying to an article by Michael LaFerrara, I argue that tax credits, while probably better than vouchers and possibly worth supporting on other grounds, nevertheless retain government control over income and therefore lead to government control of education."

James Hughes presents The Serenity Affirmation posted at Temple of the Human Spirit, saying, ""The rational man has the serenity to accept the things he cannot change, the courage to change the things he can, and the wisdom to know the difference""

Diana Hsieh presents Blogging in Pursuit of Values posted at NoodleFood, saying, "Why I just can't stand to blog the latest horrible political news."

Paul Hsieh presents Obama's Health Care Fallacy posted at We Stand FIRM, saying, "My latest OpEd discusses how ObamaCare's "Accountable Care Organizations" are just the latest incarnation of the age-old "central planner fallacy" applied to health care. This one was published at TownHall.com."

David C Lewis, RFA presents What Makes A Good Deal Good? posted at A Revolution In Financial Planning, saying, "People often rave about getting a "good deal." But, is saving money always such a great idea? I discuss the potential paradox of a good deal and why some of the best stuff in life really isn't free."

C.W. presents Are you watching the events in Greece? posted at Krazy Economy, saying, "It is like watching the future through a time machine. It is also like watching Atlas Shrugged, in terms of the downward spiral - there are no heros. Watch and understand the events in Greece and you will be ready for the future of the rest of Europe, and maybe us."

Julia Campbell presents shaved summer squash salad posted at the crankin' kitchen!, saying, "Simple and delicious summer salad of shaved summer squash, crisp greens, and a lemon, garlic, and olive oil dressing."

Roberto Sarrionandia presents Ayn Rand or Jesus: Absolutely posted at Roberto Sarrionandia, saying, "Can Republicans integrate Rand with their religion?"

Mike Zemack presents A “Regulation-Free Zone for Home-Schooling Families” Comes Under Attack in NJ posted at Principled Perspectives, saying, "In a typical pattern, NJ statists have seized upon a couple of brutal instances of child abuse to attempt to extend controls over one of the few bastions of relative freedom in education."

That concludes this edition. Please share this page with your friends! Submit your blog article to the next edition of objectivist round up using our carnival submission form. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.

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