Ayn Rand Nation a book by Gary Weiss Reviewed by Sara Rolph HBL - The Harry Binswanger List
http://www.hblist.com/weiss.htm ”And he has some rather primitive emotional reactions. Riffing on Jews and capitalism, Weiss tells us "The only capitalists I ever saw were overworked storekeepers, snarling gypsy-cab drivers, and smack dealers on 135th Street. She [Rand] saw a free, unregulated market as the defining institution of a free society. To me, a free, unregulated market was Benny the Goniff selling fruit from a stall in front of a butcher shop on Kingsbridge Road, screaming "Whoaaaa! We got melons here!" in a high-pitched Yiddish accent, sneaking rotten fruit into the bag and counting out ten when a dozen were ordered."
Yes, that really is a direct quote from the book (page 14). It gets worse. Weiss continues: "Benny's spirit drifted downtown to Wall Street. In place of Benny the Goniff as my archetypical capitalist was a new cast of characters. ... Instead of red-faced Benny in his stained undershirt there was the esteemed electronic-trading advocate Bernie Madoff in his monogrammed underwear. Both blended together in my perceptions, small-time and big wheel." RRD:I have not read the book,but if this passage is at all a accurate representation of Weiss' views then he is a loathsome anti-semitic wretch.(Again if accurate): ...” Yes, that really is a direct quote from the book (page 14). It gets worse. Weiss continues: "Benny's spirit drifted downtown to Wall Street. In place of Benny the Goniff as my archetypical capitalist was a new cast of characters. ... Instead of red-faced Benny in his stained undershirt there was the esteemed electronic-trading advocate Bernie Madoff in his monogrammed underwear. Both blended together in my perceptions, small-time and big wheel."... RRD:
You see what happens when you let the moneychangers into the temple.
Perhaps ”Benny's spirit” corrupted the poor Christians of Wall Street.
Perhaps Benny is Satan? One wonders if "Benny the Goniff"--if he exists--has a big nose?
Does ”Benny the Goniff" count his Ducats obsessively?
Does ”Benny the Goniff" really "act his color",as racists say of African-Americans.
Once again we are presented with the anti-semitic ”madonna-whore” trope of the ”good selfless Jew”(Portia mayhap?) vs the ”bad selfish Jew” (Shylock).
In this fantasy Jews are either helpless,martyred downtrodden victims who were ”born to suffer” (ala ”The Suffering Servant”) ,or else they act out the, ”baser aspect of the Jewish Character” as ”Capitalists” like Madoff,(actually Rand believed that Madoff would be a criminal in a capitalist society).
In fairness Weiss may not see the implications of his statements,but then--if the review is accurate--he sees so little anyway.
http://www.hblist.com/weiss.htm ”And he has some rather primitive emotional reactions. Riffing on Jews and capitalism, Weiss tells us "The only capitalists I ever saw were overworked storekeepers, snarling gypsy-cab drivers, and smack dealers on 135th Street. She [Rand] saw a free, unregulated market as the defining institution of a free society. To me, a free, unregulated market was Benny the Goniff selling fruit from a stall in front of a butcher shop on Kingsbridge Road, screaming "Whoaaaa! We got melons here!" in a high-pitched Yiddish accent, sneaking rotten fruit into the bag and counting out ten when a dozen were ordered."
Yes, that really is a direct quote from the book (page 14). It gets worse. Weiss continues: "Benny's spirit drifted downtown to Wall Street. In place of Benny the Goniff as my archetypical capitalist was a new cast of characters. ... Instead of red-faced Benny in his stained undershirt there was the esteemed electronic-trading advocate Bernie Madoff in his monogrammed underwear. Both blended together in my perceptions, small-time and big wheel." RRD:I have not read the book,but if this passage is at all a accurate representation of Weiss' views then he is a loathsome anti-semitic wretch.(Again if accurate): ...” Yes, that really is a direct quote from the book (page 14). It gets worse. Weiss continues: "Benny's spirit drifted downtown to Wall Street. In place of Benny the Goniff as my archetypical capitalist was a new cast of characters. ... Instead of red-faced Benny in his stained undershirt there was the esteemed electronic-trading advocate Bernie Madoff in his monogrammed underwear. Both blended together in my perceptions, small-time and big wheel."... RRD:
You see what happens when you let the moneychangers into the temple.
Perhaps ”Benny's spirit” corrupted the poor Christians of Wall Street.
Perhaps Benny is Satan? One wonders if "Benny the Goniff"--if he exists--has a big nose?
Does ”Benny the Goniff" count his Ducats obsessively?
Does ”Benny the Goniff" really "act his color",as racists say of African-Americans.
Once again we are presented with the anti-semitic ”madonna-whore” trope of the ”good selfless Jew”(Portia mayhap?) vs the ”bad selfish Jew” (Shylock).
In this fantasy Jews are either helpless,martyred downtrodden victims who were ”born to suffer” (ala ”The Suffering Servant”) ,or else they act out the, ”baser aspect of the Jewish Character” as ”Capitalists” like Madoff,(actually Rand believed that Madoff would be a criminal in a capitalist society).
In fairness Weiss may not see the implications of his statements,but then--if the review is accurate--he sees so little anyway.
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