By Diana Hsieh @ 3:56 PM
Someone named "collinschubbwoolston" just posted this amusing bit of pure fiction on the Nathaniel Branden Forum:
But just as politicians and religious leaders appeal to our narcissistic tendencies and our fears of being rejected by the herd, so Rand takes advantage of these weaknesses. In most of her works, she glorifies the human mind and tells the reader that he or she possess the magnificent power of reason, and that no-one is his or her intellectual superior. She uses the word "social mystic" to describe any person that believes in the existence of people with intelligence superior to one's own intelligence. This makes the reader feel excellent and worthy of existence. Those who read Rand's works often go to meetings called "objectivist workshops" where they are told what all of the correct opinions are on every political, ethical and philosophical issue. Once the person attending these meetings demonstrates that all of the correct opinions have been formed, membership to the "objectivist club" is offered. Strangely, thousands of people have been excommunicated from this club for erring ever so slightly in the formation of any particular opinion. It is difficult to understand how one can reconcile the desire to avoid being a "social mystic" with the requirement to form an official set of opinions. [Emphasis added.]
I don't think there's a single true claim in that whole paragraph. (I didn't bother to read the rest of the post. This bit was quite enough for me!)
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