The NoodleFoodlers | Recent Comments Archives | Blogroll | Objectivism RSS Feed | RSS Via E-mail
A daily dose of philosophical food for your noodle!

Thursday, April 24, 2008 For the Record: Phoenix Objectivists By Diana Hsieh @ 6:21 AM This post is simply "for the record," in light of the distortions of the facts posted elsewhere. Last Sunday, I was perusing that Branden-worshipping cesspool of a discussion forum known as "Objectivist Living." I noticed the following announcement in a thread entitled Phoenix Objectivists start new lecture series: Posted by Mike Renzulli on Apr 19 2008, 01:47 PM: When: Thursday, April 24th, 2008 at 6:30 p.m. Where: Black Bear Diner 2410 West Bell Road Phoenix, AZ Admission: Attendees must buy something to eat. Event Description: For our first meeting at our new location and the last of the month, we will listen to the first in a six-part pre-recorded lecture series done by Diana Mertz-Hsieh titled: Objectivism 101 which was a lecture Mrs. Hsieh gave at The Atlas Society's Summer Seminar in 2003. Ayn Rand's novels The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged offer a unique and inspiring moral vision, but translating those ideals into daily life can be challenging. Through a mixture of lecture and discussion, Diana Mertz Hsieh will survey the basic principles of Objectivism, from metaphysics to aesthetics. She will focus on both the theory and practice of the philosophy, contrasting it with common religious and cultural views. Ideas discussed in these six sessions will include reason as the only means to knowledge, free will as the choice to think or not, the integration of mind and body, emotions as automatic value judgments, life as the standard of value, the major virtues, the trader principle, capitalism as the only moral social system, and much more. Mrs. Hsieh is a graduate student in philosophy at the University of Colorado at Boulder. I was more than a bit surprised to learn that I was to be the lecture series! I'd not been contacted by anyone about playing my lectures at this meeting. By way of background, the six-lecture series was given at the last Summer Seminar of The Objectivist Center I attended. While I'm still reasonably proud of those lectures, precisely because I worked hard to clearly and accurately present Ayn Rand's Objectivism, I'm sure that I'd find all kinds of problems with them if I listened to them now. So as a general matter, I'm not too keen on the idea of anyone playing them before a group, particularly not without some strong warning that I do not vouch for the content and that I've disassociated myself from The Objectivist Center (today, The Atlas Society). After some inquiries to Arizona friends, I was pointed to the web site for the Phoenix Objectivists. (That's not the same group as the Arizona Objectivists, a group that I've had nothing but good dealings with in the past.) Any possible willingness to allow my lectures to be played at the Phoenix Objectivists disappeared when I saw its page of links: it's a "Who's Who" list of dishonest pseudo-Objectivists, without a single link to anything associated with or supportive of the Ayn Rand Institute. It even lists "ARI Watch" (!!). Basically, I don't wish to provide any kind of value to the very people so invested in attacking me and mine. (I also saw from other web surfing that the group's leader Mike Renzulli is actively involved with the Libertarian Party.) So I wrote the following letter to the e-mail address for the group listed on the web site. From: Diana Hsieh Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2008 17:49:56 -0600 To: Subject: My Objectivism 101 Lectures Mike -- I recently saw your announcement to Objectivist Living about your forthcoming event(s) featuring my Objectivism 101 lectures. You should know that those lectures are copyrighted -- and that the copyright is held by me. (TOC's copyright expired after two years.) So you cannot play them before an audience without my permission. Given what I've seen on the Phoenix Objectivists web site, I am not willing to grant you permission. You might be a decent fellow, but I do not wish to be associated the promotion of destructive and dishonest critics of Ayn Rand and Objectivism -- as found on your web site. (If you wish to know my reasons for those judgments, you are welcome to peruse the many essays I've written at http://www.dianahsieh.com/misc/toc.html.) If you choose to go ahead with your plans, I won't stop you. However, you should know that you would be violating my property rights. The moral wrong of that should be obvious. You are welcome to forward this letter to anyone you please. -- DMH In response, he asked for documentation of my claims. Meanwhile, he began a thread on Objectivist Living entitled Diana Mertz-Hsieh nasty gram (!!) with the following: Posted by Mike Renzulli on Apr 21 2008, 05:48 PM Well Folks, Diana Mertz-Hsieh has struck again. As it turns out, she just sent me an e-mail stating that she doesn't give me permission to play her Objectivism 101 lectures for my group's meeting coming up this Thursday. Hsieh says that she holds the copyright for it, that TAS's copyright for her lectures has expired and, while she will not stop me, she states that my doing so would be stealing her intellectual property. I already have a call into Ed Hudgins at TAS to see if what she is saying is accurate. I may have to bag using the lectures until the legalities of doing so are cleared up unless someone on these boards knows otherwise. Regardless if she is right or not, its one more feather in her cap of making an ass out of herself. As you might imagine from that "OL" crowd, the replies were even worse. (Note that Mike didn't actually see fit to post my actual e-mail, as I expressly gave him permission to do.) So, feeling less than generous at that point, I replied to his request for documentation as follows: From: Diana Hsieh Date: Tue, 22 Apr 2008 06:40:31 -0600 To: M Renzulli Subject: Re: My Objectivism 101 Lectures You should have done your homework before you scheduled the event, e.g. by e-mailing me to inquire about any required permission. The fact that you failed to do so doesn't oblige me to rush to get you the documentation at the last minute. I'm certainly not going to do so while you and your friends on Objectivist Living are attacking me left and right for the mere assertion of my rights and other imaginary moral evils. So here's what I'll say: (1) My TOC contract was standard: the rights reverted to me after two years, if TOC didn't publish the lectures in some form other than "TOC Live.". TOC didn't do that, so the copyright is now held by me. You can inquire with TOC about that. (2) The difference between listening rights and performance rights is well-established in copyright law. You're playing my lecture at a public event in a public venue, advertised on the web to anyone and everyone, not at a private party for friends. You can inquire with a lawyer about that. -- DMH Since then, Mike has begun a new OL thread solely devoted to wild speculations about my psychology, without the slightest bit of concern for my actual and stated reasons for rejecting The Objectivist Center, condemning people like Nathaniel Branden and Chris Sciabarra, and now endorsing the Ayn Rand Institute. He likens me to a religious dogmatist and a communist enforcer. He claims that I've sold my soul for the cause. He claims that I'm seeking to appease the ARI hierarchy for the sake of publication venues and job opportunities. Um, okay. Mike also sent me two further e-mails. He told me that he expects an apology from me if I'm wrong in my legal claims. He said he'll do the same if he's wrong, but given his absolutely libelous personal attacks on me on OL, that's of no value whatsoever. He's also suggested that I just ask him nicely not to play the lectures. Fat chance of that: I shouldn't have to ask nicely for him to respect my rights, particularly not while he spits in my face. (Do I need to ask a car thief to please not take my car?!?) In any case, yesterday afternoon, I finally dug up my old "Speaker's Agreements" with The Objectivist Center. The following e-mail to the relevant folks at The Atlas Society explains the exact terms of the contract: From: Diana Hsieh Date: Wed, 23 Apr 2008 16:44:43 -0600 To: Gene Holloway , Ed Hudgins Conversation: Termination of Rights to Lecture Recordings Subject: Termination of Rights to Lecture Recordings Ed and Gene -- Due to the plans of Mike Renzulli to play one of my past TOC lectures at a public event this week despite my protests, I recently reviewed my speaker's agreements with TOC for lectures given in 2001, 2002, and 2003. (I could not find my contract for my 2000 lecture.) Before I reviewed the contracts, my recollection was that all rights to the recording automatically reverted to me after two years, provided that TOC didn't publish an official recording (as opposed to a "TOC Live" tape). However, that's not quite accurate, as you can see from the following quoted clause: "If TOC fails to produce or arrange the production of the Recording for use as a permanent product carried by The Objectivism Store within 24 months following the delivery of the Work, either party has the right to terminate this portion of the agreement. In case of termination of this agreement under this clause, all rights to the Recording, except the right of TOC to maintain a copy for archival purposes, revert to Speaker." (The same basic clause is found in my 2001 and 2002 contracts. I presume that it is also in my 2000 contract.) So: I hereby terminate all of TOC's (or The Atlas Society's) rights to recordings of my past lectures, except the right to maintain a copy for archival purposes. Obviously, I can't imagine that you'd ever want to do anything with my past lectures for TOC, but I did wish to officially terminate your rights to them, in case such a strange situation ever arises again. Also, I should mention that as far as I understand the contract, TOC has never had any right to license the work to be played in public. (As far as I know, you've not done that with Mike Renzulli.) I have attached a scan of the relevant page of the 2003 contract. Finally, please confirm your receipt of this e-mail and acknowledge the termination of rights. Thank you, Diana Mertz Hsieh As for the question of rights to public performance, Paul found this handy summary of the relevant law (and this one and this one and this one and this one) for me. It's very clear that an event open to the public, held in a public venue, and advertised on public message boards and web sites does not qualify as a private performance on par with inviting friends over to watch a movie. Also, I should mention that I've spoken repeatedly with two lawyers about this matters over the past few days. Both of them used to speak at TOC, and so they are familiar with TOC's "Speaker's Agreements." On both legal and moral grounds, they wholly support my right to refuse permission to play these lectures. I don't expect any further troubles on this issue -- except more of the usual crap from OL -- but I did wish to set the record straight. To put it bluntly, Mike Renzulli hasn't a legal or moral leg to stand on. He doesn't have the right to play my lectures before an audience just because he bought the tapes. I don't have any obligation to assist a man who actively subverts my values. He's also behaved in a less than gentleman-like fashion, without any provocation. Still, I won't hold my breath waiting for that apology. Labels: False Friends of Objectivism E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink    Comments    BloggerThis Monday, March 26, 2007 Ted Haggard and Nathaniel Branden By Diana Hsieh @ 10:46 AM Ed Cline recently posted a positive review of Jim Valliant's The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics on Rule of Reason. It's worth a look. Let me digress for a moment... A few days ago, I watched an HBO documentary by Alexandra Pelosi entitled "Friends of God." (The video showing an evangelical anti-evolution seminar that I blogged a few weeks ago was from this documentary.) Ted Haggard is featured prominently in the documentary. His downfall from high influence due to his meth-and-gay-sex scandal broke just as the documentary was wrapping up filming, if I recall correctly. In one interview, he speaks passionately of the need for religious leaders to be moral exemplars, not just for the sake of their own flock, but for everyone. Notably, he said that -- with earnest sincerity and perfect ease -- while actually indulging in his own dark vices. Ted Haggard could not have said what he said in the way he said it -- not if he valued moral honesty. I don't think that mere repression would allow a person to become so very comfortable with that gross contradiction between his own preached ideals and his own behavior. More would be required to seem so sincere, particularly a positive pleasure in the capacity to deceive anyone and everyone. Any guilt he felt was thoroughly suppressed in public; he assumed a persona of his own creation, based on the expectations of others. And that's why he was so very charismatic. When exposed as a moral fraud, the enormous evil of Haggard's actions probably crashed down on him -- at least for a time. I don't think he just regretting getting caught, as so many criminals do: Haggard wasn't that kind of deliberate con artist. He was a sincere believer in Christian ideals, at least at one time. However, I'm sure that three weeks of therapy can't even begin to scratch the surface of his twisted character, meaning that Haggard's self-excusing and/or self-righteous facade will soon return. A person cannot live in the face of utter moral failure; unless he conceals himself with self-deception, he would be driven to suicide. I mention the case of Ted Haggard in this post for one simple reason: I suspect that his psychology is fundamentally like that of Nathaniel Branden. Despite the radical differences in the ideals in question, the basic pattern is strikingly similar. If that doesn't seem plausible to you, then you might wish to read Jim Valliant's The Passion of Ayn Rand's Critics. It's very revealing, to say the least. Labels: False Friends of Objectivism, Religion E-mail Diana Hsieh    PermaLink    Comments    BloggerThis

Goodies NoodleFoodlers Diana Hsieh Paul Hsieh Greg Perkins Guest NoodleFoodlers Paula Hall Blog Stuff Recent Comments RSS Feed by E-Mail Ask a Question Blogger Trackbacks Technorati Trackbacks Blogger Trackbacks NoodleFood RSS Feed NetFlix Friends Reader Map Objectivist Mailing Lists OActivists OBloggers OAcademics Objectivism Resources Ayn Rand Lexicon False Objectivism Collection Front Range Objectivism Ayn Rand Institute DC Objectivist Salon Ayn Rand Society Activism The Objective Standard The Undercurrent FIRM (Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine) Ayn Rand Institute Family Paul Hsieh's GeekPress Meredith Brickell Ceramics Blogroll Archives March 2002 April 2002 May 2002 June 2002 July 2002 August 2002 September 2002 October 2002 November 2002 December 2002 January 2003 February 2003 March 2003 April 2003 May 2003 June 2003 July 2003 August 2003 October 2003 November 2003 December 2003 January 2004 February 2004 March 2004 April 2004 May 2004 June 2004 July 2004 August 2004 September 2004 October 2004 November 2004 December 2004 January 2005 February 2005 March 2005 April 2005 May 2005 June 2005 July 2005 August 2005 September 2005 October 2005 November 2005 December 2005 January 2006 February 2006 March 2006 April 2006 May 2006 June 2006 July 2006 August 2006 September 2006 October 2006 November 2006 December 2006 January 2007 February 2007 March 2007 April 2007 May 2007 June 2007 July 2007 August 2007 September 2007 October 2007 November 2007 December 2007 January 2008 February 2008 March 2008 April 2008 May 2008