I hate Ayn Rand, but I understand why my fellow conservatives love her

1. It’s a wish-fulfillment fantasy

In Ayn Rand’s books, the main character is typically an implausibly awesome version of the person many conservatives would secretly like to be. Wish-fulfillment fantasies exert a powerful influence on us. There is something in our souls that tells us that we are inadequate, that reminds us of our many failures and the ways the world fails to appreciate our precious gifts. Works of fiction in which the main character unleashes our fantasies touches something deep.

For me as a geeky, bullied preteen, Ender’s Game fulfilled this need. Here was a book about a super-smart, super-talented kid who is recognized for it, whose skills are groomed and appreciated, and who eventually goes on to save the world. (Dune was also great for that.) Even now, as I find all sorts of inadequacies with the Ender books, I can’t help but retain a deep fondness for them, and will probably recommend them to my teenage kids.

Ayn Rand’s fantasy stories work the same way for young conservatives. A figure like John Galt reaches into deep places inside yourself, and produces intense feelings.

This type of fiction is the ice cream of art: harmless enough if we don’t mistake it for a nutritious meal but, if we’re honest with ourselves, we probably recognize that we’re a bit too attracted to it. And remember, there’s almost certainly a piece of schlock that does for you the same things that Atlas Shruggeddoes for many conservatives, so cut them some slack.