Hand to Hand History :: Ayn Rand v. Oprah Winfrey
Tom Elrod
Ayn Rand
“It is futile to fight against, if one does not know what one is fighting for.”
Philosopher and author best known for her books The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged. She called her philosophic system “objectivism.” Essentially, it supported absolute individual freedom at all costs: the only purpose of life is your own happiness. Laissez-faire capitalism is thus the only economic system capable of allowing true freedom.
She escaped from Soviet Russia at the age of 21 and emigrated to the United States, which she later called “the only moral country in the history of the world.”
She eventually formed a posse of admirers, all influenced by her philosophy, known as “The Collective,” which followed her around and worked to promote Objectivism.
She had sex with Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. That takes balls.
Her novel Atlas Shrugged as been identified as the second most influential book in America, after the Bible.
She had an affair with her prodigy Nathaniel Branden. When Branden's wife found out, Rand told her not to overreact, since their affair was the only “reasonable” course of action. He listened to her.
I repeat: She had sex with Alan Greenspan.
Oprah Winfrey
“I always knew I was destined for greatness.”
Perhaps the most influential woman in the world, Oprah is best known as the host of her day-time talk show, which has been on the air since 1984.
She born in Mississippi to unwed parents and grew up in poverty in Milwaukee. She was sexually assaulted by family members a number of times, but was always very bright and eventually won a full scholarship to Tennessee State University.
She once dated film critic Roger Ebert, who encouraged her to enter the talk show business.
She has been credited, and criticized, for helping to popularize the “talk show tabloid” format, which preys on the insecurities of its guests for ratings.
She has also been criticized for promoting some really bad books.
Oprah's personal life is an enigma: he has been involved with a man named Stedman Graham since the mid-80s, but few details about their relationship are public. Rumors that Oprah is in fact gay have been vigorously denied.
Things that have happened on-air on Oprah's show: everyone in the audience gets a free car, a man has a heart attack, Rwandan refugees are reunited with their families, Tom Cruise becomes the creepiest celebrity of all time.
Oprah is responsible for unleashing on the world the fury that is Dr. Phil.