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Why Is Atlas Shrugging? The Regency Theaters South Coast Village in Irvine was one of approximately 300 theaters last week that held an opening night screening of “Atlas Shrugged.” It was hosted by the OC Register and the Pacific Research Institute. On April 15, the film adaptation of Ayn Rand's classic novel “Atlas Shrugged” hit over 300 theaters across America. The film, “Atlas Shrugged: Part One,” celebrates values Tea Party activists hold dear: limited government, free markets and individual liberty. In the film, the productive members of society or "Atlases" who hold up the world, slowly disappear and thus "shrug" from under the weight of a government that undervalues, suppresses and demonizes individual achievement. Even though it was written more than 50 years ago, Rand's story shares ominous similarities with our nation today. Government bailouts of failing enterprises, crony capitalists perverting the free market and the skyrocketing price of oil—all newspaper headlines today—are themes ripped right from the pages of “Atlas Shrugged.” And while the book and the film are fiction, the message hits home because when we look around at our floundering economy and hapless political leaders, one thing is clear: Atlas IS Shrugging. To show this, we just released a mashup video and quiz showing the parallels between rhetoric used by Democrats today and government bureaucrats in the film. Here’s the link to watch the video and take the quiz. http://www.freedomworks.org/atlas-is-shrugging Matt Kibbe |
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