BETTER BIKE BARGAIN
I've covered this before, somewhat. And a loyal minion expanded on it in the comments section. But why not put it all together, shall we? Then after that is done we'll have some fun with more conspiratorial ramblings. I used to be of the "use it up and replace it" school of thought on crap from China. It used to be that a bicycle from China-Mart cost $60 ( for this article and for all my writings when I say bike I mean a single speed pedal brake, just like the Schwinn you had as a kid- to my mind geared bikes are overly complex and unnecessary unless you earn money from them ) and to replace the rear wheel it cost $50. It made little sense to take the bike to the shop, just replace the whole thing. Now, a rear wheel cost $70 but a new bike is $95. It no longer makes as much sense to treat it as disposable.
*
Why do I like single speed bikes? You have essentially only three things to replace. The rear wheel, the chain and the tubes. No pads, no shifter, no cables. Actually, you could call tubes and a chain the same on either type, so it's fair to say there are only one third as many items to break on a coaster type bike. So you go and buy an aluminum frame bike from Wal-Mart for $95. As the loyal minion remarked, the big mark up on a bike shop bike is from the frame, so why not just get it at Wal-Mart? Don't wait too long to replace its worst parts, the chain and the rear wheel. I've owned countless Wal-Mart bikes over the last fifteen years, so I can speak with a bit of experience here.
*
Almost immediately, your bike will start making nasty noises. A metal on metal sharp crack. This is the cheap pot metal parts inside the rear wheel breaking. I've had them start as soon as the first week with very few miles. My last wheel had four hundred miles on it before I replaced it. I don't recommend waiting that long, as they can seize up whenever. The rear wheel is about $60 to buy, about $70 if the bike shop does the labor. I can do it myself, but I pay the labor. We have only one bike shop in town and I need to help keep them in business and acting friendly towards me. I might be cheap but I know ( usually ) when there is a need to spend money ( for instance, I now know to spend the extra ten friggin cents a gallon for gas without ethanol after a few times the old truck didn't want to start ).
*
Your chain is another item you need to replace. Very cheap metal. Mine started snapping links after about two hundred miles. Like a dumbass, I kept replacing links instead of realizing that the whole thing was made of poor quality metal. $15, $20 installed. Next, don't wait at all to replace the rear inner tube. The front tire takes almost no weight from the rider, whereas the rear wheel absorbs almost all of it. A goat's head in your rear will get you a flat 100% of the time, but only about 20% in the front. Spend $10 and buy a 5x tire ( five times the thickness of regular tubes ) inner tube. They come with the green goo already inside. A regular tube is about three bucks and will only last a few weeks, if that. If you add $3 in green goo, you've spent $6 instead of $10 and have an inferior product. Buy the thick tube. It only costs a bit more and is really worth it for an almost completely care free tire. It is much cheaper than the foam type tires, is not a pain to install and is familiar to all of us.
*
A $95 bike, a $70 wheel, a $20 chain and a $10 rear tube is a hopping total of $195. You can't come close to that picking from the bike store stock. Yes, eventually the bearings in the pedal area will need to be replaced. Another thirty bucks or so. But not right away. And don't forget a good lock. The low price of gas won't stay long. More bikes will start to be used, and bike thefts will spike upwards. Be prepared.
END OF THIS ARTICLE, CONTINUE BELOW
*
The Obammy camp has rumored that Hillary might be the Secretary Of State. I think she would make a better Attorney General since she has experience burning babies, but no one asked me my opinion. But think about it. If she was appointed that position, she would be #4 in the line of succession. If a "lone gunman" of Southern Cracker persuasion killed the First Muslim then you have the VP, then Speaker Of The House, then President Pro Temp of the Senate, then Hillary. I would resign if I was any of those guys above Clinton, in fear of my life. I wouldn't put it past her to manipulate a terrorist group into nuking those above her so she could take over as Supreme Ruler For Life. But now, the twist. Suppose Clinton thought she was being all smart and clever, scheming to wipe out the opposition. But who is next in line if the Secretary Of State is dead? Secretary of Treasury!! The same guy who begged for $700 billion and as soon as he got it decided to spend it any way he wanted. There's a closet Napoleon if I ever saw one. He could be helping out Hillary to steal the Presidency, but secretly plan on killing her too. Then he takes power and becomes the new Hitler Of America. He'll control tens of trillions, not just billions. Watch out, Hillary!
END
Friday, November 14, 2008
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36 comments:
A bike can be use as a cart to carry very heavy loads while basically pushing it along.
We bought one of thoseyuppie kid carrier trailers and use it to carry groceries from the store. It works great.
We got our bikes free on Freecycle.
As far as the evil bytch is concerned, This is just tip of ice burg folks, Just wait it will get lots better as the United Muslum Socialsist Republic of AmeriKa Takes shape.
From YESTERDAY's (Thursday's) comment section:
Jim said:
"like my grandpa told me when i was a little tyke: "you can vote the rascals out, but you'll only get a different bunch of rascals...""
Smart grandpa. Maybe we should've voted *him* into power, lol.
I like the old saying, "An honest politician is one that *stays* bought."
Jim said:
"i must say reading that Obuma is tapping 'carpet muncher' Klinton as envoy to the world; do you expect her to "rehabilitate" BRAND AMERIKA's image overseas ?"
When HRC was first running for office, the sound of her STRIDENT ("I Am Woman, Hear Me Roar") voice was simply too much for me to take.
Must've been that way for a lot of other people too, because she FINALLY toned it down. I think she felt that she needed to display 'strength', due to her gender, plus the whole 'security' election issue early on.
In a certain strange way, HRC reminds me of 'Internet inventor' Al G. (lol), in that both of them are *much* more personable 'in person', or at least when not running for office.
Al in particular is (wait for it...) *amazingly* WITTY (yes, no kidding) and articulate IN PERSON (saw a vid of him at an off-the-cuff book signing, plus several other places), whereas he's the most WOODEN person I've ever seen in front of a microphone.
Al, if you should ever somehow read this, (as if), keep the beard, ditch the shiny black suits for good (wear checkered PLAID shirts), and forget telling people what they *want* to hear, just give it to 'em straight-up, regardless.
Jim said:
"Haven't watched TV in decades, prefering to read, so I can't even sit thru a movie anymore...."
The fact that you are well-read SHOWS. People in general definitely watch waaaaaay too much TV. It's the new 'op_ate of the masses'. Luckily, more reading is occurring due to Al's nifty Internet invention, and that's gotta be a good thing.
Having said that, there are some FEW movies which, as a doomer, would give you sooooooo much PLEASURE it's almost sinful to even mention.
It's not just pleasure. With the RIGHT movie it will bring you FULLY to *LIFE*, and make an otherwise semi-harsh existence extremely WORTH living.
If you shop around carefully, you can buy *used* VHS movies now for around 25 to 50 cents apiece. (Then resell them again for the *same* price or more, after watching them, if you want to.)
With the RIGHT movie you will end up watching it DOZENS of times over the years. You will DIRECTLY EXPERIENCE the DOOMER DREAM to the MAX.
You can also get a VHS Player at pawn shops for around $20 or so. Will last you 10 or 20 years, maybe. You can get analog TV's for literally FREE out of those free weekly papers in grocery store entrances, or on www.craigslist.org, or similar places. Analog is being phased out for regular TV reception, but will still work just fine for VHS or DVD's.
I recommend the first two movies on the above list as a starter:
The Road Warrior.
Dawn Of The Dead.
(The *original* 'Dead' version, by George Romero. Warning: a few truly gory scenes.)
Those two movies will HOOK you, and ROCK your freakin' WORLD. (I betcha.)
Then take movie recommendations from other doomers here, to avoid wasting your time on all the lamer krap out there.
Yeah, I know. It's *TV*. Well, not really. These are the cream-de-la-cream, the absolute BEST shyte out there, not that k-rap the masses unthinkingly swill down.
OTHER DOOMERS out there reading this: GIVE YOUR INPUT! Tell Jim what you think about watching just the VERY BEST of the best doomer-type movies ever made. In your opinion, would it enhance Jim's life? A lot? Has it enhanced YOUR life? How much? *WHICH* doomer-type movies really tweaked your beak, or even changed your LIFE?
Let Jim know!
Dumbazz
Of course, I totally forgot about the *electricity* problem...
I seem to recall something about you getting around '20 watts' from your solar panels, Jim. Not nearly enough for a movie. Dang!
A generator defeats the whole low-cost idea here. Of course, you'd be banging down several birds with the same (oil-based) stone. But now it's both cost *and* oil. Double-dang!
I dunno. Electricity is basic, and you're already pretty much an 'expert' on that.
Any other potential electricity sources up there in Elko? Wind? River? Unsuspecting neighbors? :-)
(Just *kidding*, electric company people!)
This is just another little taste of 'things to come' if/when the grid goes down. You need more solar panels. Like this is a Big News Flash or something.
Oh well, I'm out of ideas for now.
Dumbazz
Well You can stil Read or Re-read Lucifers Hammer, or Atlas Schrugged or any number of other good books without having 60 amp service....
Old Fart
The strange thing is that bicycles might become a very serious form of transportation should we survive the initial die-off (only if we are "lucky", in a wierd sence of the word). Myself, I have always used the 2-hand-brakes, de-railer shifter, complicated stuff. Jim's advice on tires is sound. I got a thorn proof tube (thick tire) and never had a problem with it. Bikes are not heavy duty, great-material, well engineered machines like cars. 1500 miles on a bike can destroy them, even a good one, even with a heavy frame (I was much surprised to have one of my bike frames crack-up). However, whatever their limitations, they can be a great way to travel. Bikes take a lot of maintenance and take some getting use to.
In hilly areas, there is considerable advantage in having the extra complications of gears. In flat cities, deserts, beaches, the simplicity of the standard break and no gears is ideal. Depends on what you need. Maintenance is only one, all-be-it important, consideration.
Some oddball doomer flix you may find in the bargin bin...
I have found these in the dvd bins at supermarkets and drugstores for cheap. I am not saying these are "good" just doom-oriented and watchable more than once.
I like the small-screen dvd players because they can be found for cheap (<$40), highly portable, and can also play music cds, even in mp3 format.
End of August at Hotel Ozone -- It's in Czech but has same kind of vibe as Cormac McCarthy's The Road. I made the mistake of reading The Road and watching this the next day. No happy ending. One scene is tough to watch if you like dogs. No humane society in Czechoslovakia, I reckon.
The Last Man on Earth -- Same script as Omega Man but with Vincent Price and cheesy Italian director. I just watch the first twenty minutes or so before it turns into a zombie movie. Can often be found bundled with twenty other B-movies on cheap dvds found in the bins at supermarkets.
Six String Samurai -- Bad-good B-Movie about a nuked Las Vegas area.
Wild Zero -- Similar to above, Japanese doom/zombie picture. May not be your cup of sake, but it's distracting.
On Hitlery: If you think HRC is bad, spend a weekend reading through the creative writing projects of Mr. Joe the Biden. "Third Way" nanny-statist in the UK Labour party style. If you're worried about demoncrat gun laws, check out UK **pocketknife** laws!
Interesting notes on bicycles. However, I do have to comment since I've been riding bikes more than 55 years. I began life on a single speed Monty Ward. It was a fun bike and taught me lots about how to properly handle a bike. I had that bike for severl years, graduating to a full-size 26" single speed, a Coast-to-Coast Flyer. Great fun. Never had a problem with either, and rode more than thousands of miles a summer.
Then I grew up and learned a few things about bicycles.
You can brag about single speeds all you want, about their ease of use and reliability and durability. But put 80 pounds of gear on one and peddle it around the country, coast to coast. I'll bet you don't make many small hills with it, let alone serious climbing or mountains.
The statement that multigears aren't durable is flat wrong. So far as spending $90 bucks a yeaar, or every few years for a new bike is rediculous waste. I've been riding the same Puegeot 12 speed since the late 70's- and put on well over five thousand miles a year on it- many miles touring with loaded panniers. One year I even rode winters with it- through snow. What repairs have I made? A few chains, crank and wheel bearings and tires and tubes- and none of them cost me $90 for several seasons.
Of course, I do my own maintenance and know my bike's limits: I don't jump it off mountains, just over them. There are no cracks in the frame and have made few repairs to the paint job.
Did I mention I paid $190 for that bike, in 1970 dollars? Today you can buy a comparable bike for 5 or 600 bucks, and in a bike, you get what you pay for.
Bless God.
Shy
During the *transition* period, before Peak Oil takes complete hold, there is also the option of cheap *motorcycles*.
I once bought a cheap motorcycle for around $200, and it got 44 miles per gallon and lasted me for years with exactly ZERO maintenance. Then sold it for near what I bought it for.
Motorcycles get you there *fast*, you don't have to wipe yourself out pedaling uphill and such (saves food/calorie costs, plus fewer showers), and at 40 or 50 miles per gallon or more they are incredibly CHEAP to ride around, even if gas goes to $10 per gallon or more.
But, they are also incredibly DANGEROUS to ride around on. Maybe bicycles are too, though I doubt the danger is nearly as high.
The main danger with motorcycles is *other* drivers, who will do things like make left turns at intersections *right* in front of you. Your whole life flashes right in front of you when that happens. (*Another* free movie source, Jim. :-)
Still, the pull of the 'Easy Rider' existence is strong. Or even just a taste of it. Yes, it's still oil based, but again I'm talking about the Peak Oil transition period.
Or, for that matter, even long after The Big Fall. After all, you could cache a couple hundred gallons of gasoline underground, and have 10,000 miles of powered travel left for quite awhile. Helps with quick getaways too, if the invading mob is just too big to handle. On/off-road capability also, with the right tires.
Anyway, I just like motorcycles. To each his own.
Dumbazz
Since ya'll already have the computer, just Google VUZE, and download all the movies you want for free. Then put them on discs. No need for a TV. Most of the oldies, and all the latest are available.
shy wolf,
Your wasting your time on this guy. He'll spend a few extra bucks for a gun and ammo,(which he DOESN'T use for daily survival), learn all about the maintenance of it and spend his nights oiling and stroking it. But mention a bike,(which he does use for his daily survival), and he'll bust his nuts and spend his every dime to avoid looking like a "yuppie" as he rides 10 miles to and from work. Go figure.
survivaltopics,
That's a good reminder. Especially if one intends to make several caches. One trip,(or so), per cache and a ride back.
Good advice Shy Wolf! I would suggest spending a little extra money and getting a decent bike from Raleigh, Specialized, or another respectable company. Sure, you will spend $400-600 total for a decent multi-speed bike, but you will save yourself the hassle of replacing junk components. I personally like the "sit-up" feel of a nice comfort bike for my riding around... I definitely would not rely on a cheap china-mart bike for a daily commute to work. If the initial cost is to much, just save for a year, until you can afford it...
Regards,
jkdguy
ON BIKES & BIKING,
oh good, somebody else to deride besides, Dumbazz (btw, Dumbo Jim uses his handle when posting his comments.) i wonder if your confusing me with Jim because of my anti-social personality disorder?
anyway, as to al bore, i know some hardcore democrats, who started to hate him after he became an yuppie environmentalist. from messiah to dipshit, actually. :>)
personally, i don't care for bikes. having a metal ankle now doesn't help. too many hills and curves in this area, also. and, of course, no room for bikes or pedestrians. (one of the downsides of the former age of cheap oil and the american auto mania).
i would also imagine that bikes sold in america are crap to start with. does anybody have experience with european brands ? places where people actually ride them on a daily basis ?
i would imagine there are some decent chinese made ones, like they use on a daily basis and not the junk they make for export to america...
buzz in nh
Why support Chinese slave labor? For that much money, why not just find a USED, American-made Scwhinn on Craig's List for $30 to $50 and add thorn-proof, slimed tires? You'd also have a bike with STANDARD U-.S. parts, so you can do bearing re-builds, etc, etc.
Screw China. Have you read about the Lai Gui (sp???) political prisoners who get paid NOTHING??? (See the comments on China over at Rawls's Survivalblog.
-- Young Old Fart
Got to throw in on the bike thing. I've been the whole route, road bike, mountain bike, single speed. Personally, I love my single speed. As bike can provide some very important duties, ie transportation, I think spending a little more than the minimum is worth considering.
My personal favorite is a Surly Karate Monkey. Pick up a used one on CL, Ebay or that bike web site. You can get many, many good years out of a decently built single speed, and if you buy used, you can let the bike nut take the big hit. I personally don't have any problem with hills on my single speed. To each his own.
"political prisoners who get paid NOTHING??? ..."
oh! were you talking about the 'round eyes prison industry'?
go check out James Carr's autobiography; BAD. you'll get to read about when Gov. Regan selected certain people for nazi-like medical experiments instead of parole.
you don't have to take the slow boat to china to experience totalitarianism.
so that's 2 to 1. single speed over gears. i suppose if i wanted a used one i'd just take my bolt cutters over to the college nearby.
but, in all honesty, aren't all our parts outsourced to china these days ?
so i should have asked, does anybody know what the proles ride to town everyday, in either the far east or europe ?
i suppose you see lots of pixs of motorbikes in the far east. whereas, i've heard they really do ride bikes a lot in europe.
went with someone to an american bike shop once, years ago. nothing under $800 and it was full of wankers in speedos all looking to drop a couple of hundred on some modification.
'8:14 PM' said:
"The Last Man on Earth -- Same script as Omega Man but with Vincent Price..."
Yeah, I almost put that one on the list too, since 'Last Man' and 'Omega Man' and 'I Am Legend' are all based on the story in Richard Matheson's great book.
But its been so long since I've seen the movie (it's in black-and-white, as I recall) that I can't remember if it was truly good or not.
I'd buy a cheap copy of it instantly though anyway, just to build up the collection.
'8:14 PM' said:
"If you're worried about demoncrat gun laws, check out UK **pocketknife** laws!"
Yep. Once they finally get your g-u-n-s they literally OWN you. You are a SLAVE, semi-hidden or not, and the only remaining question is: What kind of mood is 'massa' in today? And sooner or later, guaranteed, that mood is gonna be BAD.
'buzz in nh' said:
"oh good, somebody else to deride besides, Dumbazz (btw, Dumbo Jim uses his handle when posting his comments.) i wonder if your confusing me with Jim because of my anti-social personality disorder?"
Yeah, LOL, all you sociopaths sound just alike! :-)
(Also, pretty sure Jim has *not* been using his 'handle' lately. Check out his recent comment postings if you doubt this.)
I'm a Libertarian. Ever heard of the Free State Project? That's where 20,000 Libertarians mass-moved from all over the country to the small state of New Hampshire so they could be a 'majority', change the laws for more Freedom, etc.
Buzz, I notice you sign yourself as 'buzz in nh' (Buzz in New Hampshire?) Are you a fellow Libertarian? If so, (or even if not), would you recommend New Hampshire as a good place to live? Does it seem 'free' there to you? Does it get amazingly cold there in the winter? If so, how do you choose to deal with that?
Thanks for (almost) any response.
Dumbazz
Bicycles are a fair-weather machine. Also, if you are sick or under-the-weather or old or are re-cuperating from even a minor accident, they aren't much good. The only "engine" a bike has is you. Great motivation to take care of yourself, though. Also, plan to stay at home alot. Plan supply trips carefully Life is much more "at home" when transportation becomes a big deal.
your bike post just got poached by survivalblog
t
'Old Fart' said:
"Well You can stil Read or Re-read Lucifers Hammer, or Atlas Schrugged or any number of other good books without having 60 amp service...."
I'll vote for this as, 'The Best Comment of the Day'.
First, because books are still the main basis of knowledge, even in the Internet/computer age. And second, because Old Fart chose two of the best books (and authors) out there to illustrate his point.
Speaking of author Ayn Rand, I bet Jim probably liked (or would like) the book, 'The Fountainhead' as much as 'Atlas Shrugged', because the main character, Howard Roark, has certain personality characteristics I suspect Jim would strongly identify with. Also, the direct, uncompromising, harsh life he deliberately chose for 'philosophical' (Objectivist) reasons.
Speaking of good books, any survivalist who hasn't yet read Robert Heinlein's classic book, 'Tunnel In The Sky', and who also still has a 'sense of wonder/adventure', do yourself an ENORMOUS favor and do *whatever* it takes to get your hands on a copy.
There are a certain few books that you wish you could totally forget, just so you could then read them again for the very first time. 'Tunnel In The Sky' is one of those...
Dumbazz
I got very lucky last week and scored two (2!) Trek bikes for $100!
A coworker who recently developed some health problems decided he needed some extra room (and extra $$), and had his and his ex-girl friend's bike for sale. Just wanted to get rid of them. So I offered to buy - he set the price and I'm good to go. The smaller bike needs a new seat (fine with my wife, as those skinny racing seats really aren't made for comfort. Other than that - nice condition.
I'm happier than a fat person in a pool of pudding . . .
Dumbazz,
Amen on Ayn Rand! BTW, I just found out that Atlas Shrugged is being made into a movie,(BLASPHEME!), due out early next year.
My bike cost $6 at a garage sale. Got a rack for $2 and a kid carrier cart for $2 at garage sales. The tires were flat but I just pumped them up. $10 for a bike and trailer. It's a pile of junk Chinese special and the front shifter is gone, but I don't care.
BTW, in general, I agree with you about single-speed bikes. If you go to Asia, where bikes are actually used as primary transporation, that's what you'll find. If I lived in a hilly area, however, I might rethink that.
Gentlemen and Ladies, Have you been reading the headlines and the statements made by our so called leaders. It reads almost exactly like several chapters in Atlas Shrugged, heck you can almost pick out Poloci and Reed verbatim. I think this may be the scaryest part of all. Ayn Rand wrote thier dialog for them 50 years ago....As far a movie being made of this great and Wonderful book by the liberal scum in hollywood, AYN Rand must be spinning in her grave even faster than the founding Fathers. Who is going to play Dagney? Angeleni Jolie? Give me a Freaking Break. They will miss the point completely.
" I swear by my life and my love of it, that I will never live my life for another, Nor expect another to live for me" THAT IS THE POINT...No one in Hollywood is able to understand the meaning of that statement....
Old Fart
Really great points made about having multiple gears for hilly areas. My are is so flat, you can stand on a telephone book and gain a view . . .
I have never seen or ridden a Worksman but I am curious about them.
Worksman heavyduty industrial
bikes with thick steel wheels and 11 gage ( 0.120") spokes, are made in Ozone Park NY by Americans. At $327 they may be
cheap in terms of problem-free miles per dollar. Three speed Shimano coaster brake is $80 extra.
http://worksmancycles.com/shopsite_sc/store/html/indbikes.html
http://tinyurl.com/ytjy4v
Husky heavyduty industrial bike similar to Worksman.
Rated at 400 GVW. $379
http://tinyurl.com/6rrx55
WHEEL 26x2.125 rear coaster brake, 120g, steel (HD-120) Code:500-222 Price: $42.00
WHEEL 26x2.125 front, 120-g spokes (HD-120), steel
Code:500-230 Price: $27.00
http://tinyurl.com/ytjy4v
Husky heavyduty industrial bike similar to Worksman.
Rated at 400 GVW. $379
http://tinyurl.com/6rrx55
WHEEL 26x2.125 rear coaster brake, 120g, steel (HD-120) Code:500-222 Price: $42.00
WHEEL 26x2.125 front, 120-g spokes (HD-120), steel
Code:500-230 Price: $27.00
a few months ago I got a single speed beach bike for $60. it is an awseome bike. now I'm planning on getting a luggage rack and trying to outfit it for the apoctalypse.
Great tip! Have linked to it: http://www.greenvilleroad.info/articles/viewEntry-00030.htm
What about a hitch and wagon for the bike ? Got a good howto on that or not gotten that far yet ?
B.O.B. Yak rated 70 lb cargo
http://www.biketrailershop.com/catalog/bob-trailers-c-21.html
bicycle tow bar
http://www.trail-gator.com/
Old Fart said:
"Gentlemen and Ladies, Have you been reading the headlines and the statements made by our so called leaders. It reads almost exactly like several chapters in Atlas Shrugged..."
Old Fart also quoted John Galt, the towering hero of 'Atlas Shrugged':
" I swear by my life and my love of it, that I will never live my life for another, Nor expect another to live for me"
---
'Old Fart' seems to me to be a good man, and I'm not knocking him one slightest bit in this post. My comments about *some* Objectivist 'philosophers' apply to OTHERS, not to him. (I don't know the guy at all.) But I have something to say about the novel 'Atlas Shrugged' and author Ayn Rand, and *some* of those who choose to follow her 'philosophy', and it's NOT the slavering compliments that you will occasionally hear bandied about. Far from it.
'Atlas Shrugged' was a truly great work, with some truly important things to say, but which, unfortunately, was *twisted* to EVIL ENDS by its author, Ayn Rand.
John Galt, the HERO of the book 'Atlas Shrugged', is presented as just that, a HERO. Yet heroism implies (and requires) GREAT PERSONAL RISK and potential SELF-SACRIFICE, in this case on behalf of an ideal. That ideal promoted the betterment of mankind through 'rational egoism', or 'rational selfishness'. Yet the GREAT RISKS and SELF-SACRIFICES taken by the HERO to promote this ideal are a form of ALTRUISM (self-sacrifice), which Ayn Rand specifically (and correctly) condemned as the ANTITHESIS of 'rational selfishness'. This is an INHERENT CONTRADICTION.
No one can be HEROIC without either personal RISK or potential SELF-SACRIFICE, yet these very characteristics are, as Ms. Rand pointed out herself, the ANTITHESIS of 'rational selfishness'. Most especially when undertaken to 'elevate mankind', as in the book 'Atlas Shrugged'.
Furthermore, if it be contended that these altruistic acts were actually 'selfish' acts, in the sense that changing the world in this manner thereby 'ultimately' benefited the 'hero' (John Galt) in the 'long run', then John Galt would NOT in fact have been a 'hero' because HEROISM, BY DEFINITION, REQUIRES RISK AND (at least potential) SELF-SACRIFICE for some 'VALUE' (a person, nation, ideal, and/or etc.) that is BEYOND ONE'S OWN SELF.
It is NOT HEROIC to save one's own SELF from a burning building, no matter how great the danger. That is simple, rational self-interest ('rational selfishness'). You'd be a fool to do otherwise. ANYONE would do the same, and heroes, BY DEFINITION, choose to do those DANGEROUS things that VERY FEW others are willing to do.
HOWEVER, if you hear a little girl's tiny cries for help coming from the top floor window of a tall burning building, and if you then deliberately 'throw caution to the winds' and race into that blazing inferno, fighting your way to the top story of that towering deathtrap of flames, breaking down smoking doors and crashing through white-hot rooms ablaze with death on every side, then grab the little girl and leap out of the top floor window at the last possible moment, just as the entire building explodes into a massive ball of flame behind you, and then, as you're falling through the air to the Earth far, far below, you twist around with the little girl in your arms so that your own body will cushion her from the final impact with the rock-hard ground, so that she may somehow survive though you know that you will not...
...then you, sir (or madam), are a *bonafide* HERO and **ALTRUIST**, a person with true HEART who made the ultimate sacrifice to try to save a tiny, innocent little girl, and you DESERVE and have EARNED the RESPECT and ADMIRATION of all mankind.
NOT SO the guy who just 'saves himself'. In fact, if some guy chose, through Ayn Rand's Objectivist philosophy of 'rational selfishness', to save himself from inside of a burning building, and quite RATIONALLY and SELFISHLY improved his chances of doing that self-saving by LEAVING THAT HELPLESS LITTLE GIRL BEHIND TO BURN TO DEATH, then that so-called Objectivist 'man' would RIGHTFULLY be REVILED across the entire PLANET as the SCUM-SUCKING COWARD that he so obviously is.
You've either got HEART, and COURAGE, or you don't. Talk all you like about 'Objectivist Philosophy', or Ayn Rand's 'ideal man', or 'rational selfishness', or 'survivalism', or *whatever*. In the end, EVERYBODY KNOWS who the REAL HERO is. And it sure as HELL isn't the guy who calculated his own 'rational self-interest' or 'rational selfishness' in an Ayn Randian 'Objectivist' manner and left that helpless little girl to DIE.
Without HEART, you become nothing more than a 'rationally selfish', CANDYASS COWARD. (And quite often a MONSTER too.)
When the end is near, when the flames go up and the tiny cries for help ring out, REAL MEN GO GET THE LITTLE GIRL, NO MATTER WHAT.
Meanwhile, Ayn Rand 'Objectivists' stand around computing their 'rational self-interest', AND DON'T DO JACK.
John Galt of the novel 'Atlas Shrugged' was a true HERO, yes. He took the Big Risks, and he made Great Self-Sacrifices. And then author Ayn Rand LIED about it, oh so cleverly. She presented a *truly* HEROIC man and DECEPTIVELY 'said' that he was the epitome of 'rational selfishness', when in fact his every HEROIC DEED, RISK and SELF-SACRIFICE showed him to be what he REALLY was:
AN HEROIC, SELF-SACRIFICING, **ALTRUIST**.
DEEDS, not words, make the man.
You've either got HEART, and COURAGE, and USE them, or you don't.
Helpless little girls crying out from the top of burning buildings are a pretty good TEST of who's who. You find out who you REALLY are when the crunch comes. (Funny thing: some 'rationally selfish' Objectivists actually find out that they are *really* HEROES when the Crunch finally does come. They only 'thought' they were Secret Cowards, I mean 'self-interested bastards'. But the True Hero was inside them all along. The self-sacrificing ALTRUIST. The guy who heads one way, right into the looming jaws of Death, while everybody else runs screaming in the other direction.)
And the biggest 'screams' in response to this Posting Comment will almost certainly come from those who secretly know who they REALLY are, at 'heart', and can't take the exposed 'self-enlightenment'. Because it is NOT 'rational selfishness', but something far, far different, when all you ever do is sit around computing what's best for YOU, and to Hell with everybody else.
REAL MEN go get the little girl from the burning building. THAT'S WHAT MEN DO. And *you* are a MAN.
REMEMBER???
Anyone who's interested can read about the *real* Ayn Rand in an article written by one of the founders of modern Libertarianism, the late Murray Rothbard, a former associate of the late Ms. Rand. That is, if there are any 'Objectivists' out there with the GUTS to actually face reality...
http://www.lewrockwell.com
/rothbard/rothbard23.html
Oh. The little girl from the burning building? She survived the fall without a scratch. Amazingly, so did the guy holding her in his arms. (You?) Turns out their fall was broken at the last possible moment by landing on some chuckling guy standing around outside the burning building calculating how smart he was to be a 'rationally selfish' Ayn Rand Objectivist.
Life's funny like that...
Dumbazz
Two good articles about scrounging good quality bikes here:
http://oblio13.blogspot.com/
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