Working Class Heroes

Question: I notice that Objectivism defends a lot of the big corporations. I have no problem with that, but I am having a hard time relating to those types of scenarios. Any stories of working-class American capitalist heroes?

Answer: Objectivism does not regard heroism or morality as issues of wealth, "class," or level of achievement. What is important is acting in accordance with one's values, and productive achievement to the extent of one's ability.

As far as fictional heroes, Romantic fiction by its nature has to deal with larger-than-life issues, and so fictional heroes are more likely to have achievements on a grand scale (see Rand's Romantic Manifesto for more details). But if you feel that you can relate better to a hero who is not wealthy, you will still get that from the quintessential Objectivist hero, Howard Roark in The Fountainhead.

The term "working class" is one that Objectivists regard with suspicion, because it implies an idea of dividing people into economic "classes," with the suggestion of some form of "class struggle" with the different classes having different interests. If there is any form of "class struggle" that Objectivists would regard as valid, it would be the one suggested in the scene in Atlas Shrugged (p. 520, paperback edition) between Hank Rearden and the head of his Workers Union, who says to Rearden: "They've been telling us for years that it's you against me, Mr. Rearden. But it isn't. It's Orren Boyle and Fred Kinnan against you and me." To put it in more general terms: All those who seek to live by production and by trading with others, at whatever level of achievement they are capable of, including businessmen and workers, are on the same side. The conflict is with those—including some businesses and some labor unions—who instead try to live by robbing or defrauding others, by private crime or by using government power.

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