Without spinning off too far into some political rant, this post over at Andrew Breitbart’s Big Hollywood blog is the best thing I’ve read in awhile. I’m not really up on silver age comics, but knew Ditko co-created (or solely created, depending on who you ask) Spider-Man, and came up with The Question, upon whom Rorschach was based. Also knew he was an Ayn Rand fan, which is generally a positive indicator. What i didn’t know is that Ditko was fucking prescient.
The panels are from In Principle: The Unchecked Premise, a comic published by Ditko 20-fucking-years-ago!! Astonishing. It’s like a real-life version of Blink, the Doctor Who episode with the Angels, where a 30 year old recording of the Doctor is seemingly able to carry on conversations in the present.
Either Steve Ditko is eerily, and terrifyingly prescient, or some of these new progressive ideas are alot older than advertised. Maybe a bit of both. Creepy stuff, and definitely worth the read.
2 Responses to “Jesus, Steve Ditko was some kind of visionary…”
Private Property therefore is a Creature of Society, and is subject to the Calls of that Society, whenever its Necessities shall require it, even to its last Farthing; its Contributions therefore to the public Exigencies are not to be considered as conferring a Benefit on the Publick, entitling the Contributors to the Distinctions of Honour and Power, but as the Return of an Obligation previously received, or the Payment of a just Debt.
All Property, indeed, except the Savage’s temporary Cabin, his Bow, his Matchcoat, and other little Acquisitions, absolutely necessary for his Subsistence, seems to me to be the Creature of public Convention. Hence the Public has the Right of Regulating Descents, and all other Conveyances of Property, and even of limiting the Quantity and the Uses of it.
“Procducers” and “parasites”, the old Stalinist lie, with the roles reversed but still not convincing…poor Alyssa, warped by State Capitalism into bucking for a lot of little fascisms-of-one.
“All the property that is necessary to a Man, for the Conservation of the Individual and the Propagation of the Species, is his natural Right, which none can justly deprive him of: But all Property superfluous to such purposes is the Property of the Publick, who, by their Laws, have created it, and who may therefore by other laws dispose of it, whenever the Welfare of the Publick shall demand such Disposition. He that does not like civil Society on these Terms, let him retire and live among Savages. He can have no right to the benefits of Society, who will not pay his Club towards the Support of it.”
Franklin was a towering genius, but i think he was absolutely wrong on the right of Society/the publick to seize assets. Rand wasn’t right on everything, either (with the infinite complexity of the world, can any philosophy claim a consistent stranglehold on truth?), but she made a pretty convincing case for it being individuals who actually create wealth.
Also, Rand had her argument adapted/ripped-off into the foundation of a dope videogame, with a sequel due February 9, 2010.