Aaron Rodgers Loves Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and We’re Not Shocked – Esquire

Namaste. First off, welcome to the new year that is 2022. Secondly, let's discuss the consciousness of man, the innate benefits of capitalism, and the turmoil that can result from extreme governmental oversight as it applies to small- and medium-sized businesses. Not of interest to you? Oh, perhaps you haven't read Ayn Rand's Atlas Shruggednoted favorite novel of Aaron Rodgers and every 17-year-old libertarian interested in majoring in fuh-nance.

How do we know this? During Monday Night Football, Peyton and Eli Manning had Rodgers on for a segment and couldn't resist asking him what he was reading from the bookshelf behind him on camera. Earnestly, Rodgers points to the collection and says, "A lot of French poetry," before pointing to the other side and saying, "Got Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand over here." Then, he adds that he also has a football helmet on the shelf, signed by both Manning brothers, leading me to believe that Rodgers reads that regularly, too.

While I'm intrigued by the idea of Rodgers kicking back with a tall glass of room temperature kombucha, reading the works of de la Fontaine and Hugo, the part that caught the attention of the internet is, of course, the Ayn Rand of it all. Rand's best-known work, Atlas Shrugged is often referenced as a favorite in libertarian and conservative circles, so when our guy proudly pointed to the nearly 1,200 page work as a highlight of his library, people took notice.

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For most of us, Atlas Shrugged was the summer reading assignment we skimmed a third of before resorting to SparkNotes. You didn't need to read it, reallyBlake, that guy from your junior year literature class who has big thoughts on the free market, wasn't going to let you get a word in edgewise during class discussion anyway. And that's because Atlas Shrugged is the Bible for people who might describe themselves as, simultaneously, "cerebral" and "free-thinker." It represents an ideology that values the individual and his own decisions, or, as my friend Zack used to say, it's a "real douche-nozzle's guide to the world."

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This all aligns pretty nicely with the headline-making course that Rodgers has been on for the past six months. After claiming to be "immunized" in August, Rodgers tested positive for Covid-19 this fall and further explained that he's not actually vaccinated in the, you know, actually vaccinated way, but that he's taken alternative treatments like ivermectin, which is an anti-parasite medication often used on horses. Looking back, Rodgers's explanation on The Pat McAfee Show should have tipped us off on what was to come:

His worldview gels perfectly with two facts seared into my mind for eternity: Rodgers' finace Shailene Woodley absorbs vitamin D through her vagina and sometimes eats clay. I don't fault Rodgers for loving Ayn Rand; I fault myself for not assuming Ayn Rand was an inspiration in this tall lug of a man's life from the jump. Now, I simply want to know what else is on the book shelf. Eat This, Not That? Three unopened paperback copies of Animal Farm? A VHS copy The Scarlet Letter where Demi Moore takes baths? Open my mind, Aaron Rodgers. Save me from myself by recommending Chicken Soup for the Sports Fan's Soul.

The Packers are set to play the Detroit Lions this Sunday at 1pm. Aaron Rodgers is set to play himself again at some point in the near future.

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Aaron Rodgers Loves Ayn Rand's Atlas Shrugged and We're Not Shocked - Esquire