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Dear Editor:
In “The Fountainhead,” Ayn Rand, suggests that second-handers negatively impact society. Second-handers are freeloaders, who build their success off the achievements of others. Howard Roark, one of the main characters, states, “the second-handers source of action is scattered in every other living person. It’s everywhere, and nowhere and you can’t reason with him.” People who do not acquire their own accomplishments tend to stop trying. They do not put in work, becoming sloppy. When work becomes careless, society suffers, causing loss of jobs, weak buildings, and a false image of that person.
Opposingly, first-handers face reality head on, working for their own greatness. First-handers use their skill set to create beautiful works of art and intricate designs. Second-handers use other’s expertise, work ethic, or talents for their own advantage and then call it their own. Second-handers do not contribute their own ideas because they do not have the capability or work ethic to create their own original options. If called upon to perform an important task, second-handers will likely manipulate others and benefit from it. This affects people who have exquisite ideas and ideals in a negative fashion, causing those who sometimes work the hardest to lose business and/or prestige. In this philosophy, frauds receive rewards, while talented people struggle in the shadows, sometimes their views stolen or altered.
All-in-all, those who leech off of others create a false image of worth for themselves, negatively affecting society and others’ worth. We all need to learn to be first-handers, so that we all contribute to society – whatever our skill or talent.
Alexia Harding, Hannah Myers,
& Hannah Braslawsce
Beaver Local High School, Grade 10