Irony: Arby's is owned by company named after Howard Roark of The Fountainhead

thisistwitchy | 7:36 AM on April 06, 2012

As reported by Twitchy last night, Arby’s Group is blocking conservatives on Twitter who complained about the fast food company’s decision to withdraw as an advertiser on Rush Limbaugh’s radio show.

Roark Capital Group, majority owner of Arby’s Group, is named after Howard Roark, the courageous architect in Ayn Rand’s book The Fountainhead. From the “About Our Name” section of Roark Capital Group’s website:

Roark Capital Group was named after Howard Roark, the protagonist in Ayn Rand’s classic The Fountainhead.

For much of the book, Roark’s unwavering commitment to his style of architecture put him at odds with the people in power and thus the people who influenced public opinion. While many of his peers altered their architectural designs to gain public approval and fame, Roark was always true to himself and his work, refusing to succumb to conventional wisdom. By the end of the book, the former architectural elite are exposed as frauds, and Howard Roark is discovered as a true visionary.

Integrity, according to Ayn Rand, is commitment to one’s own thinking and one’s own mind. If a man sincerely believes a claim to be true, then he must hold to this belief even though society opposes him. He must think independently and form values that he never sacrifices. Howard Roark’s life exemplified the true nature of this independence and integrity.

Roark Capital Group’s investment style and business philosophy is meant to emulate the life of Howard Roark…