Wallstreet
"Greed is good. Greed is right. Greed works." If any three simple sentences could sum up the 80s, those are probably the ones. The 1980s were an age of illusions, one that was hedonistic in nature and self-loathing in practice. As Haynes Johnson recalls, it was "a society favored with material riches beyond measure and a political system whose freedoms made it the envy of every nation on earth." Released in 1987, Oliver Stone's Wall Street was made in the height of 80s greed and materialism. The film revolves around the actions of two main characters, Bud Fox and Gordon Gekko. Bud is a young stockbroker who comes from a working-class family and Gekko is a millionaire whom Bud admires and longs to be associated with. The film is successful at pointing out how tragic it is to trade in morality for money. The character of Gordon Gekko personifies this message, and yet receives a standing ovation at a stockholders meeting after delivering a "greed is good" speech. The underlying theme of the movie, however, is that greed is bad. Economist George Gilder would say that individuals like Gekko who pursue only their self-interests are led, "as by an invisible hand," toward a greater welfare state. He says that people pursuing se
I sold it ten months later and made $800,000 profit. He wants to sell him stocks, and hopefully one day be like he is. It is not the money that captivates Gekko but rather the sensation that he has won and come out on top. Money to him is nothing; it is merely a way of keeping score to him--it is all a game. Create, instead of living off the buying and selling of others. lf-interest demand comfort and security and that they don't take the risks that result in growth and achievement. The truly greedy seek comfort and security first. " In response to this, Gilder says that "capitalist freedom undermines capitalism both because freedom defines no moral basis for its results, and because its successes are really dependent not on liberty but on bourgeois disciplines and restraints-diligence, integrity, and rationality. He is a typical broker seeking new clients and offering second-hand advice regarding the buying and selling of stock. At a board meeting for a certain company, he concludes a speech by saying, "The point is, ladies and gentlemen, that greed, for lack of a better word, is good. It was better than sex!" Gilder also relies heavily on defining a workable family unit and relates the failure in the economy to the breakup of the modern family. A famous supply-side economist of the 80s, had George Gilder been a character in Wall Street, he would have given the same advice that Bud's father gave him about creating and producing. Not from greed, avarice, or even self-love can one expect the rewards of commerce, but from a spirit closely akin to altruism, a regard for the needs of others, a benevolent, outgoing, and courageous temper of mind. " Throughout the movie, he says such things as "if something's worth doing it's worth doing for money" and "greed captures the essence of the evolutionary spirit. He represents the 80s of an insatiable desire to have more.
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Acceptance Essays
