Greed (1924) and Wall Street (1987)

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This is a reflection on greed. It's a comparison of how greed is portrayed in two films. Greed (1924) is a silent film. The movie examines the wickedness of greed and shows the corruption that greed engenders.

Wall Street (1987) on the other hand uplifts greed as a virtue. Gordon Gekko, a character in the movie, says "greed is good." A vice becomes a virtue. But a virtue relates to morality and a vice is immoral. It's an evil habit. That's a switcheroo! It's not a totally unexpected change in attitude, according to the Bible, but definitely unexpected by many people. The Bible says that in the last days people will call good evil and evil good. Bingo!

This concept of greed as a virtue was also popularized by Ayn Rand (1905-1982). This quote from Gore Vidal sheds light on her promotion of greed.

Ayn Rand’s “philosophy” is nearly perfect in its immorality, which makes the size of her audience all the more ominous and symptomatic as we enter a curious new phase in our society....To justify and extol human greed and egotism is to my mind not only immoral, but evil.— Gore Vidal, 1961

Ayn Rand's books have had a tremendous negative influence on American society. She has affected even people that never read a word of her writings. Her ideas have filtered into popular culture, such as movies, and into society in general.

Conversely, the Eric von Stroheim film Greed, portrays the dehumanization of the characters that become greedy over money. This web of evil involves jealousy, lack of loyalty to a friend, alcoholism, violence, stinginess, and obviously, greed.

In the beginning of the twentieth century, a movie shows greed for what it really is. Close to the end of that century, a movie distorts what greed is.

How does this reflect on our societal values? Where are these values coming from? Which side of the divide do you stand on is the most pertinent question.


Clipart dividers from clker.com.

Clipart money bag from pdclipart.com

The Seven Deadly Sins: Greed

Clipart from clker.com

We see examples of greed all around us. Some people aren't satisfied no matter how much wealth they accumulate. Their greed is never satisfied. Sports figures that want more money as if they don't make a lot of legal tender. Corporations going out of the country because of lower wages and no benefits for the employees.

Fast food corporations have subtly increased their profits by offering what? More. Supersize! Encouraging people to eat more unhealthy food. Of course, the companies increase their profits because it costs more than the normal size.

But gluttony is associated with greed in meaning too. So wanting to eat too much food each day is a form of greed. A form that all-you-can-eat and fast food restaurants have tapped into, weirdly, the greed on both sides feed each other.

It has become customary for stores to be open seven days a week. What's the point of that? Obviously, to make more money. Greed for money and lusting for power are tied together. People can be greedy for power.

Setting the business world aside, individuals can be greedy too. A person can envy what someone else has. That is a form of greed. Those greedy thoughts can be wrought by a poor or a rich person. One definition of greed is selfish lusting for something.

Having money isn't wrong. Greedily cheating people to get money and hurting people in any way to get it is wrong. Being stingy is wrong. Being envious of what another has is wrong. Greed is a sin.

Prosperity preaching involves greed. This preaching isn't biblical. God knows we need money in this world. He doesn't want it to be our god.

The Seven Deadly Sins, St John Cassian, Pope Gregory the Great, Geoffrey Chaucer

St. John Cassian (360-435) originally pinpointed the list of the seven deadly sins. Pope Gregory the Great (6th century) clarified the list and Geoffrey Chaucer's Canterbury Tales (14th century) familiarized the English public to the seven deadly sins concept.

 It is a core group of attitudes and actions that corrupt the spirit. These sins and others deaden the conscience to right and wrong, after practices them for a period of time.

The point is that one sin leads to another. This list can help someone look at himself and see what some of his ingrained sins are, so he can repent. The seven vices are seen as mortal sins by the Catholic Church. They are deadly because they entice to breaking the Ten Commandments and destroy the sanctifying grace in the individual.

The seven deadly sins are pride or vanity, envy, lust, anger, gluttony, and greed.

• Pride is the major one because you don't acknowledge God as the giver of life and talents.  It makes you think you're better than other people. So hurting people by lying, violence, cheating, stealing, being rude, being inconsiderate, insulting, and ignoring them is okay because you're better than they are, and they don't understand.
• Envy or jealousy is wanting what others have and resenting their accomplishments, material or spiritual situation.
• Lust is treating and thinking of people as sex objects, wanting sex with them outside of marriage or the inordinate desire for food, money, or power. Lust initially meant desire for something.
• Anger is wrong when you want revenge. Impatience is akin to anger.
• Greed or avarice is the inordinate desire for things, putting things before loving people.
• Sloth is just plain laziness, avoiding work, related to procrastination, it can be spiritual or physical laziness.

Gluttony was covered in another article.

Gluttony