This is a communist propaganda film.
Greed: bad.
Rich man: bad.
Share money: good.
How did this film pass censors in 1946?
Perhaps you missed that George Bailey is a banker himself?
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MovieChat Forums > It's a Wonderful Life (1947) Discussion > This is a communist propaganda film.
Greedy: bad.
When is greed good? share
Do you read The Wealth of Nations? Or you can watch this clip:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVxYOQS6ggk
Gecko, who's on his way to prison as the film ends, is the antagonist in Wall Street. He, and what he represents, is being criticized not lauded.
shareThat is why I ask do you read The Wealth of Nations.
Do you attend any economics class? Greed is good in economics.
There's a difference between self-interest, profit motive and greed.
shareThis is Oxford dictionary: a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs.
What is wrong with that?
" ... more ... than a person needs. What is wrong with that?"
My first thought goes to Shakespeare's great tragedies, when great men bring folly on their houses by wanting more and more and more. This illustrates what is wrong with that.
And what exactly a person needs???
Eat, shit, sleep. Anything beside that is greed. So if you live in a shithole, eat enough to survive then you shouldn't want more, right?
So if it happens that you live in a decent house, eat well and 3 times per day, have a car or whatever you are a clear case of greed.
Plus: you DON'T NEED a computer so what are you doing posting shit online????
I have no idea what you are trying to convey.
Slay me for being stupid, but what the eff you are trying to say? This completely eludes me.
Please make this clear for all to know.
might be a language barrier, read again.
hint: humans have reached this point by wanting more than what they need ( an organism doesn't need more than water, food, shelter).
For many people, "more" doesn't necessarily mean more money, more power, because for the "more" mentality, there can never be enough. Check out Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs. At some point, when the necessities of life are assured & fairly certain—food, shelter, security, companionship—"more" applies to inner growth, inner understanding, which in turn tends to lead to a paring down of the material things of life.
We've all seen public figures who seem to have it all materially, yet they're clearly miserable & unhappy people, incapable of understanding why more money, more fame, more status, more envy & admiration from the rest of humanity, isn't making them any happier. Conversely, those who have what they consider "enough" tend to find happiness with much less than the world tells them they should want & possess.
The Cary Grant-Katherine Hepburn film HOLIDAY deals precisely with this issue. Give it a look.
not sure your reply was needed. it's not only a truism but it was actually included in "more than what they need". And that "more than what they need" will not be provided in a communist/socialist society.
A lot of times even the base of the pyramid was not provided (food, shelter, all that is necessary) and basically a lot of the higher steps are impossible to attain. You can read about the situation in the socialist countries (and don't bring sweden in, it's NOT a socialist country.
"Greed is good" is meant to denounce Gecko, those who justify their rapacity.
shareThat scene is so powerful, because people know what he said is truth.
Again: This is Oxford dictionary about Greed: a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs.
What is wrong with that?
Because as the movie tells you, it means taking advantage of others and damaging them. Greed is the antithesis of benevolence, charity, consideration.
shareI ASK YOU AGAIN, BY DEFINITION, WHAT IS WRONG WITH GREED?
shareIn poor taste during Christmas season.
shareLenin would fully agree with you.
shareThe thought of Lenin caroling is pretty funny.
shareYou don't need to be a communist to know greed's not a virtue.
shareVirtue? Yes, greed may not be virtue to some, but "Bad"? It's not.
shareYes, greed is bad which is what "not a virtue" is meant to express.
shareI ASK YOU AGAIN, BY DEFINITION, WHAT IS WRONG WITH GREED?
"a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs."
WHAT IS WRONG WITH "WANT MORE"?
The key phrase is "more than a person needs."
If you're generally happy with yourself & your life, if you've developed a strong inner life, knowing what really matters in the long run, then a philosophy of "More! More! More!" is just sad & absurd, pointing towards an inner emptiness that no amount of money or possession will ever fill.
What's wrong with "want more?" A psychologist might be able to tell you, or a philosopher, or a genuinely spiritual teacher. For example, if you told me that I could be the richest person in the world, but that I'd have to give up my wife, I wouldn't hesitate to stay with my wife & to hell with all that money. There isn't enough money in the world to even begin to compensate for losing the most meaningful part of my existence.
Interestingly, quite a few sociological studies have indicated that constantly seeking more & more & more does NOT correlate to increasing happiness. In fact, it seems obvious that someone who always wants More can never be truly happy, because there's always More to get. And yet no matter how much they do get, it's never enough.
Yes, we all need a certain baseline of security. But for those who have grown inwardly, those who are emotionally & psychologically secure within themselves, "want more" is a death trap. It isn't constantly getting More that makes life better, it's having Enough. That's maturity.
"I wouldn't hesitate to stay with my wife & to hell with all that money. "
That isn't "want more", that is "want different thing," you think wife is more important than money.
The human civilization is build on "want more," human use to have 40 years life expectancy until 19 and 20 century, but we "want more."
We use to have 30" CRT, but now we have 50" flat screen, higher speed internet, more powerful computer, etc...
And "want more" isn't limit to things relate to money, Gordon Gekko said it: "Greed for life, for love, knowledge."
Do you criticize the people have greed for knowledge, always want to learn more things?
I'm going to say again: how do you define "need"???
Or even "enough"?
If you live in a tent and have enough food is that "enough"? Because that's kinda what a person "needs". And if i want more than that am i greedy?
Always these phony dilemmas, like "either wealth, or my wife". That's unrealistic.
Every person is entitled to however much he can get by his own efforts. Those who believe they deserve to be given what others have earned aren't "mature". They are fools and parasites.
Because it describes selfishness. In fact, many definitions qualify "the desire for more..." as selfish.
share"Selfishness" in economics is good.
shareyou continue to confuse self-interest with selfishness and greed
shareOxford Dictionary:
Self-Interest: the fact of somebody only considering their own interests and of not caring about things that would help other people.
Selfishness: the fact of caring only about yourself rather than about other people.
Greed: a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs.
OH, YEP, WHAT A DIFFERENCE!
The effing Oxford dictionary isn't a sacred text. It's a reference book.
shareThen you find a dictionary.
share???
shareHe doesn't grasp what the rest of us already know, sad to say. He might even think A Christmas Carol has a bad ending.
shareI ASK YOU AGAIN, BY DEFINITION, WHAT IS WRONG WITH GREED?
shareIf you're older than a child and still can't comprehend why greed is ultimately a destructive trait, then there's no helping you to gain the emotional growth that it requires. I can only hope for your sake that somehow you do eventually gain that emotional growth. Otherwise your life and worldview will remain sadly narrow and limited. Human existence is far more than the by-the-book literalism that seems to be your modus operandi. I just feel badly for you. You are missing out on a deeper dimension of life.
shareI'm going to say again: how do you define "need"???
Or even "enough"?
If you live in a tent and have enough food is that "enough"? Because that's kinda what a person "needs". And if i want more than that am i greedy?
Just as I said, sadly unable to comprehend.
There's a world of difference between "need" and "greed" that you apparently can't see or grasp. At this point, I can only wish you good luck with your life. Maybe someday you'll be able to understand.
And what exactly a person needs???
Eat, shit, sleep. Anything beside that is greed. So if you live in a shithole, eat enough to survive then you shouldn't want more, right?
So if it happens that you live in a decent house, eat well and 3 times per day, have a car or whatever you are a clear case of greed.
Plus: you DON'T NEED a computer so what are you doing posting shit online????
What a pretentious, pompous dickhead. From his name, "Owlwise", to his specious pity about someone else "gain[ing] emotional growth", having a "sadly narrow and limited" life, and finding "a deeper dimension", everything about this clown is trite and patronizing.
And as if that wasn't bad enough, after presenting himself as some kind of evolved, intellectual paragon, he said he feels "badly".
What's good for economics isn't the same a what's good for your soul.
share"Greed for life, for love, knowledge."
Do you criticize the people have greed for knowledge, always want to learn more?
Spot on!
I genuinely feel sadness for the OP, who seems painfully oblivious to the truth of your succinct & accurate statement. What a bleak way to go through life!
"Greed for life, for love, knowledge."
Do you criticize the people have greed for knowledge, always want to learn more?
There's a vast difference between desire and greed. Greed is all-consuming and an end unto itself; it's essentially narcissistic.
shareOxford dictionary:
Desire: a strong wish to have or do something.
Greed: a strong desire for more wealth, possessions, power, etc. than a person needs.
Yep, what a "vast difference".
Yes, it is, which is why there are two different words, one that's positive, one that's negative. But then, both language & life itself are far more than your hopelessly rigid dictionary descriptions. I hope you figure that out some day.
End of discussion.
"Two different words" mean nothing.
There are a lot of words describe the same thing: dumb, stupid.
When your greedy to pick up more trash off the ground?
shareEbenezer Scrooge would fully agree with your OP.
share[deleted]
"you try making everyone have the exact equal amount of money, food, and water, it just makes everyone poor cause not every family is the same size."
What?????????????????????????????????????????????? Not every family is the same size?
What kind of communism you are talking?
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I'm reply to your "not every family is the same size."
Which communism doesn't consider this?
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How are American sports allowed to operate on a Communist basis?
Not everything / everyone in America strictly follows Capitalism...
Unchecked capitalism is bad.
shareAgreed. Money is power, and power corrupts.
share"Greed for life, for love, knowledge."
Do you criticize the people have greed for knowledge, always want to learn more?
That isn't greed, that's desire for growth & development as a whole human being. Someone driven by greed is anything but a whole human being, in fact "greed" denotes an emotionally stunted, damaged human being to whom getting & possessing is the only thing that matters in life, no matter how many other people are hurt & trampled on by it. Desire for knowledge benefits not only the person learning, but other people as well. Greed is ultimately sociopathic.
You're using the word "greed" wrongly, ignoring the specific reasons it has such a negative connotation. I agree that a healthy desire for life, love, knowledge are good things. But the pursuit of greed always poisons those good things. In A Christmas Carol, for instance, Scrooge reforms in the end, but he doesn't throw away his money to live in poverty. He uses it towards positive ends, to help others, because his guiding principle is now love, not narcissism. And because he does so, it helps himself to gain a happier, more meaningful & fulfilled life, one that he lacked when he was solely & completely greedy. He was empty and miserable when he was greedy; once he gives up that greed, he is filled with joy and delight in life.
You keep thinking "greed" must relate to money. Even that is true, it isn't all bad, I say again:
The human civilization is build on "want more," human use to have 40 years life expectancy until 19 and 20 century, but we "want more."
We use to have 30" CRT, but now we have 50" flat screen, higher speed internet, more powerful computer, etc...
You are so missing the point ...
share