Oliver Stone's Wall Street

Oliver Stone’s “Wall Street” is a critique on the hyper-materialistic society of America during the 1980’s. “Wall Street” not only explores American society during the 80’s but also criticizes the culture of excess and indulgence that marked the era. Broadly speaking, an entire generation of young Americans who came of age during Ronald Regan’s presidency would come to value the American ideals of prosperity, consumerism, and success. “Wall Street” is a representation of America during a period in which the drive for success and status spawned an American population concerned primarily with self-interest. Stone’s “Wall Street” takes aim at 1980’s corporate America, a time when Wall Street was known for hostile corporate takeovers, illegal insider trading, and numerous stock scandals.
Regan’s America would be defined by his economic policy, popularly called “Regonomics” by the media. To counter the financial crisis of the 70’s, President Regan promised the American people a new era of financial responsibility and prosperity. In order to accomplish this, Regan’s fiscal policy included widespread tax cuts, market deregulation, decreased funding for social programs and increased military spending. The general belief was that tax cuts, specifically for large corporations, would stimulate economic growth by promoting the wealthy to spend and invest more. “Reganomoics” operated under the premise that tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans and corporations would prompt them to invest extra savings and expand their businesses. The expansion of business would contribute to an expanding the tax base and workforce. Millions of Americans enjoyed luxuries and become ravenous consumers in ways that had not been previously possible. The deregulation of the market and limited government oversight during the Regan years also contributed the American culture of self-interest. With regard to Wall Street, innumerable investment bankers exploited the market to their advantage and