Trading Places Sociology

The concept of class can be defined as the order of people divided into sets based on perceived social and economic status. Trading Places takes on the role of displaying a comedic view towards the differences of class in the 1980s. Through the juxtaposition of contrasting classes between the characters Winthorpe and Valentine, the movie Trading Places reveals the major differences of class and shows the underlying effects these differences have on people in American society. Trading Places exemplifies class conflict in American society through the reversal of roles between two individuals of different classes. Billy Ray Valentine and Louis Winthorpe display the reversal by having Valentine become rich and Winthorpe become homeless and poor.
One main concept predominantly exhibited in the film is the characterization of the upper class people being arrogant compared to the capable, and tenacious, lower class citizen whom is given the opportunity to shine in a real world job. When the Duke brothers make the bet for one million dollars about if the reversal will work, it clearly shows greed because that much money could go towards the poor character, Valentine. Even with the explicit display of class discord, and blunt racism, the film conveys these social constructs in a positive, comedic approach, which ultimately creates an outlet for relief of every-day class struggles in American society. The movie Trading Places relates closely with the article by Peggy McIntosh titled White Privilege: Unpacking the Invisible Knapsack. The author discusses the underlying power and privileges white people have over people of color and that unearned advantage is a “pattern running through the matrix of white privilege, a pattern of assumptions which were passed on” (McIntosh 211). What really stands out is when she mentions how most whites have an unearned advantage, which directly ties in with class and the people who were born into wealth; people can be born into an advantage through their parents’ work in life. So, instead of race controlling privilege, class directly relates as well. The Duke brothers, as well as one of the main characters Winthorpe, have originated from the commonplace, old money heirs. Although they are educated and are a part of a successful brokerage firm, they hold an advantage due to their upper class family lineage in society. This advantage is shown discreetly in the beginning of the movie, where the lower class citizen, Valentine, literally has to act like a paraplegic Vietnam veteran in order to beg for enough money to survive, while the upper class heirs are safe and sound in the midst of their comfortable office building. Due to unearned privilege, the rich never have to worry about missing a meal or having a place to stay, while the poor go day-to-day with little opportunities. Despite the fact that Valentine actually has a sense for understanding the process of stocks and performing the job of a broker, he was never given the opportunity due to his class, and possibly even by his dark skin color. Moreover, The Meritocracy Myth by Stephen McNamee and Robert Miller ties in with Trading Places by challenging “the idea that moral character and integrity are important contributors to economic success” (McNamee and Miller 280).
Take the Duke brothers for example, they are: racist, arrogant, and greedy. The myth that moral character has something to do with economic success is fragmented due to the fact that the wealthy Duke brothers are the complete opposite of morally just. Another good argument to incorporate from the article is when it mentions how people living with inheritance have a general head start on what they want to do in the world. Take into account Winthorpe and Valentine, two opposite class citizens. Winthorpe was born into inheritance and managed to attend Harvard University while executing an average, or even below average, performance of his job at the brokerage firm. On the other hand, Valentine was poor and homeless, however both the Duke brothers knew he could perform the job very well based off the information Valentine knew about people and the way stocks worked. Tying it back into head starts, Winthorpe has had a head start his whole life, yet he still manages to fail at being a good employee, while Valentine has to battle and show that he could take on the job of being the managing director. Even in the article, the writers mention that “education is thus often seen as the primary means of upward social mobility” (McNamee and Miller 281).
Winthorpe, a Harvard graduate has every chance in the world to work for a high-paying company because he was able to afford school, while Valentine is the exact opposite. When the article states “upper class children tend to get upper class educations (at elite private prep schools and ivy league colleges)…and poor people tend to get poor educations (inner city schools that have high drop out rates and usually no higher education)” it directly correlates with the economical juxtaposition between Winthorpe and Valentine, and how the rich are able to thrive (McNamee and Miller 282). There is a moment in the film where Louis expresses sarcasm towards the thought of Valentine and Harvard as if Valentine could never attend Harvard because of his rank in class, stating: “He was wearing my Harvard tie. Can you believe it? My Harvard tie. Like oh, sure he went to Harvard.” In addition to the economic and educational advantages portrayed in Trading Places, “another advantage of inheritance is access to high-powered forms of social and cultural capital” where Winthorpe has the upper-hand because of whom he knows and the people he is tied in with (McNamee and Miller 281). It is shown that Winthorpe has some type of connection with the workers at the company, which gives him more power and control, while Valentine does not possess any connections that could help change his life. Altogether, the economic, educational, and inheritance-based variance provides a definite contrast between these two classes in American society and displays the poor in a disadvantaged way. In addition to inheritance and class privilege, Trading Places uncovers the destructive power of money and how it relates to the relationships between the rich and the poor in American society.
In the article Destructive Power of Money by Karl Marx, Marx discusses the complex relationship between money and people who possess it. One assertion Marx makes relates to the two Duke brothers in Trading Places, about how wealthy people can “...have, through the power of money, anything…” (Marx 289). The Duke brothers are millionaires and have control of anything they desire, so they deem it necessary to wager one million dollars on a bet regarding the central plot of the story: Valentine, a homeless man, switching roles with Winthorpe, a wealthy stock broker. The amount of money and the willingness to take forth in a million dollar bet sparks conflict over the wealthy class and how they are portrayed in an arrogant way. That amount of money could help people in need, rather than being tossed around off bets. Incidentally, the differentiation of class is vividly illustrated by the Duke brothers’ greedy scheme, leading into further characterizations of how class types are portrayed in film. Also, the main idea that the rich fear being poor is explicitly stated in the movie where Louis Winthorpe says: “I had the most absurd nightmare. I was poor and no one liked me. I lost my job, I lost my house, Penelope hated me and it was all because of this terrible, awful Negro.” The poor want
to be rich but the rich fear being poor. The idea that Winthorpe believes being poor is a nightmare translates into the notion that many people in American society live in a nightmare. Every day Valentine lives in a “nightmare” and has to struggle to survive, whereas the Duke brothers and Winthorpe live freely in their inherited homes. Furthermore, Valentine comes to the realization of how to get revenge against rich people, he says: “the best way to hurt rich people is by turning them into poor people.” This is where Winthorpe struggles to comply with the bet the Duke brothers placed. Winthorpe has trouble conforming into the poor society and ends up trying to stay with a prostitute. To Valentine, being poor is an every-day struggle, but to Winthorpe, being poor is hell. The characters Valentine, Winthorpe, and the Duke brothers provide insight of the many ideals the rich and the poor hold over each other. There were specific scenes where the Duke brothers showed aversion towards Valentine, and scenes where the Duke brothers were portrayed as greedy in the eyes of Valentine. The moral theme at the end is supposed to unite the classes of society since Valentine and Winthorpe were able to work together and defeat the Duke brothers, however the comedic approach does not completely disregard the stereotypes and prejudice in society. Many people are affected by poverty and the inability to create a better life for themselves, as demonstrated in Trading Places. The film Trading Places reveals the primary distinctions of class and shows the central effects these distinctions have on people in American society.