Q1. Do you agree with Gordon Gekko that “Greed is Good”? Why or why not?
“Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. Greed is right. Greed works. Greed clarifies, cuts through, and captures, the essence of the evolutionary spirit. Greed, in all of its forms; greed for life, for money, for love, knowledge, has marked the upward surge of mankind and greed, you mark my words, will not only save Teldar Paper, but that other malfunctioning corporation called the U.S.A.”
Above is what has been quoted by Gordon Gekko in the 1987 Wall Street movie. Interestingly, the notion that greed is good has been suggested by Adam Smith, who argued that the efforts of individuals in pursuit of their own self-interest will make the society as a whole better off.
Greed defines as an inordinate desire to possess ourselves of something that might bring us benefits. We might morally assume that greed is inappropriate. I don’t agree with Gordon Gekko that greed is good because greed is not necessarily good; it is like a double-edged sword. In reality, human beings gain more pleasure when they act in their best interest and improve their life.
Greed can also become an addiction where the strong desire over attachment to material world makes people being never satisfied of what they have. This insatiable hungry creates a behavior of always wanting and expecting more of what gets them high, fame and pleasure.
In this movie, Greed makes one forget family responsibilities. This is the main reason for Winnie to be not in good terms with her father, Gordon Gekko as she realized that Gekko loves money above all. He spends much of his life earning money and power and also went through imprisonment because of money. Besides that, greed can be seen as the motivator to get more money, power and fame. Bretton James acted against ethic values in taking over Keller Zabel when he uses his position and influence to bring down his