In the movie we watched in class today, “Wall Street”, there was a line “Greed is Good”, which is supposedly now a famous quote of all time from a movie. The film is basically about a wealthy man’s wish to sell off land that an airline company is doing business on for more money. He was supposedly going to help this airline company, but ends up going against his word. In the end, greed takes over and this wealthy gentleman decides to sell off the land for more money. If you think about it, it is the American Dream.

I suppose “greed is good” depending on the situation. If you are making money and not sharing the wealth, whether you do it through donation or helping out a cause, in most cases it is morally wrong. “Morals are concerned with behavior as judged by society.” (Essentials of Business Law, Liuzzo/Bonnice, P. 19). This is where greed can be bad. In our society, most of us are taught to share or help others out in need whenever we can. Some people grow up in poverty and some people are not. In a lot of cases, those who grew up and came from the “hood” or “ghetto” and got an education, a great career, and make lots of money-they usually end up giving back and do something positive for society. “The American culture, for example, holds that such characteristics as freedom, individualism, family life, fair play, hard work, and honesty are important.” (Essentials of Business Law, Liuzzo/Bonnice, P. 19). They go back to their roots and help others less fortunate and encourage them to succeed in life. In doing so, they do this because they know firsthand at how hard it is to come from a place where negativity thrives and make it in today’s society as a successful person. They become an example for those people. This is where being greedy need not apply.

“Greed is good” when you come from a society where there is nothing but negative words said about you, that you can never amount to anything, and you are called a failure. It is these times when you take all that negativity and turn it to a positive. Generally, when a person is successful and usually makes a lot of money, we wonder why they seem so greedy. Is it being greedy or just plain jealousy? If I made tons of money and came from a society where I was looked down upon while growing up and one day someone from my past came up to me asking me for some money, I would honestly tell them no and give them no time of day. Call it bitter, but I would not associate myself with anyone from my past who only talks to me or wants to be part of my life because I am wealthy or successful. To me that is wrong. I would only associate myself with those who were supportive of me and believed in me.