Every good story has a villain. In the Hollywood film Money Monster that villain is (SPOILER ALERT) the CEO of a large company. However, the movie’s protagonist is not the disgruntled underdog Kyle - who in the story, lost his life savings banking on a bad investment tip delivered on the titular fictional investment television programme of the film.
The character of Kyle, who presumably is meant to represent the working man, serves neither as a hero nor the villain, but seemingly as a channel for ranting, raving, expletives and threats of violence. While critics are not wowed by the depiction of Kyle, who neither felt like a threat nor evoked any real sympathy from the audience, I feel he is a fantastic representation - of all the vitriol leveled at the wealthy, or “upper classes”.
Why all the hate?
Why all the hate?
“Class Warfare” is a term thrown about these days and friction between social classes are not exactly a new thing.
For all its detractors and failings, capitalism offers opportunities for social mobility as never before seen in history. Entrepreneurship offers the chance for upward mobility even in China - which is still ruled by the communist party - and in India, in spite of its caste system.
Making someone the villain does not make you the hero
The saying “once bitten, twice shy” is not without merit. Human nature is such that we’re more prone to focus on the negative than we are to be swayed by the positive.
Between the shenanigans that led to the 2008 financial crisis, growing income inequality, the shrinking middle class, and the disruption digital technology having on many industries, people can feel that their financial futures are threatened and the best way to appease the “tiger” is to find a scapegoat.
It’s easy to make someone else the “bad guy”. Blaming our misfortunes on others can temporarily make ourselves feel better. However, it does nothing to actually improve our lot in life.
Be the hero
Aside from the few who have the good fortune of being born into a wealthy family, the rest of us have to work for our money. And aside from the few who win the lottery, none of us get rich accidentally.
If you’ve got the entrepreneurial bug, or a great business idea, but don’t have the money to get a start-up going, you don’t need to give up. You just need to know how to write a business plan. Once more, the resources and knowledge are all just a mouse click away.
It’s natural for people to envy those who “have it better” and it’s all too easy for people to fall into the trap of envy. Like Kyle making the cardinal error of putting all his financial eggs in one basket, one can play the victim and blame others for their own poor decisions. Or, one can start taking charge and working for that difference.
At the Harbour Club, I, Jeremy Harbour, coach people on how to attain and sustain this. I started my first business at the age of 15, and there’s no reason why you can’t start building a $10 million dollar business in 10 weeks, today.
