Mr. Wynand Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The movie Duplicity is coming out soon. Many popular movies have the same sort of theme. Examples: Matchstick men, Catch me if you can, Ocean's 11-13. Why is stealing so appealing to American audiences? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pokarrin Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 It's a logically consistent result of the influence of Pragmatism in popular culture; since we can't know what the long-term results of our actions will be, go for the short-term gains. A movie about successful thieves reinforces that philosophy, making those who hold it feel better about themselves. Also, casting those stolen from as having acquired their wealth dishonestly reinforces the class warfare ideology so dear to too many Americans. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
01503 Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 It's a logically consistent result of the influence of Pragmatism in popular culture; since we can't know what the long-term results of our actions will be, go for the short-term gains. A movie about successful thieves reinforces that philosophy, making those who hold it feel better about themselves. Also, casting those stolen from as having acquired their wealth dishonestly reinforces the class warfare ideology so dear to too many Americans. I think that's looking too much into it. I think that what you say might have a little bit to do with it, but I think it is more the "thrill" of stealing something with a chance of getting caught. If they filmed a movie with a man stealing a chocolate bar from 7/11, it wouldn't get as large an audience because there is less risk and less adrenaline-rush to the movie as if they were stealing, say, $50,000,000 from a bank. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myself Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The movie Duplicity is coming out soon. Many popular movies have the same sort of theme. Examples: Matchstick men, Catch me if you can, Ocean's 11-13. Why is stealing so appealing to American audiences? Well, "Catch Me If You Can" was a light hearted movie about a bright young man who uses his intelligence to a destructive end. The entertainment value is watching an efficacious mind go about solving problems. It's the same sort of value you get from watching Steve Mcqueen steal large amounts of money in "The Thomas Crowne Affair" or "Ocean's Eleven" (the original and remake). Some of these movies have better endings than others. "Catch Me" ended with the protagonist reforming his ways and renouncing fraud, which is a positive lesson, while most have the thief escape. What people respond to in these movies isn't the theft, it's watching someone who's exceptional at what he does, do it in as thrilling a way as possible. Why so many caper movies though? Because Hollywood likes to repeat successful formulas to make money. It's that simple. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JMeganSnow Posted March 23, 2009 Report Share Posted March 23, 2009 The steps you'd have to go through to *earn* that kind of money are a bit abstract and don't lend themselves well to the type of simple conflict you could fit into a movie. A crime has a large conflict as part of the central activity, whereas if you invent something or inherit money or get it pretty much ANY OTHER WAY the conflict has to be made up, added on, and integrated by the writer. Most of the writing that comes out of Hollywood is pretty damn lazy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Space Patroller Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 There are two elements here: 1. I love it when a plan comes together. The best of these kind of tales are of well-planned and well-executed heists, both complex, involving several persons in a planned, coordinated effort that succeeds. Objectivists do value the principle of the division of labor. So if you get several specialists together and have their skills integrated in a brave endeavor well.... 2. The rebel vs the Establishment. Read skill and daring against impossible odds. This pertains especially to the lone cat burgler breaking into the place to steal the bijou on the 5th floor protected by 2 dogs and 5 alarms. A Romantic theme Did you ever notice that we root for the heisters if they are non-violent? I didn't quit the 5 finger discount business because I got caught; I walked out of that encounter with half of what I took and the next week was at it again, I quit because I became an Objectivist 40 years ago. I still kind of miss it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maarten Posted April 14, 2009 Report Share Posted April 14, 2009 I saw Duplicity and it isn't really a story about Successful thieves.... They end up not getting any of the money because they weren't personally able to assess the value of what they were stealing, and it turned out to be fake. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.