MOVIES AND BUSINESS
October 27, 2011

Why does it matter what movies say about business?

Answer:

(1) Capitalism is a major force for good in the world today, liberating people by giving them the means to decide for themselves what they want to do with their lives.

(2) The dark side of capitalism is that it doesn’t work for everybody. But the freedom to win necessarily entails the freedom to lose. Many people don’t understand this.

(3) The great businesses focus on long-term profit maximization, not the betterment of humanity as seen by managers whose sole credential for recognizing same is a b-school course on corporate social responsibility. Many people don’t understand this.

(4) When, year after year, some of our most popular films and non-advertising-supported cable television shows hammer home the message that unalloyed capitalism is bad, this accords with the intuitions of many workers, consumers and even managers, and makes over-regulation of business politically palatable.

(5) Knowledge is power. Recognizing this theme and removing its artistic wrapping reduces its effect. It would be even better, but possibly too much to hope for, if some films presented a different message.

Source: Larry Ribstein -Truth on the Market