Emerson's speech about society's desire and how his own behavior is some kind of reactive function to serve that desire I've always found disingenuous and self-soothing for the character and those of that mindset. The kind of toxic exotics on display in the movie were tied to citizens wanting to own the home they lived in, a major crisis in America's modern economy. Emerson essentially argues that those people wanting to be housed were excessively greedy while he's spending $70K on prostitutes. Those financial devices were also a direct result of the policy of financial deregulation pushed by the Bush Admin and deeply desired by the GOP, not some natural function of some poorly thought-out idea of societal greed at scale as reflected in the stock market, like Emerson's attempt at a sociological explanation posits. The worst self-pity is the self-pity of the frustrated, wannabe oligarch who wants to justify their moral repugnancy.
Will Emerson is certainly motivated in part by resentment, but I think it’s a stretch to extend that to the sadism of this administration. When Will ends the “fuck normal people” speech with “nah they’re all fucked,” he’s doesn’t express any glee or pleasure. Instead he pauses, states it matter of factly, and stares, away from Seth, as if taking in the broader damage to come. He’s clearly thought this through, and even if he is certain that his defenses against the inevitable criticism are justified, he takes no pleasure in the reckoning.
And for what it’s worth, his diagnosis is right. His only error is saying that “the same people” would be laughing at the firm for panicking. In reality, those criticisms would come from a different group. But the hypocrisy is still there, it just comes from the “they want what we have to give them, but they want to play innocent about where it came from” bit. The normative conclusion is of course a different matter.
Emerson's speech about society's desire and how his own behavior is some kind of reactive function to serve that desire I've always found disingenuous and self-soothing for the character and those of that mindset. The kind of toxic exotics on display in the movie were tied to citizens wanting to own the home they lived in, a major crisis in America's modern economy. Emerson essentially argues that those people wanting to be housed were excessively greedy while he's spending $70K on prostitutes. Those financial devices were also a direct result of the policy of financial deregulation pushed by the Bush Admin and deeply desired by the GOP, not some natural function of some poorly thought-out idea of societal greed at scale as reflected in the stock market, like Emerson's attempt at a sociological explanation posits. The worst self-pity is the self-pity of the frustrated, wannabe oligarch who wants to justify their moral repugnancy.
A very interesting analysis of a fantastic movie.
Will Emerson is certainly motivated in part by resentment, but I think it’s a stretch to extend that to the sadism of this administration. When Will ends the “fuck normal people” speech with “nah they’re all fucked,” he’s doesn’t express any glee or pleasure. Instead he pauses, states it matter of factly, and stares, away from Seth, as if taking in the broader damage to come. He’s clearly thought this through, and even if he is certain that his defenses against the inevitable criticism are justified, he takes no pleasure in the reckoning.
And for what it’s worth, his diagnosis is right. His only error is saying that “the same people” would be laughing at the firm for panicking. In reality, those criticisms would come from a different group. But the hypocrisy is still there, it just comes from the “they want what we have to give them, but they want to play innocent about where it came from” bit. The normative conclusion is of course a different matter.