Land and Social Status in Movies

Mark Wadsworth

American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 2021, vol. 80, issue 3, 875-886

Abstract: Social class is mostly inherited, but what is the source? From movies and TV, we can see how high social status often originates with efforts to gain control of strategic locations in an earlier generation. With that advantage and the economic leverage it offers, family fortunes are transformed into social standing. Westerns, such as Pale Rider and Once Upon a Time in the West, reveal how violence often lies at the root of today‘s social differences. Chinatown demonstrates how the same corrupt processes work in an urban setting. As long as private wealth gained through deceit or coercion can be sanitized in the next generation, rent seeking will remain the most popular means of gaining power. Filmmakers can help us see how these processes actually play out and possibly teach us how to prevent them.

Date: 2021
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