This is some of the best political writing - and historical analysis - I've ever read. Thank you so much, Professor Reich; you're a wonder.
I lived through and suffered through the events you mention, and yes, I've seen this film at least half a dozen times over the years but never knew about the backlash to it by entrenched pre-Reaganite forces in America.
I was just a little guy at the time, and when we watched the Army-McCarthy hearings on our 15-inch television set, I was most interested in counting how many times people "took the Fifth" rather than answer questions from Senator McCarthy, who was pretty nasty and full of himself, or his assistant, Roy Cohn, a genuinely detestable worm who became in later years the person who mentored a young Donald Trump.
You've put together key elements of this history and like the best historians, have made disparate events into a cohesive story in which key elements - anti-communist witch hunts, Joe McCarthy and his purge of supposed Communists, Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, the accretion of wealth to an oligarchy and, finally, Donald Trump, the wannabe supreme leader of a fascist America - all follow in the storyline much like dominoes falling, one after another after another, to create eventual ruin. You've made it all make sense, this 70-plus year old stream of evil running through recent American history.
An aside but related: one key element that my mind fastens on and that has been unspoken, is how much Trump's evil mastermind of a horrific anti-immigrant policy, Stephen Miller, is so very much like Roy Cohn and going back further, a nascent Adolf Eichmann. They even look alike. Line them up and it's hard to know which is which.
Your essay should be required reading in high schools and colleges across America. Thank you.
I also remember the Army-McCarthy hearings. I watched them on tiny television, sitting next to my father who -- every time McCarthy said anything -- yelled at the television "You son of a bitch!"
Somehow I don't think Thomas has a plan in mind to actually do this. It's just a good sentiment about how we should consider the harmful effects of one of the very worst politicians of the last century who devoted his time to ruining careers, and lives.
T.T.; My brother was homeless and trying to pee behind a dumpster in Northampton, MA. He was charged with indecent exposure. He was not jailed, but fined. Ended up being found behind that same dumpster half frozen and brain dead. He died a few hours later at age 57. It was very cold and a big snow storm. Would have been better off in jail.
So sad, Laurie. You're right about being better off in jail. The national anti-tax movement resulting in throwing our homeless, helpless, and mentally challenged out of county facilities and then shutting them down completely decades ago created such a huge hole in our national safety net. It is inexcusable.
Great commentary! Nice to be able to attach a Hollywood classic to real life …disheartening events leading up to the present day. Americans who truly love this country and our democracy must band together to save both of these. I am concerned not so much for myself (I’m 70!) and more for my two children and even more so for my six grandchildren. I see the pandemic as a another means for the “right” to put those who see it as another “event” full of conspiracy theories against those like myself who believe in the medical advice and doing what we need to do to work our way through this messy, tragic period and back to a sense of normalcy and, with it, back to a functioning, albeit awkward and slow, democracy. It works when we work it and we work it when we have people, i.e. politicians, who operate it, particularly our legislative branch, honestly and for the good of the people who need it most. I long for those days and hope and trust that we will see them again in my lifetime. I, for one, have not lost hope….something we need and can have if we allow it. It may be the only thing that, in the end, will save us. Happy new year to you, Mr. Reich, and my fellow readers.
The movie used to be an annual event in my family. It made us all feel good! It never occurred to me there were people who hated it other than movie critics. To equate it with communist propaganda blows my mind. Thank you for the history lesson.
How could anyone be afraid of a message of the power to personally and joyously resolve the beatific struggle between moral fortitude and self desires that It's a Wonderful Life expresses? Indeed an authoritarian one sided thinker like Ayn Rand could. Pitiful. The truth is the invertive, integrative power of the natural philosophical concept of grace is not just a personal preoccupation, but also an imminently practical and historical signature of paradigm change. After all, the enlightening Copernican cosmological paradigm change was nothing more than the inversion of the positions of the earth and the sun. So could it also be economically, politically and ecologically if we found a way to integratively implement the new monetary paradigm of Direct and Reciprocal Monetary Grace As In Gifting into the economic process itself. And finally, what could be the personal and societal benefits of feeling grateful every time you bought a car, a house or a sweet potato because the monetary authority paid for half of it?
Just read your reply three times and if I understand the words that I had to look up, I think you said grace changes the way people respond economically . Well if Grace falls on both the deserving and the rotten, both George Bailey and Potter 'got grace' and that's the most hopeful part of the movie.
It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies. I am glad that Prof. Robert Reich posted about it. Thank you.
Thanks for replying Jane. Forgive the following sermonette. The experience of grace falls on anyone willing to contemplate its beautiful aspects long enough to self actualize it, no matter whether they are religious or not. Grace/graciousness is really nothing more and certainly nothing less than love in action, in other words loving action. Love and grace are the pinnacle concepts and experiences of wisdom, and contrary to the thinking of a too often cynical age wisdom is not "airy fairy" but in fact imminently practical...otherwise it wouldn't be wisdom. The non-violent mass social movements that Gandhi and MLK, Jr. utilized to educate, expose and effectively overcome injustices were actually an expression of the "not acting in kind" aspect of the concept of grace. Historically, the expression of an aspect of the concept of grace has always been the motivating force behind every genuine Paradigm change. The Reformation for instance was the objection to the monopolistic dominance of the sacraments by the Catholic church and the desire for religious tolerance and inclusiveness. When paradigm change is needed...contemplate the appropriate aspect of grace for the mental and temporal solution.
Have always enjoyed the movie, watched it many times over my 70 years. It didn't make me a communist but it sure brought to forefront one of the greatest and most favorite actors of my life. Ok, back to the matter at hand.
I know for sure that my 'apolitical' mother was on the lefty side. She loved that movie. She also helped a guy teen by letting him into our apartment to use the phone to call his parents. A mob of thugs were outside.
As I note above, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed supported McCarthyism! Our Regional VP used to date Jimmy Stewart’s son and said Jimmy Stewart was the coldest unlikeable person she’d met. Very very conservative!
My wife and I watch it every year (along with Forrest Gump). I recently learned that one of the singers in the “good bar” scene, singing the Italian songs, is Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White. I’ve heard that Walt Disney signed her to a contract that prevented Adriana from performing for organizations other than Disney’s — because he wanted the voice of Snow White to remain unique in the universe and to remain a Disney Property. Nice guy, that Walt.
I’ve been watching “It’s a wonderful life” since around 1970 when Jimmy Stewart said in a televised late night show that this was his favorite of all the films he acted in. At the time, I had never heard of it but because Jimmy Stewart mentioned it, I made a point of watching it. Now I watch it about once a year to remind myself that a small group of people— even one or two or four people— can make a lasting difference in the life of a community. I imagine what the historic district I now have the privilege of living in would be like if I and others had not taken a stand 30 years ago against proposals to build a concrete plant and to commercialize this otherwise residential village only half a mile from an interstate. True, this small place is but a dot on the map. Even so, the lesson holds even on a small scale. Thanks for shining a spotlight on my favorite movie and providing the history lesson which I find shocking. The fact that I am still capable of being shocked by such a history lesson is a testament to the enduring optimism of human nature
Critics didn't much like the movie when it came out in 1946 (and that wasn't because it seemed too far to the left). It caught on when it began being shown on television in the early 1970s.
The 'hoovervilles' of today are the tent cities spread across the land where homeless/house less people of all ages now try to survive. Every few months or so, even in the progressive area where I live, we see a sad obituary about a person or a young couple who froze in their tent last night. For a high school grad with no place to go and poor paying job or no job, with rents over $1000/month living is not sustainable.
Today's '-villes' should have an updated, more pointed term. Since Reagan turned 'homeless' from an adjective to a noun, they might be named after him, but he's receded in the memory ..
Restrictive zoning laws and unnecessary building codes that make it almost impossible to build affordable housing are a major cause of homelessness. These rules are put into place by homeowners that want to keep "undesirables" out of their neighborhood. They need to be revised and/or repealed to truly solve the homeless crisis.
Have a fraction of the military budget go to citizens instead and tax uber wealth higher we can all be comfortable, have health care, retirement income and afford healthy food and get educated with low or no cost.
Seeking Reason ; What I don't understand is that the Pentagon got billions more than they even asked for! The power of the lobbyists?! What about BBB? What would they do if we all got sick and died?! Or mad cow disease came back? and there was nobody to hire?
Laurie,They have not explained the extra military $ to us at all! We need to know, it is our money! They always ask for too much, knowing it will be negotiated down! I guess we’ll have to write to our congress members and hope they don’t send a form-letter back.
SeekingReason ; there are sites to email them. MA has Richie Neal in Congress for my representative. House Ways and Means. I can look it up. Good luck with yours. I always get a 'vanilla' letter. In the past I have had friends who go to his office in Springfield to actually corner him, with mixed results. He gets $$ from Big Pharma. Probably others.
These threads go back even farther, including the novels of Steinbeck, Dos Passos and others, written in the 30s & 40s. The themes of the suffering of the laboring classes, hostility to migrants ("Okies", at that time) and the need for the people to fight back against their oppressors are still relevant. Frank Capra's earlier films also had a true populist context. The Red Scare was partly a tactic to suppress media portrayals of the down sides of unconstrained capitalism - as a manifestation of the selfish side of humanity. Big institutions, including government, business, religious establishments, etc should always be monitored for overreach. A free press and a vigilant, informed population are key elements in preventing Pottersville from becoming the norm.
I fear Pottersville is becoming the norm all over America. Yes, we need a free press and a vigilant and informed population. We also need a public that will fight for what's morally right -- for an economy and a democracy that work for everyone.
After reading this post on “It’s a Wonderful Life” I’m looking forward to seeing it again, even though I’ve seen it many times. Actually, the portrayal of Potter puts me in mind of one of the “good” Republicans. It was Romney who, when seeking contributions from rich donors, said disparagingly of 47% of Americans that they were “takers”. And , of course, during last year’s COVID outbreak, these same takers were the “heroes” and “essential workers.” Very few even good Republicans support a living wage for those heroes.
Thank you for this comment. As much as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinziger (spelling?) are doing to help the House Committee on January 6 expose the truth, they are still, in the final analysis, Republicans who support Republican ideas, including abolishing social security and whatever few safety nets that exist in this country. And they are the "good" Republicans.
The other book that comes to mind for its socialist leanings is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where it is not only the depiction of rich people but the very fact that a family like Charlie's can have a father that works full time and yet they are as poor as they are.
Thank you for the history lesson. Since George Bailey was also a banker, I don't know how the movie could be seen as anti-banker. Maybe Ayn Rand suffered from PTSD, seeing a Communist behind every tree.
I think Potter is perhaps more analogous to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimond, Wells Fargo leadership, and their ilk, who have made it clear that they look down on the "little people." On a local level, Indianapolis, where I live, has one of the highest rates of tenant eviction of any large city. Additionally, many tenants are forced to live in squalor because the landlords fail to maintain their properties, with little recourse. In response to the problem, our overwhelmingly Democratic city-county council and mayor enacted a tenant's bill of rights to give the obviously not wealthy tenants some control over their living conditions. The landlords promptly lobbied the Republican supermajority in our state legislature to enact what is termed a preemption law favoring the landlords, effectively overturning our local ordinance. I can imagine that if Potter were a real person living in Indianapolis today, he would be one of the leaders of those landlords.
I've met a few Potters in my time who don't try to disguise their greed and venality. But in my experience, most of those with great wealth and power have convinced themselves that they're simply wiser or more talented or cleverer than most others. They don't see that the system itself has given them enormous advantages (or they've been very lucky) and that most others haven't had those advantages. Quietly, they subscribe to social Darwinism.
They also don't appreciate that our society that is built and maintained by everyone supports their attainment of wealth and power. If they were dropped in, say, Somalia, they would have a much harder time. I do enjoy watching Rep. Katie Porter grilling them in hearings as only she can, taking them down a few notches.
Thank you for this information. I did not know that about Indianapolis. Having a safe place to live is one of the foundations of basic human survival. The cruelty of the Republican legislature in Indiana is despicable and inexcusable.
One solution is for the tenants to contact a local TV station and get them involved. A news story on the 6 PM news, showing squalor and unlivable conditions in the landlord's building, along with sharp questions directed to the landlord owner outside his business or home, with the landlord's name in bold letters on the TV screen, can work wonders. Most landlords value their reputation enough to fix the problems promptly.
That is a good suggestion. There has been extensive reporting in the local media, both TV and print. The health department has cited them numerous times. Even our MAGA attorney general sued one especially egregious apartment complex, to try to have a receiver appointed to manage it, but a judge denied his petition.
Unfortunately, many of these landlords are out-of-state entities with murky leadership, so they really don't care. I was astonished to learn a few years ago that there corporate behemoths that own tens of thousands of rental properties across the country. Indianapolis has developed something of a reputation as a place to buy rental property with little responsibility. Potter would love it.
What is really needed are some strong state laws. Unfortunately, self-serving business interests rule the Indiana General Assembly (unless they conflict with MAGA ideology). And the legislators from the rural areas love to stick it to Indianapolis. I have volunteered for some campaigns to try to elect better state legislators, but I don't see much change anytime soon.
I am aware that this type of thing is happening but did not know specifically about Indianapolis. Now that I know, I will be spreading the word and focusing energy to end this. Awareness is key to getting people to act. I live part time in Wisconsin and have been horrified at the republican legislature there. Ever since Scott Walker was elected governor (2011) things have gone downhill, in my observation. Ironically, Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. Thank you for sharing, Carolyn. Happy New Year!
Yes, Republican legislatures do harm beyond voter suppression. I cringe every January, wondering what the Indiana General Assembly will inflict on us. Thank you for your help. And Happy New Year to you too!
Re: Ayn Rand — She once appeared on the Johnny Carson Tonight show. Johnny and Ed treated her with undue respect — the sort of deference that people of real stature get. I found it a disgusting exercise in boosting her books.
Secretary Reich, this piece is wonderful. This is my favorite Christmas movie & I watch it every year. Thank you for the history behind it as I had no idea it disturbed the FBI et al. Makes me like it even more!
It's one of my favorite movies. I watch it every year, sometimes, I watch it twice. This year it felt more real than ever. I'm glad you watched it, too.
I know. It was odd for me too. But, it made me feel the dismal reality that if Trump should ever come back we will be stuck in a grim Potter's world. Thank you, Robert for writing. That's so neat to me. Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
I love the moment in the movie Finding Nemo toward the end when all the fish are caught in the net and being hoisted to their death on the fishing boat - and the protagonist (was it Marvin? ....Dory?) keeps telling the trapped fish to swim downward. Eventually they break free.
Resistance is not futile! :)
The sort of wealth and power that we're facing, however, seems Orwellian.
Republicans have a mendacious love affair with money and power. They would label the movie as socialism, which, for them means any that helps people. They have no policy ideas and are hell-bent on building the oligarchy Russian style!
What an extremely enjoyable read of It's a Wonderful Life-- thank you! And "Trump pin up girl" is a phrase for the ages. :D (Though I'm sure Trump would deprecate Rand's appearance, as he does that of every woman, who at best just needs to have a little work done.)
He thinks he deserves perfect beauty. Would not know what to do with a real woman. Only sees the superficial and wants younger, malleable (controllable). His present wife was said to not have any personal wealth.
I saw that movie many years ago and loved it. It is a beautiful depiction of what humanity can be and is actually longing for, in spite of the so powerful seduction of fear and anger. On the other hand, let's not give too much credit to you know who. Unlike Mr. Potter character, the other guy is a human marshmallow; a spoiled man-child used to have all his whims satisfied. He never was an entrepreneur and even less so a stateman. Which makes me think that if him and other idiots can rule and ruin the country, it is primarily because "good people" prefer washing their hands of any civic responsibility when they find it convenient. As this stunning piece of reporting from the NYT reveals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNDgcjVGHIw), Democrats love to talk the talk but easily excuse themselves from walking the walk when it comes to the necessity of housing, education, and tax reforms. Not the politicians; us, ordinary and well-meaning people. This NYT video could be watched as a contemporary sequel to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” At the end of the day, it is not so much about what bad people do but what good people don't. I was shocked.
Philippe. I watched the video just now. So many people talk the talk but do not walk the walk. Thank you for sharing. I love what you said, "it is not so much about what bad people do but what good people don't".
I wonder who made the video? The credits are so tiny on my phone and were not on long enough to read. I keep thinking of the quote by Benjamin Disraeli, "There are lies, damn lies and statistics" and another "consider the source" (Not sure I should give full credit to Sylvester Stallone). I recently received a card in my mail sent by 'The largest Buyer of homes in America' looking to buy my house. Then I saw news about the practice of buying homes to rent them out or destroy them and replace them with developments that are not affordable in any way to people or the environment. This is Wall Street corporate monopolization of real estate, specifically for housing. Should we blame well meaning Democrats? Just because we vote for housing bills does not mean we get good outcomes. There is much more to this story than blaming the left!
Philippe I enjoyed your comments. Actually doing something is a lost art. What we should do for starters is eliminate the filibuster, protect voters rights, ban known republican participates from Congress. We should DO something. If we only intellectualize we will wake up on the same side of the bed every morning and probably until it’s too late. My dad gave me some really valuable advice early on in life. He said son when you wake up in the morning and are ready and raring to go just understand that unless you do something nothing happens. Being in your head all the time and doing nothing is the classic example of doing the same thing expecting different results. Insanity
I think you will agree that it is never too late to do good, but in the meantime the situation can turn even uglier than it is. When those who hide their bad deeds behind the filibuster, eliminate voting rights, and foment an insurrection tell you that you are a communist for opposing them, you know that you are in nowhere land and that your good feelings will amount to zilch in fighting that kind of dishonesty. Up to now, I used to think that the Democrat political establishment was primarily at fault, notably because of the lack of an adequate answer to Republican colleagues who willingly turned into mere thugs. The video I mentioned reminded me that there is another front, which is to fight injustice locally. Ripping off poor neighborhoods for the sake of your own democrat home is at the height of hypocrisy.
What we are not doing is guaranteeing the midterms will swing heavily in favor of the Republicans and we’re back to where we started. I give you my personal guarantee Republicans will take over the Senate and the Congress
Yes, but the basic answer to regain votes is to answer people's wants and needs. The BBB ranked very high in that order. Unfortunately, almost all Democrats have proven for weeks and months that they rank it very low in their priorities. Otherwise they would have fought for it tooth and nails by showing the public where to follow the money. "Vote for us because Trump is bad" is not enough; it is treating the American people as cattle. Nothing will change in the Democratic party, and consequently in the country, until corporate money is kept out of politics. It is not Trump. It is us. The present Democratic establishment just wants us to remain fearful.
Thank you for the link you provided. On the one hand, I appreciate the exposé. On the other hand, like a lot of reporting, this conflates things and thereby misses the point. Wealthy people, no matter their party, no matter their public policy statements, tend to protect their own wealth. That dynamic is more powerful than whatever party holds more public offices or which public offices. This is why we have to get private money out of politics, why we have to make lobbying itself illegal, why we have to have government do what private citizens won't -- regulate the excesses of capitalism so capitalism isn't the only value in our culture that gets fed.
The split-second image of AOC at the Met gala captures the core truth of this superb opinion piece.
Social Justice is a lofty pursuit. It is not a spectator sport. It requires a commitment that very few of us are willing to make. Politicians are not the angels that will open our eyes to reality. Leaders of conscience are very scarce these days.
There are a few leaders of conscience. You and I would not be sharing our views in this discussion thread otherwise. Those who are in Congress, it seems to me, have the very challenging task to make progressive reforms palatable to other members whose entire career is predicated on keeping the status quo. Elizabeth Warren lost her soul in the process, eventually finding herself too beautiful under the limelight of power not to betray convictions and people she once held dear. I personally keep faith in AOC but, again, she has a heck of a job to do and I do not know how I would handle her tricky position as a politician in Washington. Therefore, I forgive the word salads she gives sometimes and hope she will be as resilient as she seems sincere. Well, that's two women on the marches of power we are speaking about; that, in itself, is progress.
AOC et al take on an unbelievable amount of threats and danger. It’s disgraceful these thugs aren’t tracked and jailed ( the ones in the US) And they can be traced!
Cartoons and humor have their place. As does movie criticism. So does history. To use a current term, "Its a Wonderful Life" has been "divisive" in its responses over decades. No responsible critic called it a "great film" On Trump and Trumpism, try my analysis:
Prof. Graff, Come January, when the country will write the next chapter of its story, we’ll likely have a clearer sense of the “MAGA Legacy.” As for “the end of the Trump agenda,” presuming there is one in the foreseeable future, maybe it won’t be marked by “lasting damage to our democracy, polity, society and culture.” Perhaps those who, these past few years, have worked tirelessly to create momentum both to fortify sorely tested and now fragile institutions and also restore trust in government will be party to an era of restoration and renewal.
Setting aside your closing remarks, your portrayal of “Trumpism” astutely encapsulated its critical features.
What to do about Trump? I know what I would do. I would set up hyped interview with cameras lights and then action. Make it a big public deal. Then I would sit down with Mr. Trump face to face he in a chair me in a chair 8-10 feet apart. Then I would ask the first question, "so Mr. Trump to start this interview off, so you still believe that the election was stolen, an illegal election and you should still be president of the United States of America?" And Mr. Trump says yes the election was illegally stolen from me and I should still be president of the United States of America. I would immediately hold my hand up like a stop sign and say, "stop this interview is over because sir you are a lying piece of crap and anything else you have to say will be considered a lie also" then all the crew, staff, etc..etc.. get up and leave, like he has done to other interviewers, but let a camera roll and a microphone on to see and listen to what the lying piece of crap has to say. Heck he might even implode jump up and try and do harm to me.. but just let him sit there all by his self.. the end.
This is some of the best political writing - and historical analysis - I've ever read. Thank you so much, Professor Reich; you're a wonder.
I lived through and suffered through the events you mention, and yes, I've seen this film at least half a dozen times over the years but never knew about the backlash to it by entrenched pre-Reaganite forces in America.
I was just a little guy at the time, and when we watched the Army-McCarthy hearings on our 15-inch television set, I was most interested in counting how many times people "took the Fifth" rather than answer questions from Senator McCarthy, who was pretty nasty and full of himself, or his assistant, Roy Cohn, a genuinely detestable worm who became in later years the person who mentored a young Donald Trump.
You've put together key elements of this history and like the best historians, have made disparate events into a cohesive story in which key elements - anti-communist witch hunts, Joe McCarthy and his purge of supposed Communists, Ayn Rand, Ronald Reagan, the accretion of wealth to an oligarchy and, finally, Donald Trump, the wannabe supreme leader of a fascist America - all follow in the storyline much like dominoes falling, one after another after another, to create eventual ruin. You've made it all make sense, this 70-plus year old stream of evil running through recent American history.
An aside but related: one key element that my mind fastens on and that has been unspoken, is how much Trump's evil mastermind of a horrific anti-immigrant policy, Stephen Miller, is so very much like Roy Cohn and going back further, a nascent Adolf Eichmann. They even look alike. Line them up and it's hard to know which is which.
Your essay should be required reading in high schools and colleges across America. Thank you.
I also remember the Army-McCarthy hearings. I watched them on tiny television, sitting next to my father who -- every time McCarthy said anything -- yelled at the television "You son of a bitch!"
That's hilarious. Great that your father pointed you in the right direction! My parents would occasionally come out with an "S.O.B.!" (Truman fans).
Is it illegal to pee on graves? I'm thinking of you, Joe McCarthy.
He does not even rate that.
Somehow I don't think Thomas has a plan in mind to actually do this. It's just a good sentiment about how we should consider the harmful effects of one of the very worst politicians of the last century who devoted his time to ruining careers, and lives.
Actually, I live near Appleton, know the cemetery and have seen the gravesite overlooking the Fox River. It really wouldn't take much.
Thomas Turner; the authorities might arrest you and charge you with indecent exposure.
Methinks they'd have to catch me.
T.T.; My brother was homeless and trying to pee behind a dumpster in Northampton, MA. He was charged with indecent exposure. He was not jailed, but fined. Ended up being found behind that same dumpster half frozen and brain dead. He died a few hours later at age 57. It was very cold and a big snow storm. Would have been better off in jail.
So sad, Laurie. You're right about being better off in jail. The national anti-tax movement resulting in throwing our homeless, helpless, and mentally challenged out of county facilities and then shutting them down completely decades ago created such a huge hole in our national safety net. It is inexcusable.
That movement was led by Reagan in California.
In our area it was positive when the State mental hospital closed a few decades ago. Many group homes allow residents a more home like place.
Laurie, so sorry about what happened to your poor brother! May he rest in peace.
What a horror, Laurie!
Just plain awful, Laurie, so very sad.
I am very sorry to know this. I live near Northampton. It's surprising to me that the city has no better services.
Martha T. There is a public toilet in city hall, but it is open only during 'business hours'.
so saddddd.....
Great commentary! Nice to be able to attach a Hollywood classic to real life …disheartening events leading up to the present day. Americans who truly love this country and our democracy must band together to save both of these. I am concerned not so much for myself (I’m 70!) and more for my two children and even more so for my six grandchildren. I see the pandemic as a another means for the “right” to put those who see it as another “event” full of conspiracy theories against those like myself who believe in the medical advice and doing what we need to do to work our way through this messy, tragic period and back to a sense of normalcy and, with it, back to a functioning, albeit awkward and slow, democracy. It works when we work it and we work it when we have people, i.e. politicians, who operate it, particularly our legislative branch, honestly and for the good of the people who need it most. I long for those days and hope and trust that we will see them again in my lifetime. I, for one, have not lost hope….something we need and can have if we allow it. It may be the only thing that, in the end, will save us. Happy new year to you, Mr. Reich, and my fellow readers.
thank you. i have been wrestling with finding avatars for Himmler and Goebbels in the twump orbit
The movie used to be an annual event in my family. It made us all feel good! It never occurred to me there were people who hated it other than movie critics. To equate it with communist propaganda blows my mind. Thank you for the history lesson.
It seems fitting that Ayn Rand reported it to the FBI.
And they listened and acted!
How could anyone be afraid of a message of the power to personally and joyously resolve the beatific struggle between moral fortitude and self desires that It's a Wonderful Life expresses? Indeed an authoritarian one sided thinker like Ayn Rand could. Pitiful. The truth is the invertive, integrative power of the natural philosophical concept of grace is not just a personal preoccupation, but also an imminently practical and historical signature of paradigm change. After all, the enlightening Copernican cosmological paradigm change was nothing more than the inversion of the positions of the earth and the sun. So could it also be economically, politically and ecologically if we found a way to integratively implement the new monetary paradigm of Direct and Reciprocal Monetary Grace As In Gifting into the economic process itself. And finally, what could be the personal and societal benefits of feeling grateful every time you bought a car, a house or a sweet potato because the monetary authority paid for half of it?
Just read your reply three times and if I understand the words that I had to look up, I think you said grace changes the way people respond economically . Well if Grace falls on both the deserving and the rotten, both George Bailey and Potter 'got grace' and that's the most hopeful part of the movie.
It's a Wonderful Life is one of my favorite movies. I am glad that Prof. Robert Reich posted about it. Thank you.
Thanks for replying Jane. Forgive the following sermonette. The experience of grace falls on anyone willing to contemplate its beautiful aspects long enough to self actualize it, no matter whether they are religious or not. Grace/graciousness is really nothing more and certainly nothing less than love in action, in other words loving action. Love and grace are the pinnacle concepts and experiences of wisdom, and contrary to the thinking of a too often cynical age wisdom is not "airy fairy" but in fact imminently practical...otherwise it wouldn't be wisdom. The non-violent mass social movements that Gandhi and MLK, Jr. utilized to educate, expose and effectively overcome injustices were actually an expression of the "not acting in kind" aspect of the concept of grace. Historically, the expression of an aspect of the concept of grace has always been the motivating force behind every genuine Paradigm change. The Reformation for instance was the objection to the monopolistic dominance of the sacraments by the Catholic church and the desire for religious tolerance and inclusiveness. When paradigm change is needed...contemplate the appropriate aspect of grace for the mental and temporal solution.
Have always enjoyed the movie, watched it many times over my 70 years. It didn't make me a communist but it sure brought to forefront one of the greatest and most favorite actors of my life. Ok, back to the matter at hand.
I know for sure that my 'apolitical' mother was on the lefty side. She loved that movie. She also helped a guy teen by letting him into our apartment to use the phone to call his parents. A mob of thugs were outside.
As I note above, Jimmy Stewart and Donna Reed supported McCarthyism! Our Regional VP used to date Jimmy Stewart’s son and said Jimmy Stewart was the coldest unlikeable person she’d met. Very very conservative!
Seeking Reason ; I guess he could act though!
Without a doubt! 😄
My wife and I watch it every year (along with Forrest Gump). I recently learned that one of the singers in the “good bar” scene, singing the Italian songs, is Adriana Caselotti, the voice of Snow White. I’ve heard that Walt Disney signed her to a contract that prevented Adriana from performing for organizations other than Disney’s — because he wanted the voice of Snow White to remain unique in the universe and to remain a Disney Property. Nice guy, that Walt.
I’ve been watching “It’s a wonderful life” since around 1970 when Jimmy Stewart said in a televised late night show that this was his favorite of all the films he acted in. At the time, I had never heard of it but because Jimmy Stewart mentioned it, I made a point of watching it. Now I watch it about once a year to remind myself that a small group of people— even one or two or four people— can make a lasting difference in the life of a community. I imagine what the historic district I now have the privilege of living in would be like if I and others had not taken a stand 30 years ago against proposals to build a concrete plant and to commercialize this otherwise residential village only half a mile from an interstate. True, this small place is but a dot on the map. Even so, the lesson holds even on a small scale. Thanks for shining a spotlight on my favorite movie and providing the history lesson which I find shocking. The fact that I am still capable of being shocked by such a history lesson is a testament to the enduring optimism of human nature
Critics didn't much like the movie when it came out in 1946 (and that wasn't because it seemed too far to the left). It caught on when it began being shown on television in the early 1970s.
The 'hoovervilles' of today are the tent cities spread across the land where homeless/house less people of all ages now try to survive. Every few months or so, even in the progressive area where I live, we see a sad obituary about a person or a young couple who froze in their tent last night. For a high school grad with no place to go and poor paying job or no job, with rents over $1000/month living is not sustainable.
Pottersvilles
Exactly
Today's '-villes' should have an updated, more pointed term. Since Reagan turned 'homeless' from an adjective to a noun, they might be named after him, but he's receded in the memory ..
😄It would be fitting. But how about Trump-Towns?
Restrictive zoning laws and unnecessary building codes that make it almost impossible to build affordable housing are a major cause of homelessness. These rules are put into place by homeowners that want to keep "undesirables" out of their neighborhood. They need to be revised and/or repealed to truly solve the homeless crisis.
This is a perfect correlation. I see these tents in parks and under bridges. Mini-towns within the cities. Shameful to see a repeat of Hoovervilles.
Seeking Reason ; Especially with all the wealth in this country, in the hands of a few.
Have a fraction of the military budget go to citizens instead and tax uber wealth higher we can all be comfortable, have health care, retirement income and afford healthy food and get educated with low or no cost.
Seeking Reason ; What I don't understand is that the Pentagon got billions more than they even asked for! The power of the lobbyists?! What about BBB? What would they do if we all got sick and died?! Or mad cow disease came back? and there was nobody to hire?
Laurie,They have not explained the extra military $ to us at all! We need to know, it is our money! They always ask for too much, knowing it will be negotiated down! I guess we’ll have to write to our congress members and hope they don’t send a form-letter back.
SeekingReason ; there are sites to email them. MA has Richie Neal in Congress for my representative. House Ways and Means. I can look it up. Good luck with yours. I always get a 'vanilla' letter. In the past I have had friends who go to his office in Springfield to actually corner him, with mixed results. He gets $$ from Big Pharma. Probably others.
These threads go back even farther, including the novels of Steinbeck, Dos Passos and others, written in the 30s & 40s. The themes of the suffering of the laboring classes, hostility to migrants ("Okies", at that time) and the need for the people to fight back against their oppressors are still relevant. Frank Capra's earlier films also had a true populist context. The Red Scare was partly a tactic to suppress media portrayals of the down sides of unconstrained capitalism - as a manifestation of the selfish side of humanity. Big institutions, including government, business, religious establishments, etc should always be monitored for overreach. A free press and a vigilant, informed population are key elements in preventing Pottersville from becoming the norm.
I fear Pottersville is becoming the norm all over America. Yes, we need a free press and a vigilant and informed population. We also need a public that will fight for what's morally right -- for an economy and a democracy that work for everyone.
After reading this post on “It’s a Wonderful Life” I’m looking forward to seeing it again, even though I’ve seen it many times. Actually, the portrayal of Potter puts me in mind of one of the “good” Republicans. It was Romney who, when seeking contributions from rich donors, said disparagingly of 47% of Americans that they were “takers”. And , of course, during last year’s COVID outbreak, these same takers were the “heroes” and “essential workers.” Very few even good Republicans support a living wage for those heroes.
Thank you for this comment. As much as Liz Cheney and Adam Kinziger (spelling?) are doing to help the House Committee on January 6 expose the truth, they are still, in the final analysis, Republicans who support Republican ideas, including abolishing social security and whatever few safety nets that exist in this country. And they are the "good" Republicans.
The other book that comes to mind for its socialist leanings is Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, where it is not only the depiction of rich people but the very fact that a family like Charlie's can have a father that works full time and yet they are as poor as they are.
I'm sure the FBI maintained a file on Charlie too
Thank you for the history lesson. Since George Bailey was also a banker, I don't know how the movie could be seen as anti-banker. Maybe Ayn Rand suffered from PTSD, seeing a Communist behind every tree.
I think Potter is perhaps more analogous to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Jamie Dimond, Wells Fargo leadership, and their ilk, who have made it clear that they look down on the "little people." On a local level, Indianapolis, where I live, has one of the highest rates of tenant eviction of any large city. Additionally, many tenants are forced to live in squalor because the landlords fail to maintain their properties, with little recourse. In response to the problem, our overwhelmingly Democratic city-county council and mayor enacted a tenant's bill of rights to give the obviously not wealthy tenants some control over their living conditions. The landlords promptly lobbied the Republican supermajority in our state legislature to enact what is termed a preemption law favoring the landlords, effectively overturning our local ordinance. I can imagine that if Potter were a real person living in Indianapolis today, he would be one of the leaders of those landlords.
I've met a few Potters in my time who don't try to disguise their greed and venality. But in my experience, most of those with great wealth and power have convinced themselves that they're simply wiser or more talented or cleverer than most others. They don't see that the system itself has given them enormous advantages (or they've been very lucky) and that most others haven't had those advantages. Quietly, they subscribe to social Darwinism.
They also don't appreciate that our society that is built and maintained by everyone supports their attainment of wealth and power. If they were dropped in, say, Somalia, they would have a much harder time. I do enjoy watching Rep. Katie Porter grilling them in hearings as only she can, taking them down a few notches.
Thank you for this information. I did not know that about Indianapolis. Having a safe place to live is one of the foundations of basic human survival. The cruelty of the Republican legislature in Indiana is despicable and inexcusable.
One solution is for the tenants to contact a local TV station and get them involved. A news story on the 6 PM news, showing squalor and unlivable conditions in the landlord's building, along with sharp questions directed to the landlord owner outside his business or home, with the landlord's name in bold letters on the TV screen, can work wonders. Most landlords value their reputation enough to fix the problems promptly.
That is a good suggestion. There has been extensive reporting in the local media, both TV and print. The health department has cited them numerous times. Even our MAGA attorney general sued one especially egregious apartment complex, to try to have a receiver appointed to manage it, but a judge denied his petition.
Unfortunately, many of these landlords are out-of-state entities with murky leadership, so they really don't care. I was astonished to learn a few years ago that there corporate behemoths that own tens of thousands of rental properties across the country. Indianapolis has developed something of a reputation as a place to buy rental property with little responsibility. Potter would love it.
What is really needed are some strong state laws. Unfortunately, self-serving business interests rule the Indiana General Assembly (unless they conflict with MAGA ideology). And the legislators from the rural areas love to stick it to Indianapolis. I have volunteered for some campaigns to try to elect better state legislators, but I don't see much change anytime soon.
I am aware that this type of thing is happening but did not know specifically about Indianapolis. Now that I know, I will be spreading the word and focusing energy to end this. Awareness is key to getting people to act. I live part time in Wisconsin and have been horrified at the republican legislature there. Ever since Scott Walker was elected governor (2011) things have gone downhill, in my observation. Ironically, Walker was the 45th governor of Wisconsin. Thank you for sharing, Carolyn. Happy New Year!
Yes, Republican legislatures do harm beyond voter suppression. I cringe every January, wondering what the Indiana General Assembly will inflict on us. Thank you for your help. And Happy New Year to you too!
Mr. Potter has become Potter Landlord Mega Corp., with headquarters in some distant city.
Yes, having the media show what's happening in real time has a profound impact. Great idea!
Re: Ayn Rand — She once appeared on the Johnny Carson Tonight show. Johnny and Ed treated her with undue respect — the sort of deference that people of real stature get. I found it a disgusting exercise in boosting her books.
Secretary Reich, this piece is wonderful. This is my favorite Christmas movie & I watch it every year. Thank you for the history behind it as I had no idea it disturbed the FBI et al. Makes me like it even more!
Thanks for your thanks, Eileen.
It's one of my favorite movies. I watch it every year, sometimes, I watch it twice. This year it felt more real than ever. I'm glad you watched it, too.
Felt more real to me, too. Odd.
I know. It was odd for me too. But, it made me feel the dismal reality that if Trump should ever come back we will be stuck in a grim Potter's world. Thank you, Robert for writing. That's so neat to me. Have a Happy and Prosperous New Year.
I love the moment in the movie Finding Nemo toward the end when all the fish are caught in the net and being hoisted to their death on the fishing boat - and the protagonist (was it Marvin? ....Dory?) keeps telling the trapped fish to swim downward. Eventually they break free.
Resistance is not futile! :)
The sort of wealth and power that we're facing, however, seems Orwellian.
Republicans have a mendacious love affair with money and power. They would label the movie as socialism, which, for them means any that helps people. They have no policy ideas and are hell-bent on building the oligarchy Russian style!
What an extremely enjoyable read of It's a Wonderful Life-- thank you! And "Trump pin up girl" is a phrase for the ages. :D (Though I'm sure Trump would deprecate Rand's appearance, as he does that of every woman, who at best just needs to have a little work done.)
Mary Ann ; Except that age is something that will tRump even 'having something done'. He would not understand real beauty of a person.
That's the inevitable plunge from the Trump-pinnacle of "just needs a little work done." Needing a little work done is as high as he'll go.
Women, you know. Commodities. Gotta keep them in line.
He thinks he deserves perfect beauty. Would not know what to do with a real woman. Only sees the superficial and wants younger, malleable (controllable). His present wife was said to not have any personal wealth.
There's no clear substitute for the control of "you only need a little work [you imperfect creature]."
Sad!
I saw that movie many years ago and loved it. It is a beautiful depiction of what humanity can be and is actually longing for, in spite of the so powerful seduction of fear and anger. On the other hand, let's not give too much credit to you know who. Unlike Mr. Potter character, the other guy is a human marshmallow; a spoiled man-child used to have all his whims satisfied. He never was an entrepreneur and even less so a stateman. Which makes me think that if him and other idiots can rule and ruin the country, it is primarily because "good people" prefer washing their hands of any civic responsibility when they find it convenient. As this stunning piece of reporting from the NYT reveals (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNDgcjVGHIw), Democrats love to talk the talk but easily excuse themselves from walking the walk when it comes to the necessity of housing, education, and tax reforms. Not the politicians; us, ordinary and well-meaning people. This NYT video could be watched as a contemporary sequel to “It’s a Wonderful Life.” At the end of the day, it is not so much about what bad people do but what good people don't. I was shocked.
Philippe. I watched the video just now. So many people talk the talk but do not walk the walk. Thank you for sharing. I love what you said, "it is not so much about what bad people do but what good people don't".
I wonder who made the video? The credits are so tiny on my phone and were not on long enough to read. I keep thinking of the quote by Benjamin Disraeli, "There are lies, damn lies and statistics" and another "consider the source" (Not sure I should give full credit to Sylvester Stallone). I recently received a card in my mail sent by 'The largest Buyer of homes in America' looking to buy my house. Then I saw news about the practice of buying homes to rent them out or destroy them and replace them with developments that are not affordable in any way to people or the environment. This is Wall Street corporate monopolization of real estate, specifically for housing. Should we blame well meaning Democrats? Just because we vote for housing bills does not mean we get good outcomes. There is much more to this story than blaming the left!
Philippe I enjoyed your comments. Actually doing something is a lost art. What we should do for starters is eliminate the filibuster, protect voters rights, ban known republican participates from Congress. We should DO something. If we only intellectualize we will wake up on the same side of the bed every morning and probably until it’s too late. My dad gave me some really valuable advice early on in life. He said son when you wake up in the morning and are ready and raring to go just understand that unless you do something nothing happens. Being in your head all the time and doing nothing is the classic example of doing the same thing expecting different results. Insanity
I think you will agree that it is never too late to do good, but in the meantime the situation can turn even uglier than it is. When those who hide their bad deeds behind the filibuster, eliminate voting rights, and foment an insurrection tell you that you are a communist for opposing them, you know that you are in nowhere land and that your good feelings will amount to zilch in fighting that kind of dishonesty. Up to now, I used to think that the Democrat political establishment was primarily at fault, notably because of the lack of an adequate answer to Republican colleagues who willingly turned into mere thugs. The video I mentioned reminded me that there is another front, which is to fight injustice locally. Ripping off poor neighborhoods for the sake of your own democrat home is at the height of hypocrisy.
What we are not doing is guaranteeing the midterms will swing heavily in favor of the Republicans and we’re back to where we started. I give you my personal guarantee Republicans will take over the Senate and the Congress
Yes, but the basic answer to regain votes is to answer people's wants and needs. The BBB ranked very high in that order. Unfortunately, almost all Democrats have proven for weeks and months that they rank it very low in their priorities. Otherwise they would have fought for it tooth and nails by showing the public where to follow the money. "Vote for us because Trump is bad" is not enough; it is treating the American people as cattle. Nothing will change in the Democratic party, and consequently in the country, until corporate money is kept out of politics. It is not Trump. It is us. The present Democratic establishment just wants us to remain fearful.
Thank you for the link you provided. On the one hand, I appreciate the exposé. On the other hand, like a lot of reporting, this conflates things and thereby misses the point. Wealthy people, no matter their party, no matter their public policy statements, tend to protect their own wealth. That dynamic is more powerful than whatever party holds more public offices or which public offices. This is why we have to get private money out of politics, why we have to make lobbying itself illegal, why we have to have government do what private citizens won't -- regulate the excesses of capitalism so capitalism isn't the only value in our culture that gets fed.
The split-second image of AOC at the Met gala captures the core truth of this superb opinion piece.
Social Justice is a lofty pursuit. It is not a spectator sport. It requires a commitment that very few of us are willing to make. Politicians are not the angels that will open our eyes to reality. Leaders of conscience are very scarce these days.
There are a few leaders of conscience. You and I would not be sharing our views in this discussion thread otherwise. Those who are in Congress, it seems to me, have the very challenging task to make progressive reforms palatable to other members whose entire career is predicated on keeping the status quo. Elizabeth Warren lost her soul in the process, eventually finding herself too beautiful under the limelight of power not to betray convictions and people she once held dear. I personally keep faith in AOC but, again, she has a heck of a job to do and I do not know how I would handle her tricky position as a politician in Washington. Therefore, I forgive the word salads she gives sometimes and hope she will be as resilient as she seems sincere. Well, that's two women on the marches of power we are speaking about; that, in itself, is progress.
AOC et al take on an unbelievable amount of threats and danger. It’s disgraceful these thugs aren’t tracked and jailed ( the ones in the US) And they can be traced!
Victor. You hit the nail on the head.
Cartoons and humor have their place. As does movie criticism. So does history. To use a current term, "Its a Wonderful Life" has been "divisive" in its responses over decades. No responsible critic called it a "great film" On Trump and Trumpism, try my analysis:
https://columbusfreepress.com/article/america-first-excavation-trumpism-and-trump-agenda
Prof. Graff, Come January, when the country will write the next chapter of its story, we’ll likely have a clearer sense of the “MAGA Legacy.” As for “the end of the Trump agenda,” presuming there is one in the foreseeable future, maybe it won’t be marked by “lasting damage to our democracy, polity, society and culture.” Perhaps those who, these past few years, have worked tirelessly to create momentum both to fortify sorely tested and now fragile institutions and also restore trust in government will be party to an era of restoration and renewal.
Setting aside your closing remarks, your portrayal of “Trumpism” astutely encapsulated its critical features.
What to do about Trump? I know what I would do. I would set up hyped interview with cameras lights and then action. Make it a big public deal. Then I would sit down with Mr. Trump face to face he in a chair me in a chair 8-10 feet apart. Then I would ask the first question, "so Mr. Trump to start this interview off, so you still believe that the election was stolen, an illegal election and you should still be president of the United States of America?" And Mr. Trump says yes the election was illegally stolen from me and I should still be president of the United States of America. I would immediately hold my hand up like a stop sign and say, "stop this interview is over because sir you are a lying piece of crap and anything else you have to say will be considered a lie also" then all the crew, staff, etc..etc.. get up and leave, like he has done to other interviewers, but let a camera roll and a microphone on to see and listen to what the lying piece of crap has to say. Heck he might even implode jump up and try and do harm to me.. but just let him sit there all by his self.. the end.