Problem
The culture of capitalism turned the traditional suspicion of personal ambition on its head. Ambition began to be praised as the engine of productive innovation and capital accumulation (i.e., for more wealth creation). Though a jungle of competition, the market was embraced with the caveat "let the buyer beware." As a result, American culture has not only tolerated, but encouraged self-centered behavior. Until things fall apart. Inside Job is an expose of the frenzy of greed that overtook Wall Street and the housing market in the 2000s after 20 years of deregulating the banking industry. In this film, one sees the complicity of politicians and academic economists as well. Nor was this something new: the same thing happened in the 1980s when the Savings and Loan industry was deregulated, and at the turn of the century when energy was deregulated (Enron). Of course, not all business people are unethical. The issue is whether our culture tolerates or even encourages greed, as Messner and Rosenfeld argue. In your Main Street view, what are the most common signs the greed is tolerated, if not encouraged?