By Roman Soto
Money, an overrated concept in modern society, inevitably feeds the greedy nature of a human being. Unfortunate, yet unavoidable, greed affects many individuals confronted with the opportunity to gain more materialistic wealth, by whatever means necessary. For example, Jordan Belfort, a character in the film based on the nonfiction book The Wolf of Wall Street, distinguishes himself as a victim of a greedy state of mind. As the Wall Street hustler illegally money-laundered his way to the pinnacle of the wealthy financial community, his drive to maintain his lavish lifestyle of sex, drugs, and parties (acquired through monetary investments) illustrates his greed. Jordan Belfort’s actions and his need to acquire more material and temporary items illustrate the effects of economic wealth on him. His lack of self-control and refusal to relinquish the luxurious lifestyle he gained illegally illustrate one of the clear consequences that come with money: greed. Furthermore, an exemplary instance of money’s greedy nature, explaining its overrated status, is the King of Belgium’s colonization of the Congo. Rubber, an exponentially booming resource in the late 1800’s, located primarily in the Congo in Africa, catalyzed Belgium’s sudden invasion and colonization of the region for its valuable rubber. The King, greedy for more, ordered violent means to ensure the most efficient strategies to harvest the rubber: torture and amputation. These consequences were fear-mongering statements for the rest of the enslaved peoples of the Congo. To elaborate, the King of Belgium’s need for more rubber altered his mind, which caused him to acquire the resource by whatever means necessary. He succumbed to greed, and as a result, his refusal to relent from marketing rubber to the entire world made it one of the most horrific colonization epochs in world history. Finally, due to greed from both of the individuals, they underwent illegal and looked-down-upon methods to achieve their sought-after concept: money.
Additionally, with extreme amounts of wealth comes the criticism from the public on certain economic decisions and actions with the money. Many will criticize what an individual does with their money; where they put it, what they invest it in, or who they choose to support with it. For example, influential figures such as Elon Musk recently received criticism due to his endorsement of the Trump Administration. Tesla owners and the general public alike across the country protested his endorsement; Democrats were furious that their supposed green-energy efforts, with purchases of a Tesla, were being invested in an anti-green-energy President like Trump. On a broader scale, public backlash against Musk’s economic decision affected his status as a person and his wealth, both of which represent his character. Additionally, people such as President Donald Trump received backlash for endorsing the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Palestinian citizens across the country were furious that their own government was in favor of the horrific attacks on the city of Gaza. They criticized Trump for investing American money in the Israeli military. An individual must be prepared to receive criticism from the general public following their acquisition of large amounts of wealth.