WALL STREET Clip - "Democracy?" (1987) Michael Douglas 

Amen.

and martin sheen was great too

❤yes he came into his own

Oscar™ winning performance; well deserved.

Can someone explain to me this. I was told by some lefty loser trying to destroy America that there needs to be a wealth cap. I was like you are MAD. I think we should be allowed to make as much money as we god dam like even if that means that one person gets all the wealth and everyone gets nothing, then SO BE IT. Hail TRUMP. Remember he is Jesus. Remember he is bestest, cleverest, honestest, nicest, best looking and greatest at EVERYTHING. GOT iT!!!!!!

It's in Proverbs, Bible

@@conradmanove8749The quote in the movie certainly isn't in the Bible! Proverbs 21: " There is treasure to be desired and oil in the dwelling of the wise; but a foolish man spendeth it up." The "modern" expression to which Oliver Stone and Stanley Weiser are referring in the 'Wall Street' script appeared Dr. John Bridges in his 'Defence of the Government of the Church of England' (1587): "If they pay a penie or two pence more for the reddinesse of them... let them looke to that, a foole and his money is soone parted."

Real talk!

Oliver Stone at his finest.

@@alexdumortier "Food gained by fraud tastes sweet, but one ends up with the mouth full of gravel." Proverbs 20:17

not true though. he makes peoples money be used for something people would rather buy than what is available out there. like the aeroplanes. they could be better utilised by a company that chose to have men and ugly chicks as stewardesses and had smaller bag allowances and used more remote airports. like ryan air and stansted and spirit, is that the one? btw search aubrey de grey

…and destroys!

Michael Douglas is worth $300 million so he's not totally out of character with Gordon

Everyone creates, even if it's only waste.

Yeah, ownership is one of the core principles of Capitalism: anything and everything can be owned--land, people, etc. It's why slavery persisted for as long as it did in the west and why exploitation of land and environment is far more toxic in the west or it is driven by western forces. In Capitalism, the owner is basically faultless and faces little to no consequences because ownership is more valuable than labor. That is why Socialism, as a philosophy, emerged after Capitalism, as a philosophy. Socialism was a reaction to Capitalism, which by the 19th century was perpetuating colonization, imperialism and slavery throughout the world.

Maybe the window cleaner is the owner of the window cleaning company and maybe he has 500 employees, and he just still wants to keep working in his old field of work - and not sitting behind his office desk. That happens more often than you think.

@@sukhmaidickoff interesting point but unlikely.

@@sukhmaidickoff hehe....that's a good one

@@sukhmaidickoff The owner of a window company isn't risking his life to clean windows on a skyscraper though, and we know this simply by what Gordan is saying, The truth of this world...

​@@FranklinSninsky Why do we know this? Do you *HONESTLY* think the owner of a window cleaning company typically started out as a baker, a gigolo or a carpenter? Of course not. There is a good to fair chance that he started out in EXACTLY the same business where he is the owner now. And there is a good to fair chance that from time that dude who started his window cleaning company many years ago, is also still active "in the field". And risking his life cleaning windows on a skyskraper? Why are you saying that? There is literally a "paved area" on the other side of the glass that is probably 3 feet wide - there is even a 3 feet high metal rail that protects him from falling down. And even if this wasn´t the case do you honestly think that window cleaners are using no safety measures at all - safety straps etc. and that they are risiking their lives? Naaaah. My point is that there are MANY craftsmen etc. who started out only by themselves or with 1-2 employees and who used the good and booming economic periods to expand their business so that it maybe has 200 employees now. I know several of those people. Even if those people in reality never had to work another day again, because they are already "well off" financially - there are MANY of those people who like to go out into their old field - to meet with customers and to just be in touch with what is happening in the sector where their business is. Not saying this is a bad movie - but in MANY ways there are just WAYYYY too many platitudes and too many clichees - like: *_"The rich Wall Street people are all arrogant pigz whilst the window cleaners who allegedly own NOTHING are the good people"_* - This is just so typically Oliver Stone. The clichees and platitudes are always visible in his movies.

Power dynamic of the rich is still insane and they live in a different world - yachts, islands, senators and so many things in their pockets

Even Fortune 500 Execs had to have the Latest Gulfstream Jet of the time.. their 25 Mil dollar yearly Bonuses were just not enough for them.. The Amount of Greed at that time could not even be measured.

Yet, now they insist that us little people need to decarbonize to save the planet.

They still do

@@zibtihaj3213 They still do but in the 80s they weren't afraid to show it off. That's sort of what he means. Today RICH is a four letter word. During this time everyone's dream was to to work on Wall Street. The affluent drove around in black Cadillacs with gold rim hubcaps and wore golden cufflinks. Millionaires today walk around in jeans and drive Teslas. Different times.

37 but not much has changed yeah

What Jesse Livermore said almost 100 years ago about the stock market it still holds true.

People still think that elections matter. What they don't understand is that politicians can be bought. They are hand picked and put in front for us to think we have a choice "The richest 1% owns half our nations wealth"

yes, every single word, every statement, each and every nuance is still 100%. It's all about bucks, the rest is conversation.

Much more true now

he doesn't write the lines he just reads them

Exactly!

There is you need to watch more Morden movies

Unfortunately, the recent liberalization in tech and art have made people dumb and tasteless. A garbage joke will get 100m views in tiktok. Nobody appreciates art in true acting anymore.

Very simple answer for that: Diversity over talent

Easy! Because Hollywood has become politically correct!

Explain. What levels and in what ways

​@@EvanEvansE3The opportunity and means to do it was reason enough, without moral consideration for anyone/anything else. A basic, albeit dark facet of human nature. For example a partner may cheat in an otherwise good marriage simply because an opportunity presents itself or a school bully may advantage a smaller child just because he can. Hope this helps.

@@garyblade2332 yeah very interesting. Like the kid on the playground that just wants to play "destruction". Or like you said, a cheating human, like the story of the Scorpion 🦂 and the Frog 🐸.

​@@EvanEvansE3💯 ...and of course we see it in local politics and international affairs.

That's basically the private equity playbook

You said it William. One time we did but the middle-class that sustains society is being eroded into nothing. Soon it will be the ultra rich and the poor.

Miracle, isn't it. Coming from Hollywood.

Why would they put that in a movie?

@@yangasidziya3245Because Oliver Stone is a closet Marxist. Wall Street was supposed to be an anti capitalist film, but it actually had the opposite effect on most people.

​That's like claims about systemic racism. Neither exists. Rather, only people assuming various roles in companies and in societies exist. But like a good ghost story, you don't need evidence. Just a compelling mythical boogeyman to blame for human error and stupidity.

Two words: Oliver Stone.

the worse is that they still do this shit, its a crime on day light and the prisoners own the country.

This and Ned Beatty from " Network" says it all.

this movie lives and dies with michael douglas. he made those words sing.

Motivated a few other people to prison for stock fraud and money laundering as well.

@@ChrisDutch lol. Indeed

@@ChrisDutch Too few.

Falling Down was better.

The Game is greatest role

Facts

As Tucker said a year ago, there were times when even scumbags like Gekko cared for America. Listen to his Teldar Paper speech. Those times are gone.

Perspection?

@@garyfrancis6193 thanks for bring the spelling error to my attention.

Greed? Not. More like opportunism

Clever and amusing. U think they'd die younger, excessively, and he'd have each corpse loaded with sufficient life insurance. Funeral bz is wretched and heavily monopolized. Now they pitch greener departures. Bring in your dead, and come back and get a few yards of rich soil. Fertilizer for the golf course, back yard...garden Soy, lentils.... The departed can be at one with LIFE, after all. Using apex super predators, especially older humans, as fertilizers is a highly toxic bioaccumulation project up there with using "treated" sewage water for MUNICIPAL drinking water. Unless your water is that used to wash semiconductors during their manufacturing, I don't believe the industrial bioactive contaminates, eg tritium andnither radionuclides, nano plastics and other nano elements and compounds from industry and consumer products and pharmaceutical traces are sufficiently removed. Obviously poorer and ignorant people will be drinking the treated sewage while others will use reverse osmosis, adsorbent an or ion exchange columns etc. What kind of country thinks it fine to stock stores with organic and so called "clean " foods and filtered beverages next to those that are not? Sure, get Lewy Body dementia, Parkinson's, cancer, autoimmune disorders, multidrug resistance. If you cant pay, to bad! What kind of country has municipal water unfit for long or short term human consumption?One that isnt making your safety, health , happiness or freedom any sort of priority . And one where the public is sufficiently just fine with that. Like U.$. Like UK. The enlightened civilized humanitarian West advertising it as G*ds preferred or exceptional people. Health public safety national security becoming non standing, lacking legitimacy or authority to believe . A country who's leaders, gov and bz it's people fear more than love or respect. That has to be a sign of a failed state to come or a totalITarian one.

I call them wall steelers

If you like that I highly recommend Tobacco Oud (discontinued), Tobacco Vanille, or Eben Fume

And at that time, colognes for men smelled way better than the pansy ones of today.

Great point!

Also Gecko would have tattoos and talk about how he is from the street in his heart so don't judge him by what he actually does

@@emilianosintarias7337he would be black and be selling a white guys business

He wouldn’t be allowed to smoke or be wearing a tie.

@@lordtherapeutics he would also like men not women and has some trans ones on the side

Ha, I always thought MD and PR resembled each other in 80s and 90s with that slicked back hair

@@moheganson Michael Douglas stated that he patterned Gordon Gekko after Pat Riley

It's actually giving me motion sickness.

Oliver Stone knew what he was doing.

This choice is brilliant...and in one shot...NO EDITING! 💯Man o man! Michael and Charlie are top of their game in this one. Definitely in my Top 5 all time favs.

@@paulbenford6196 Yes, the one shot on this scene was pretty impressive. They did that a few times in this film. I remember the elevator scene between Buddy (Charlie) and his dad. I remember hearing that was hard to do with one camera and one shot.

Yep, great comment. Fox follows his greed during the movie as Gekko trains him to start "getting" valuable information instead of just "giving" it. Then in this scene Fox really sees that Gekko is completely without any type of moral compass and how ruthless he really is when he finds out that Gekko has decided to sell off Blu-Star piecemeal (behind everyone's back) and make millions instead of investing in the company and making it profitable. Classic!

why do the pensions have to be in the companies names? like wtf.

Conrad Black tried to do the same thing to the pension plan for workers of a grocery chain he owned. The regulator rubber stamped the transaction only to see a court overrule it as the plan rules were murky/ did not say who actually owned the pension surplus.

Human love money. Thats answer.

With Christ returning!

Who says so? I don't think and i don't see so. Its maybe equal at most or rather the opposite

On the Cross.

When the 90% that he mentions stop being easily distracted and manipulated to fight eachother and divide.

Charlie wasn’t a great actor. Awesome comedian but very avg actor

Charlie is a shit actor unlike his father and even his brother.

@@omreb9040Charlie was still pretty young at the time and MD had Ben acting much longer. But it could be true MDs acting was better than Charlie’s but I think it’s unfair to comport Charlie to an older, more experienced actor. This was a big movie. Maybe Charlie, as a young man was nervous too-playing with MD opposite for big part of the film and already an established actor too. But I’m not disputing your assessment, but I just wanted to point that out,

His dad was the actor.

@@kittykatz4001yeah, he was only 21 here maybe 22 when film was released.

I wish more people would get this. And they've been making the rules for millenia -- you don't think that wealth realliy evaporates do ya? It gets passed on and on and on...the perpetual aristocracy.

Damn all said in a nutshell. We the working class are literally the “working class” others live rich lives from thin air wealth a “Fugazi” dust fairy.

Don't forget the symbolic constant rattling of the ice in the drinks... nothing is certain in this world.

"this is your wake up call,pal...go to work!

Yep. When you had actual actors.

Actual actors in front of other actual actors.

He creates wealth...

@@johndoe1.196 Why didn't he say so? Because he knows that in a post-gold standard world, he creates nothing.

@@dannyarcher6370 So, if you have a billion USD, it's nothing? In that case, let me take it off your hands... Besides, have you tried to build wealth? It's not easy. Not only do you have to build it, it must be maintained. Poker chips aren't commodities but can be redeemed for them, which gives them value. Skilled players build their pile of chips. building wealth is a creative skill.

@@dannyarcher6370 Create is a synonym for build. Successful creators build wealth. Not everyone is successful. It's a skill. Even destruction is a form of creation.

@@johndoe1.196 Go and read up on fiat currency and what happened on August 15, 1971 and come back to me. Wall Street has created incredibly little since that day.

Michael Douglas is a part of that worth $300 million

reduce red tape if you want more of the plebs to create and own.

Since the 80's we've imported poverty in the form of 3rd world immigrants such that 15% of our population is a baked-in underclass. This doesn't explain the rest of the weath disparity, and you can still maintain we want to still import these level of immigrants. Just saying you can't move towards an egalitarian society AND also mass import unskilled immigrants illiterate even in their own language.

He earned every cent through hard work.

@@HelloThere-jr6gd so did Gordon

Yep

Platoon was.

True story: I got into a fist fight with Gavin Newsom (a sophomore) when I (Senior at the time) was in High School. Broke his nose. Next time you see him on TV, take a look at the bridge of his nose. I gave that to him. Your welcome.

@@monsterpig3270 Why? What high school did you go to?

It’s the truth alright and he obviously is proud of it which is why I don’t like him or capitalist like him

It’s a zero sum game pal 😅

Michael Douglas absolutely hated how popular Gordon Gekko became. He really tapped into something with that performance whether he meant to or not.

“Villainy” is not determined by the mere (in)veracity of one’s beliefs, but what one chooses to do with them. Everything he’s saying has been uttered more pointedly by hundreds - hell why not millions - of critical observers of capitalism over the decades and he simply manages to repeat their words with a greasy smirk. Thus his appeal to sociology-deprived business bros who see a smug articulation of their own received preconceptions as some kind of “redpill” for lack of self-reflection. But I don’t blame them personally for the last part, which is only a function of their typically middle class upbringings. Their elitism is aspirational. In other words, having class consciousness is an essential component of genuine elitism; nobody who learns something from Gekko can do anything with it, which I guess is reassuring in a way.

Great that's exactly what we need. Another heartless out for himself Gordon Gekko.

Well the consequences of Gecko’s actions pretty much remain offscreen, so it’s easy to see him as “not that bad.” For example, we never see the retiree who loses their pension because of Gecko pumping and dumping their company. It’s easy to worship him when blinders are placed on the audience.

“Want”, not “wantED”? 🤦🏾‍♂️

The studio wanted Tom Cruise and Warren Beatty...Stone wanted Sheen and Richard Gere...that's show biz

Another wannabe coming right up 😂

Geko warned him many times..its trench warfare out there pal with No prisoners and No feelings..Its all about the bucks...Fox was naive and did NOT listen to these warnings..Geko is not a villain, in order to succeed you.must be ruthless...

lol what "life lessons".

@@spuriusscapula4829 Greed, and don't trust anyone when money is involved...

@@arisdelis1 lol you pretty much described what a villain is and then followed it up by "he's not a villain." The writer and director of the movie itself sees Gecko as a villain.

​@@spuriusscapula4829yeah, it's not life lessons at all. It's showing how fucked we are. These people are making the rules and others are just trying to get on their level instead of revolting and over taking them. Thats how you know these political talks about morals etc is BS because when it comes to money morals, what's right and what's wrong don't matter. It's all about being on top with these people.

Movies like JFK Snowden Oliver stone is a courageous man

@@rastaman39 You are certainly right on that about Oliver Stone and anybody who does not like him for what he stood for just doesn't really get it anyway. Thank you for your honesty, sir! 👍

predatory isn’t a type of capitalism, that’s literally what it is: predation on society, survival of the meanest most evil human traits

@@gking407 In regards to your assumption about capitalism not being a predatory system, like what were you trying to point out? That capitalism is some kind of "humane" system? Well, I really DO NOT think so!

@@robertpolanco1973 no i agree capitalism is not humane at all!

And what was that quote

@@thegreatluxor8807 when he gave his greed speech to shareholders at Teledar paper.

And capitalism allowed America to defeat the freaking Nazis too.

I love George, but he was a millionaire who made that money by telling jokes. The American Dream is real. The only problem is that so are ignorant narcissists who don't appreciate anything and every problem in their lives are someone else's fault.

@@StratumPress Like what the heck did you expect George Carlin to do in his life anyway? As for the so-called "American Dream," it did NOT always benefit everyone in this country and I only see the REALITY of it by how the "glorious" free-market capitalist system ends up when there has been an unending gap between the rich and the poor. Furthermore, I find your comment about it to be just typical right-wing talking points as usual.

@@robertpolanco1973 in the soviet union there was an even larger gap between haves and have nots.... cannot have rich without the poor etc... just the way it is no matter what theoretical ideology people think up

@@James_36 Well, I think that what happened in the supposed socialist countries like the Soviet Union had completely FAILED to follow the philosophical writings of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, and Vladimir Lenin on what would bring up a socialist or Communist society to true existence. What people like you have said just DOES NOT at all help on this issue and I find comments like yours to be pathetic indeed.

@@robertpolanco1973 "that was not real socialism" your comment is the only pathetic one

Except that these complex rules and regulations are usually written by men like Gecko themselves. The days of committed anti-trustors and sincere, well meaning regulators have long since given way to regulatory corporate capture.

Maybe if you got your information from places other than fictional movies, you'd have an answer.

​@jeromemaida4933 maybe if you paid attention in 2007, you'd realize that the movies are right: Wall Street execs are nothing but scum.

@@jeromemaida4933 Wallstreet is so regulated up the ass your average broker is actually afraid to get ballsy and make you solid returns. Stuff like Wolf of Wallstreet is what you see in the crypto world with no rules and how volatility where big money can be made and also lost in an instant. It’s not Wallstreet but a boiler room somewhere.

Gekko and Logan Roy would likely have some epic rants about America, capitalism, ambition, and how weak everyone else is compared to them

And two roles that are on the farthest sides of the spectrum, great range by Mikey D

Yeah and he can drink on the job

Looks like WalMart

Do we have more government regulation now than we did in 1987, or less?

@@snex000 for Wall Street? Less

@@zarategabe What the fuck are you smoking bro?

All fixed!

At least guys like Gekko formulated strategy and moved chess pieces to own companies & assets. The rest of Wallstreet was just borrowing at 0 interest rates and buying up their own stock.

@senanur1983 - I honestly don´t see a big problem in that - unlike many envious people (I am NOT saying you are one of those). The richest 1% very often also employ hundreds of thousands of people - like the Walton family, Bill Gates etc. They put bread on the table for many, many people. For me it´s not such a big problem that 1% owns that much. And to those people who disagree I just want to say: If you consider it very easy to get there - and to become one of the 1%´ers - then why don´t you start right now?

​@@sukhmaidickoffBecause you have to get lucky, and outcomes are random. All the skill in the world won't get you to the top of anything without luck. Poker being the best statistical example.

@@apachewraithThat doesn´t change that in 98% of all examples it is NOT luck - but skills and persistance - that will bring you to the top.

This scene ages scarily well.

Lunch is for wimps 😂

It was squash not racquetball.

Check out The Company Men. Very similar film in some regards.

Art doesn't do squat. People do. People make art, ergo warnings and the opportunity to save ourselves comes from ourselves.

@@utmosdemos3645 that's clearly a reaction and not a thought. Why do people make art?

Why the rich and mega-corps are doing everything possible to subvert and destroy it....

Inflation kills off more people than guns and violent crime/ Academic institutions and the gov't are heinously criminal organizations/

By “democracy,” he means everyone has an equal shot to make it

The Pledge was invented by socialists hoping to make children replace God with the State-the Pledge was the Apostle’s Creed of the new religion. Look it up. They didn’t try to hide it. Back then every intellectual was a socialist, openly and with public approval. It was the climate change of the pre-1945 world.

any names? any floors?

@@lunam7249 222 broadway. 8th floor.

Really? In what way?

He's literally worth like $350 million 😂

Politically guys. Geez

@@latenightlogic No. You don't get a job in Hollywood without being Deep State, let alone make $300+ million

@@latenightlogic He's a douchebag hypocrite, not all that different from this movie, just not as arrogant and cocky.

Do we have more government regulation now, or less?

@@snex000 For Wall St? We have less.

@@classic1984 Why are you lying?

@@snex000 You think the Dodd-Frank act made up for the deregulation of the 90's?? lol

@@classic1984 What "deregulation" dummy? You're just making shit up. The number of regulations and the number of pages they take up is objectively measurable. All they have EVER done is go up. Stop lying.

Yeah I think people often overlook this as Gordon’s motive because he’s such a sociopath that it would make sense for him to have no motive at all.

Geko saw the $75M over funded Blue Star pension and said..."its Mine" has nothing to do with retaliation..Fox is the EGO idiot who thinks he can be a NICE GUY on Wall Street and still survive....

Or Gekko planned on gutting it all along and Carl was the only one who saw through him. Seems unlikely Gekko would've spared the company if there was a quick profit to be made by killing it, blows to his ego notwithstanding.

Gekko planned to wreck Blue Star. Carl only reinforced his decision as Gordon knew Carl was onto him as to the scam

@@jameshoran8 when i see people misunderstanding motivations for something like greenmail it helps realize why corporate raiders like Gekko were/are so successful

Bernie mad off

100% How many businesses last 75 or 100 years? Not many. WHat happened to the best horse-shoe maker? Buggy whip maker? Best telegraph company. Charlie's dad was part of an airline company that was clearly not making a profit: otherwise, Gecko would have LET them make a profit and make HIS profit on top of it. Look around us: telemarketers, receptionists, insurance assessors, mall employees, human resources...how many of these jobs are not really needed and they are just bleeding a company dry and the company is already dead: not now, not 10 years from now, but 15 or 20. Visit your childhood neighborhood and see how many of the same stores are there. Not many. The businesses didnt make it. Maybe his dad would have kept his job for a few years, but the reality is that the dad's company was probably leaking money, like a boat leaks water. Eventually it sinks. Better off to sell what you can while you can before it's under water and a total loss. The dad, charlie, and gecko are all trying to make money...but some people buy and sell the boat while other people are IN the boat.

Thats one way of looking at it. If youre in it for the quick buck. But a lot of times theres more profit in rebuilding a company, growing it, expanding it, etc. Yes, this often means letting people go who have grown used to mediocrity. But its not the same as wgat Gekko did here.

Wallstreet is not Capitalism. Capitalism doesn't exist without Democracy.

He was only 21 years old

Same with Goodfellas and Scarface