Tag: 1%

How to Make Wealth look Undesirable: Succession

Jason 0 Comments February 17, 2024 Retire Wealthy

have a drink have a drink you beautiful kabad 
crane [ __ ] you yeah oh well well I I got to   say Well done you won yeah yeah money [Music] 
wins Here's to Us it's impossible to talk about   succession without talking about money because 
every scene is basically drowning in dollar signs   the Roy are a who owns a vast media Empire 
anchored by Amusement parks and a reactionary   right-wing News Channel as a result they live
in a world that is totally defined by wealth they   wear the finest suits and take private Jets from 
luxurious penthouses to Countryside mansions, they eat the fanciest food they drink the fanciest 
wine they have extravagant leisure activities   every single centimeter of their lives has been 
tailor made to ensure they get only the best of   the best taken as a whole The Show paints a picture of what it looks like to live with   all the money in the world conceptually it's a 
fantasy we've seen played out on screen lots of   times before from popular TV series like Dynasty, 
Dallas Gossip Girl billions and big little lies   to hit movies like crazy Rich Asians and the Wolf 
of Wall Street how to to 1% lives is a major part   of our media diet some offer a pure celebration 
of access while some cast a more critical eye.

But pretty much all of them give us the vicarious 
thrill of watching the Filthy Rich play with their   money it's pretty straightforward wish fulfillment.
Most of us live the majority of Our Lives penned   in by Bank balances that are never as high as 
we'd like so it's no wonder we lust after the   idea of a wife where all those limitations just 
melt way and we can do whatever we want all the   time look here's the thing about being rich 
okay it's [ __ ] great okay it's like being a   superhero only better you get to do what you want 
the authorities can't really touch you you get to   wear costume but it's designed by Armani there is 
a term for this 'Wealth P*rn' which describes media   that exists primarily so we can salivate over 
designer clothes and Lux Apartments the term   was coined by journalist Harry P in the year 2000 
it described the fawny news coverage of eating the wealthy in Publications like fortune and Forbes.

But 
the term 'Wealth P*rn' becomes more loaded when it's   applied to Media that's ostensibly lampooning 
this excess while arguably indulging in it. The   Wolf of Wall Street and Billions for instance have 
both Continually divided critics as to where they   fall on this spectrum, so why are we so attracted 
to stories set within society's Upper Crust. Most   obviously wealth really looks good up on screen 
from Lux Apartments to designer clothes to Exotic   locals and the cinematography typically luxuriates 
in It. Cameras whir to capture the madcap excess   or Glide serenely across each perfectly manicured 
set. But that's not quite what we get in succession   their Apartments might be huge and their dinners 
might might cost more than any car I've ever   owned, but the world of the Roys rarely looks 
all that desirable, visually this comes from   the guerilla style of the cinematography the show 
uses free roaming cameramen to create a voyeuristic and lo-fi aesthetic.

This adds a DIY clumsiness 
to a designer World it also avoids the indulgent   Poise style as most media about the 1%. One of 
the show's directors Mark Mylod told Indiewire   that when filming the Roys in any opulent location he 
always makes sure the character is leading the cinematography rather than having a camera 
pan lovingly across a fancy set it's almost   an anti-athetic in terms of The Craft he says 
The show purposely avoids depicting Wealth as synonymous with beauty, the frequently unflattering 
lighting shows every dark under eye Circle   and wrinkle to Perfection and the beige color 
palette becomes overwhelming in its blandness   as series Creator Jesse Armstrong describes 
their lives are somewhat denuded of color. In   short for once being filthy Rich doesn't look 
filthy sexy and importantly the series used onset   wealth advisers de the cast fully inhabit the 
world of the one% grounding it into day-to-day   realism of Life as a rich person The Show was able to 
effectively de-eroticize the whole thing [Music] for example one piece of advice the cast received 
was about how they made their way in and out of   the helicopter notice that none of them ever duck 
the way we'de expect most people to.

That's because   when you've been traveling out way since childhood 
it's just natural is stepping onto a train or   climbing into a car which is maybe like Why Kendal
was so comfortable inside a helicopter that he   actively tries to drunkenly Pilot one because here's 
the thing if you dead Rich your whole life these   idea of being rich just isn't all that interesting 
Cinderella stories like crazy Rich Asians and Rise   and Fall Tales like Wolf of Wall Street are 
so effective because they give the audience   an avatar who enters the world of the wealthy with 
the same dwide Wonder as we would because Wealth P*rn is   really for those of us who will never experience 
that kind of opulence or unfettered freedom in real   life in contrast succession demystifies wealth the 
show pulls back the curtain to reveal the drudgery   and degradation required to create the seemless
luxury.

Like when the Roys are getting ready to   have any decadent Feast rather than simply having 
their tasty treats appear on screen Fully formed the   show depicts every bit of the Pain sticking work 
their staff takes to prepare and serve it and   then Logan gets mad about a bad smell and oders  
the whole thing destroyed before a single bite   has been eaten and I don't want all this sat around 
in the stink Pizza we'll have pizza and so we get   to watch that same Army of service clear 
away a few rent checks worth of a haute quisine and   where succession does show A Cinderella Story it's not 
quite such a whirlwind romance.

Conner whose best   friend is Ferris Buelle is initially paying Willa to 
spend time with him as an escort before the two of   them decide to go steady who but even after the 
relationship remains transaction Willa shacks up   with a delusional rich guy twice her age because 
it's the only realistic hope she has of funding   her own creative Ambitions no matter how ill 
advised they might be you I don't need to see   the reviews you know I don't care exactly the 
plays brilliant who cares what some old white   dude from The New York Times says it's easy to 
write Willa off as a Sly opportunist but Connor   is equally complicit lording his money over her to 
get what he wants and that brings us to the second   part of wealth p*rn's appeal cuz it's never just 
about the pretty things that money can buy but   the power that comes with it enough of this [__] will
make you invincible able to conquer the world and   eviscerate your enemies.

Yet another Rich guy 
thinks money makes you a defecto Super heroe  , which recent comic book Cinema has confirmed 
what are your superpowers again I'm rich but even   if you are building Batmobiles or bulletproof 
armor wealth gives you immunity from the rules   which govern most people's lives any problem 
you encounter can be whisked away in a lurry   of dollar bills yeah yeah money wins there is a 
somewhat dangerous appeal in the idea of being so   strong that we can bend the world around us to our 
wills and the Roys are all high on this particular   power fantasy one of the great joys of watching 
Succession is the Stiletto sharp dialogue which turns   each conversation into a knife fight you don't 
do many of these sioban uh no I'm I'm hard to   get I'm exceedingly easy to get he sure you'll 
understand but he's going to need to offer an   alternative face for this discussion alternative 
face what the [_] does that mean if I drop my pants   I can show you an alternative face how does 
that sound.

These moments also give us an insight into   what life at the top as life the Roy's brutal 
way of talking to one another is a manner of   establishing dominance generally bored of their 
extreme wealth the power it gives them is the   real high and it's a vital part of their identity 
too they all have to believe that they   are corporate Warriors battering your way to the 
top of the food chain through cunning resilience   and ruthlessness in reality the Roys are rarely 
as impressive as they think they are they like   to imagine themselves playing four-dimensional 
chess as they plot and scheme their way toward   the world domination but the truth is that the 
Roys are constantly bumping up against their own   shortcommings. Kendall is an insecure mess and torn 
between a desperation for his father's approval   and a furious desire to take revenge upon him. You 
have a hard time finding a happy medium between   worshiping him and wanting to kill him he's vaguely 
pathetic even needing a personal driver for his   badass motorcycle his anxiety leads him to bungle 
two separate coup attempts and it takes nearly   losing everything for him to finally take decisive 
action.

Roman has his own inadequacy issues which   have left him emotionally detached and sexually 
um incapacitated we never [ __ ] well yeah we do   no we don't. He covers this with an air of abrasive 
bravado but when push comes to shove he is still   a little boy terrified of his father. Siobhan often 
seems like the smartest and most confident sibling   but he and she continually overplace her hand and 
finds herself caught up in Logan's games and then   there's Connor who is so insulated by wealth that 
he has effectively lost touch with reality he's a   grown man living out quixotic fantasies until 
the money rise it's a half a mill a week I've   got AusterIitz. I've got my campaign and I'm not super 
liquid so I'm just I'm just wondering if I can hit   you for like like uh a little $100 Mil a little 
$100 Mil yeah well you maybe maybe but you have   to quit your campaign and at the end of the day 
every one of these kids just wants a kiss from   Daddy [ __ ] what the [ __ ] Frank how can we 
solve this this you still want to pursue this   yeah of course I want to pursue I want to announce 
this is part of the whole thing this is the secret   sauce do we need to sweeten the offer you want to 
bump the offer another point do you want to call   your dad do I want to call my dad no I don't want 
to call my dad do you want to call your dad no no   do you want to call your dad does anybody want to 
call their dad okay nobody wants to talk to their   [ __ ] dad so we've started so let's buy this 
[ __ ] company I'm pushing the bit to 120 okay   okay the truth is that none of the Royers of the 
machia ellian Geniuses that they think they are   when their plans succeed it's rarely because they 
intellectually outmaneuvered their opponents or   executed some daring scheme is just because they 
are really really rich clearly Kendall imagines   himself as the Unstoppable boardroom Warrior 
laying waste to his enemies and seizing what   he wants reality he's just a rich kid playing his 
dad's money he wasn't able to persuade seduce or   intimidate his opponent into a deal so he's just 
thrown money at him until he agrees there's no   marriage to his victory no proof of Talent OR 
character he wins as the Roy always do simply   because of how rich he is cuz I'm going to stuff 
your mouth with so much money you're going to Gold   figurines non-disclosure agreement non- voting 
shares non-compete I'm going to lock you in a   golden cage you with a silver dildo and pay you 
so much you sing whatever song I want and that's   ultimately who the Roy are that's why the show is 
able to avoid the wealth corn trap everything in   the Roy light what's expensive and yet practically 
n of it seems desirable it's clear that we aren't   watching the Masters of the Universe go about 
their dobly business instead they're just a bunch   of entric insecure [ __ ] lording her power so 
that they can feel important and even their most   extravagant moments tend to be tied up to bet it 
they'll buy out an entire theme park to in back   their children's love or barter holidays with 
their mother to save their dad a piece of real   estate ultimately all of their Adventures boil 
down to greedy squabbles over extra dollars I love   you uh-huh great thanks no I don't know I love you 
I love this rock bye Rock you're dead what does it mean I won't let anything happen to you you told   me you told me you wanted an open 
relationship on our [ __ ] wedding night oh so you been stewing on 
that well yes I have been St enough actually I'm not a hippie shift 
I don't want to stuff a dildo up   my I don't want I don't want to 
do threesome okay on our wedding   night bang Shanghai into a into 
a open borders free [ __ ] trade deal it was just an idea well that's that's 
a biggie just to throw in at the their world   for all its luxurious fitions is cold empty 
and real lessly Petty and so are they Rich's   kaida makes them so compelling you proposed to 
me you proposed to me in my lowest [ __ ] E my   dad was dying what was I supposed to say perhaps 
no I didn't want to hurt your feelings oh thanks   thanks for that yeah you really kept me safe 
while you ran off to [ __ ] the phone book we   can to see the broken Humanity that they have 
tried to paint over in Golden Leaf the parts of   him that are desper for acceptance terrified of 
failure and haunted by childhood demons and this   is actually pretty fitting while a lot of us 
might acquaint massive wealth with happiness   a number of studies suggest things are more 
complicated there's conflicting data but one   influential study actually found that money stops 
quote unquote buying happiness once you reached a   $75,000 salary what's more a striking number of 
billionaires become clinically depressed upon   hitting a big some researchers think that this is 
because material wealth can isolate you from other   people leading you to Value Independence 
over human connection and that's possibly   because only lots of fancy makes you feel more 
competitive with those around you it this kind   of isolation and lack of human connection 
is Right throughout succession we see it   in the jumpy dislocated camera moves and sterile 
environment and in the way the characters treat   each other when a recently sord of kidnapped 
Roman TR has to share his feelings with the   siblings he is roundly mocked for showing even 
a trace of vulnerability our feelings how am I   the mature one here we don't have any feelings 
what are you talking about in this way rather   than gawking at their Ladish Lifestyles or 
brilliant power moves the show reveals the   character's deeply damaged course their pettiness 
their jealousy their constant self- sabotage and   there's nothing pornographic about it however much 
we enjoy watching them screw each other like to be   married to a man with two [ __ ] if I was to give 
Tom a letter grade i' give him a B+ for Bad Plus terrible that was all [ __ ] me they hit me from 
every [ __ ] sign it's okay Tom you did good oh   I didn't get enough resour spend on me okay what 
the [ __ ] is going on I'm getting I was [ __ ]   from every direction are you [ __ ] me shiv Tom 
huh I'm the psy I'm the meat and the sandwich as   Jerry is a Bulletproof Monk Kendall Lan in reserve 
I'm the meat and the [ __ ] sandwich Cal down oh   [ __ ] fu oh [ __ ] oh [ __ ] oh [ __ ] okay 
oh [ __ ] guys everything is fine nothing bad   is happening here oh man oh my God [ __ ] man 
I just turned down a quarter of a billion and   now I'm going to jail forever cuz of this [ __ ] 
guy man this [ __ ] you outside out [ __ ] side now unbelievable [Music] Jess we keep an eye on you okay it's all right what a 
[ __ ] show what a [ __ ] [ __ ] show

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