Rich Man, Poor Man

[Skidmore]

This holiday has been a quiet one. Just the two of us. A small meal and a long viewing of "Rich Man, Poor Man," the mini-series from the 1970s based on Irwin Shaw's book of the same name. I'm struck by how many issues, political, social, and economic, addressed in in this offering still exist in today's society. Wealth distribution, taxes and loopholes, bigotry and bullying, power and dysfunction. It is well worth seeing again how, in some ways, we have changed very little as a nation over the past 30 some years.

[Mojeoux]

1. Just watched Jimmy Stewart in Capra's "Mr Smith goes to Washington."

And I was blown AWAY at the reoccurring themes!!! Astonishing.

[Sarah Ibarruri]

2. We've gone down hill from Reagan (1980) to the present nt

[no_hypocrisy]

3. The last scene where Tom is dying and says to his brother, Rudy

"Go get the bad guys . . . " and Rudy, choking on his tears, admits "I'm afraid I may be one of them."

That was a good series.

[libinnyandia]

4. I've been reading The Herblock Gallery by Herbert Block,

from the 60's. As they say: the more things change, the more they stay the same. Same problems, the same left/right divide. The same lies by Republicans.

[pacalo]

5. I had rented this through Netflix during the summer & had the same reaction.

Most particularly, the congressional inquiry of Rudy, the motivation behind it, & the behind-the-scenes dynamics between congresspeople.