"It is a Wall Street Government"

I have always wondered if there were some person or some company to blame for the collapse of our economy. Why is such a “powerful” country not prospering like it used to? Inside Job exposes the frightening truth: a small group of wealth-hungry people controls our entire society. The top 1% of the U.S. prospers by digging a deeper and deeper hole for the rest. This documentary pinpoints the causes and effects of the financial crisis our country is facing. Not only that, this documentary puts faces to the businessmen infesting Washington. 

This film helps expose people working in the in the deregulation industry. The eerie, unsettling personality typical of these “1-percenters” is clearly seen during Glenn Hubbard’s meeting. While being interviewed, Hubbard suddenly becomes very defensive and almost hisses at the camera: “Give it your best shot.” It is then clear: these men know what they’ve done, they know how to continue what they’re doing, and they will not be stopped or punished unless the law interferes.

I assumed the film would go on to praise Obama’s reforms, and when he was featured, I began to feel that sense of hope connected to our president. But as Damon continued to narrate, he told of Obama’s participation in the corruption. My heart sank as Damon listed a handful of people who were appointed by Obama: William C. Dudley, whose paper with Glenn Hubbard praised derivatives; Mark Patterson, a former lobbyist for Goldman Sachs; Gary Gensler, who helped ban the regulation of derivatives.  Why did Obama appoint businessmen who again and again make decisions that hurt the middle class? I felt a sense of hopelessness. As stated towards the end of the film, for the first time in history, average Americans have less education and are less prosperous than their parents. This quote left me reflecting, and now, a few days later, I am still asking myself: “Is there any hope? Or is our government too corrupted by money-thirsty ‘politicians’ to be turned around?” Inside Job was powerful, but from it I only received a hopeless message.