New York- the city that never sleeps, the city of lights, and the place to be if you want to “make it”! These are long held beliefs about what New York is all about. My idea of “Uptown”/wealthy New York consists of busy streets, elite artwork, and of course- specific types of people; high-class, well-dressed people walking around, or even riding around, the city. Unfortunately, I also have this image of people who just can’t get enough, people who are always craving more. I have always believed that wealthy/“Uptown” New Yorkers are people who have either acquired their wealth through corrupt means or have been lucky enough to have rich parents.
Oliver Stone’s Wall Street accurately epitomizes my idea of “Uptown”/wealthy New York. The setting of the movie helps in creating this “Uptown New York” feeling. The movie starts with everyone rushing through the morning commute and busy streets to get where they need to be. The clothing of these people also adds a sense of how the people in wealthy New York are dressed. Most of the businessmen are wearing suits and ties while the businesswomen are wearing business-casual clothing with heels. When I am in the subways, I can almost predict if someone is heading to a wealthy city building just by how they are dressed. Similarly, Stone makes it very obvious that the people who are a part of wealthy New York must fit a certain “standard”. This standard ranges from how the people are dressed to how the people act.
My idea of wealthy New York consists of people who are never happy with what they have. Gordon Gekko is an epitome of my idea of a wealthy New Yorker. He has more than he needs; he has a wife, a side-chick (Darien), and a job on Wall Street. Still, he wants more and declares that he “makes the rules” (Stone, Wall Street). Not only does he believe that the world revolves around money, but also he has an enormous ego. His ego drives him to believe that “greed is good” (Stone, Wall Street). Comparable to many other “Uptown New Yorkers”, he thinks that greed is the driving force of success. Gekko is willing to do whatever it takes to have money because that is ultimately all he cares about.
As a native New Yorker, I have always paid close attention to what separates an average New Yorker from a wealthy/rich New Yorker. As a child, I always wanted my family to drive the best car and wear the best clothing. However, I now accept that this was and continues to be my idea of what wealthy New Yorkers do. Stone also affirmed my conclusion that these wealthy New Yorkers are never happy with what they have. My image of “Uptown”/wealthy New York will always consist of people such as Gordon Gekko.
