Harlan (who represents the Anglo-American Elite) is getting ready to die (no empire lasts forever) and Harlan's children (who have ridden on Harlan's coattails their whole lives) are expecting to inherit his wealth. Harlan's daughter Linda expects the property, Walt expects to control the corporations, and they all expect to receive millions in cash. However, Harlan has been spending time with Marta (an immigrant), and he admires her spirit. He decides that his spoiled, entitled children (who represent the Boomers) don't deserve a "red dime" and cuts them off, giving everything to Marta. Wanetta (Harlan's mother, who represents the Victorian Elite) approves (perhaps she has money of her own, she is not competing for the goods).
The political nature of the movie is not lost on most people. Indeed, the Anglo-American Empire has committed suicide. Indeed, the class of wealthy Europeans who grew up and profited under the Anglo-American Empire are being bequeathed nothing but their own debts. Indeed, immigrants are being given pride of place in the post-imperial splinters of what used to be the Anglo-American Empire. The repeated references to the game of Go is the strongest indication of where the elites are headed next (Japan/China). The end of the movie hammers the point home: the children of empire are looking up at the new master of their "ancestral" home, and Marta is drinking from Harlan's coffee cup (My House, My Rules, My Coffee).
The political point is this: Anglo-American Elite made their money with their own talent and grit. In fact, they made the money itself. The nation prospered under their rule, and they owe the nation nothing. They built it up, they can destroy it or give it away and we have nothing to say about it. Now, this is little more than a conceit. The fact is, the Victorian Elites arrived in New York with tons of ill-gotten gold, stolen from every corner of the planet. Their grit revolved around stealing and then marketing the works of geniuses. Their talents were limited to financing networks of agents who have woven a rich tapestry of fake history for us. From Dinosaurs to Moon Landings, the world we grew up in was built on nothing but hot air. We never had a chance.
The political nature of the movie is not lost on most people. Indeed, the Anglo-American Empire has committed suicide. Indeed, the class of wealthy Europeans who grew up and profited under the Anglo-American Empire are being bequeathed nothing but their own debts. Indeed, immigrants are being given pride of place in the post-imperial splinters of what used to be the Anglo-American Empire. The repeated references to the game of Go is the strongest indication of where the elites are headed next (Japan/China). The end of the movie hammers the point home: the children of empire are looking up at the new master of their "ancestral" home, and Marta is drinking from Harlan's coffee cup (My House, My Rules, My Coffee).
The political point is this: Anglo-American Elite made their money with their own talent and grit. In fact, they made the money itself. The nation prospered under their rule, and they owe the nation nothing. They built it up, they can destroy it or give it away and we have nothing to say about it. Now, this is little more than a conceit. The fact is, the Victorian Elites arrived in New York with tons of ill-gotten gold, stolen from every corner of the planet. Their grit revolved around stealing and then marketing the works of geniuses. Their talents were limited to financing networks of agents who have woven a rich tapestry of fake history for us. From Dinosaurs to Moon Landings, the world we grew up in was built on nothing but hot air. We never had a chance.
