Popular culture has given us thousands of square-jawed heroes and fair maidens to love. And it’s given us equally as many characters to hate – jerks, crazies, and killers like Hannibal Lector and Annie Wilkes come to mind, but we reserve a special hate for the wealthy villains of pop culture.
Here is a list of the top 6 rich pop-culture characters and why we love to hate them.
6. Mr. Burns (The Simpsons)
Why You Should Hate Him:
The billionaire owner of the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant has been a thorn in the side of this cartoon town for more than 20 years. His thirst for wealth is matched only by his burning desire to make those around him unhappy.
Why You Should Love Him:
Mr. Burns’ antics are always worth a laugh and he is even endearing in his miserly ways. Here is an example from the show:
Mr. Burns: Get me Steven Spielberg.
Smithers: He’s unavailable.
Mr. Burns: Then get me his non-union Mexican equivalent.
5. The Donald (Donald Trump)
Why You Should Hate Him:
Pop-culture characters we love to hate can be real people, too. Trump has amassed a fortune in the real business world but that hasn’t stopped him from creating a TV persona to go with the public’s perception of him as a crass and cutthroat businessman.
Why You Should Love Him:
Firing apprentices at will, Trump has set himself up as a two-faced ogre who will bring you in, give you a chance to prove yourself, then toss you out on your can when it suits him. What’s not to love? Combine that with Trump’s merciless self-promotion (and haircut!) and you’ve got a recipe for entertaining television.
4. Gordon Gekko (Wall Street)
Why You Should Hate Him:
This guy’s mantra: “Greed is good” pretty much says it all.
In 2008, Gekko was named as the fourth wealthiest fictional character by Forbes magazine – they attributed him with 8.5 billion dollars.
Gekko is all about the big deal, preferably snatching it out from under the nose of a competitor. Any way is a good way when it comes to sealing the deal. Let’s see if he’s learned the error of his ways in the upcoming Greed sequel. I’m thinking… not.
Why You Should Love Him:
Michael Douglas gives an outstanding performance of the unscrupulous corporate raider Gekko, which won him an Oscar for Best Actor in a Leading Role.
A review by New York Times writer Vincent Canby praised Douglas’ performance as “the funniest, canniest performance of his career.”
3. J.R. Ewing (Dallas)
Why You Should Hate Him:
It’s rare that a fictional villain will actually enjoy being a villain and that could be why J.R. is so easy to hate. Messing around, cheating business associates, having his wife committed, Ewing has done it all with gusto. It’s clear that he’s in the oil business just to get his hands dirty. Talk about crude.
Why You Should Love Him:
I’m not sure but I’ll bet the J.R. Ewing Fan Club could somehow explain his appeal. Or maybe we like JR because it felt so good when he was shot.
2. Henry F. Potter (It’s A Wonderful Life)
Why You Should Hate Him:
It’s odd that the season of giving, has given us the top two rich characters we love to hate. The perennial mischief from these two, when the carolling begins, speaks for itself though.
Henry Potter’s scheming to deliberately ruin poor George Bailey on Christmas Eve is about as low as you can get.
Why You Should Love Him:
He might just be a long lost twin brother to a certain former Vice-President. It’s hard not to enjoy an angry looking white-haired balding rich man in a wheelchair (real or fictional).
1. Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol)
Why You Should Hate Him:
Scrooge has been his miserly worst for more than 160 years. Whether in the original novel or in countless adaptations, Scrooge has set out to ruin everyone’s Christmas, not just poor Bob Cratchit’s and Tiny Tim’s. Greedy, heartless, uncaring, plain ol’ mean, Scrooge set the bar, which others have tried to reach. They don’t get any nastier.
Why You Should Love Him:
It was Scrooge and his redemption that helped the reader – and later the movie watcher – to focus on the important things during the holidays: family and friends.
There they are, the cream of the crop or the bottom of the barrel, depending on your point of view. Villains and scoundrels all, yet they have entertained us for centuries and will continue to do so for many years.
We watch them work, we hope they fail and, in some cases, they redeem themselves and all the while we love to hate every minute they’re doing it.
This is a guest article by Andrew Salmon – a Vancouver based author and freelance writer. Andrew contributes blog posts on a variety of topics including life insurance in Canada. If you are interested in submitting content to Weakonomics please see the guest posting policy.
 By The Weakonomist |
The Weakonomist is the founder of Weakonomics. Clicking the picture of the puppy will tell you more about him. If you like what you're reading consider subscribing to the blog, following him on Twitter, and checking out the related posts below. Please consider a donation if you really enjoy Weakonomics. Also keep in mind that nothing I say can be construed as financial advice. |
| Related Websites |
Said,
Kind of funny that 5 of the 6 aren’t real people…What does that say about The Donald
Evan´s last blog ..What are Deferred Annuities? Fixed vs. Variable Deferred Annuities