You are all undoubtedly aware of the financial crisis of 2008, which wreaked havoc on the global economy and upended many people’s lives. It has been chronicled by numerus films and TV documentaries—among them The Big Short. This film explores the crisis through the lens of four large banks on Wall Street.
You may have seen this film, but if you have, watch it again, because you are now being asked to view it through the lens of this course and the analysis of crimes of the powerful. Watch it with your spouse or partner or roommate! You may also want to pop some corn to go with it, because it is a full two-hour feature film. I would suggest you take notes to keep the characters and storyline straight.
Your discussion posts should address these questions:
-How would you summarize the events leading up to the crisis (be brief)?
-What are some actions that could legally be defined as criminal? What are the actions that were not criminal but you think should have been?
-What is the social harm caused by the bankers In this story, and what are its consequences?
-How did relationships of power contribute to the crisis and then affect the aftermath of the collapse?
You are required to contribute one original post to start with, and then at least four additional posts in conversation with the class. Your initial post should be about 3 paragraphs in length and include some observations of what you think is interesting about this story.
Use information from the textbook file included for “crimes of the powerful”, “social harms”, “white collar crimes”, etc.