The Big Short (film Reaction Paper)

THE BIG SHORT

Film Reaction Paper

I.

Among the characters in the movie, I believe I am most similar to Ben Rickert. His character was portrayed by Brad Pitt as a former trader who believed that not only the market, but the whole world, was going down. He used to be a trader who has come across large banks and transacted with significant trades. Rickert discontinued his trading career after he sensed irregularities which lead him to a conclusion that the whole system and the whole world would necessarily fail. At the latter part, Rickert revealed that he hated banking because their success on betting against the American economy meant numbers. Numbers of unemployment and deaths are prevailing as the economy fails.

Rather than being described as a pessimist, I believe Rickert is more of a realistic person. Taking into consideration the risks and possible negative outcomes have been very notable in my personality. I was always being realistic rather than idealistic. Not that Ben and I are always being negative on how the world works but being doubtful is just some kind of defense mechanism for me. Being cautious is an avenue for me to cling on to a safer choice. Also, I tend to look at the majority before I make a decision. As Rickert felt uneasy because of the failing economy, I also consider which options are better for the majority despite having the chance to claim a selfish success.

One of the disadvantages of being Ben Rickert is that I can lose the opportunities in my career when I stopped trading. Similar to my personality, I occasionally place myself on the safer side to avoid complications. In that way, I am also eliminating all the chances to take risks for higher returns. Another disadvantage is that the role of being a trader can put an individual in a dilemma to bet against the majority. Traders are forced to choose the “lesser evil”.

II.

        The first group of people I wanted to send to jail was the group of mortgage broker who makes money by selling risky mortgages to Wall Street banks. These men bragged that they need not to check and verify the background of their clients applying for loans. Their main concern was to sell and make money for themselves. Upon investigation, Mark Baum discovered that the brokers’ businesses are fraudulent. They put inaccurate information such as the income of the client just to sell their mortgages. This can easily trigger the downfall of the housing market.