# Works that show the rich as hardworking and in a positive light **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 26, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427 "2015-12-26T21:32:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/1 "2015-12-26T21:32:47Z")
It’s a commonplace to show the rich at leisure or scheming , or the mill-owner kicking the pleb, or the crooked share-dealer, or the generic evil capitalist ruining people’s lives, but many - if not most - rich people are self-made, and work hard for their money. So what are the works that show the rich actually at work positively or at least sympathetically? ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/2 "2015-12-26T21:35:42Z")
Batman. ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/3 "2015-12-26T21:36:00Z")
- Schindlers List \* ? ---
**Author:** ![Evil\_Captor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/f17d59/32.png) [@Evil\_Captor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Evil_Captor)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/4 "2015-12-26T21:41:36Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > It’s a commonplace to show the rich at leisure or scheming , or the mill-owner kicking the pleb, or the crooked share-dealer, or the generic evil capitalist ruining people’s lives, but many - if not most - rich people are self-made, and work hard for their money. So what are the works that show the rich actually at work positively or at least sympathetically? Anything based on Ayn Rand’s books. Nobody else slobbers on rich knobs like she does. ---
**Author:** ![Penfeather](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penfeather/32/384_2.png) [@Penfeather](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Penfeather)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/5 "2015-12-26T21:55:23Z")
Well, everyone remembers Dickens for creating Scrooge, but _Nicholas Nickleby_ also gave us the self-made tycoons _cum_ jolly philanthropists the [Cheeryble Brothers](http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/nicholas-nickleby/whos-who/): > [@](#): > > ” . . . Natural affections and instincts, my dear sir, are the most beautiful of the Almighty’s works, but like other beautiful works of His, they must be reared and fostered, or it is as natural that they should be wholly obscured, and that new feelings should usurp their place, as it is that the sweetest productions of the earth, left untended, should be choked with weeds and briers. I wish we could be brought to consider this, and remembering natural obligations a little more at the right time, talk about them a little less at the wrong one.” ~ Charles Cheeryble ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 9:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/6 "2015-12-26T21:59:42Z")
\*Annie Iron Man\* ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 10:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/7 "2015-12-26T22:34:41Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > _Iron Man_ Good one. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/8 "2015-12-26T22:39:51Z")
_White Christmas._ ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/9 "2015-12-26T23:07:34Z")
_American Madness_ – Walter Huston plays a rich banker who lends money in unconventional ways, by trusting people to do the right thing. He’s so beloved that, when there’s a run on the bank due to missing money, and he is threatened with jail, all his friends gladly get together to raise the cash. Directed by Frank Capra, who stole . . . returned to the theme some years later. _Other People’s Money_ – the Gregory Peck character is wealthy but feels a responsibility to keep his plant open to support his community. _Mr. Deeds Goes to Town_, though Deeds gets his money by inheriting it, he wants to use it to help others. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/10 "2015-12-26T23:36:26Z")
> [@Penfeather](#): > > Well, everyone remembers Dickens for creating Scrooge, but _Nicholas Nickleby_ also gave us the self-made tycoons _cum_ jolly philanthropists the [Cheeryble Brothers](http://www.charlesdickensinfo.com/novels/nicholas-nickleby/whos-who/): It’s a long time since I read Nickleby, but were we actually shown them hard at work? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/11 "2015-12-26T23:42:19Z")
Vonnegut’s _God Bless You, Mister Rosewater_, though arguably Eliot Rosewater’s philanthropy was driven more by the traumas he suffered in World War 2 than anything resembling _noblesse oblige_. ---
**Author:** ![journeyman\_southpaw](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/5e9695/32.png) [@journeyman\_southpaw](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/journeyman_southpaw)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/12 "2015-12-26T23:46:28Z")
United Passions, that [godawful FIFA movie?](http://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/jun/04/united-passions-review-tim-roth-sam-neill-gerard-depardieu) ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [December 26, 2015, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/13 "2015-12-26T23:55:56Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Vonnegut’s _God Bless You, Mister Rosewater_, though arguably Eliot Rosewater’s philanthropy was driven more by the traumas he suffered in World War 2 than anything resembling _noblesse oblige_. This thread isn’t really interested in philanthropy but a positive showing of the rich working. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/14 "2015-12-27T00:05:23Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Anything based on Ayn Rand’s books. Nobody else slobbers on rich knobs like she does. Especially _Atlas Shrugged_ . . . and only \*some \*of the rich. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 12:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/15 "2015-12-27T00:05:58Z")
Downton Abbey. There’s a lot of leisure on the surface, but Lord Grantham’s sense of responsibility to his employees and his hard work running the estate is a recurring theme. Even the girls are expected to work hard at ladylike endeavors, including charity work. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/16 "2015-12-27T00:08:14Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > This thread isn’t really interested in philanthropy but a positive showing of the rich working. Well, Eliot was apparently an energetic volunteer fireman, in addition to listening to sob stories and doling out small amounts of cash to the poor. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/17 "2015-12-27T00:37:45Z")
> [@Evil\_Captor](#): > > Anything based on Ayn Rand’s books. Nobody else slobbers on rich knobs like she does. > [@panache45](#): > > Especially _Atlas Shrugged_ . . . and only \*some \*of the rich. I’d say only _Atlas_. Of her 3 main fictional books: - _We the Living_ doesn’t have any rich people. - Most of the rich in _The Fountainhead_ are portrayed negatively. The hero becomes successful eventually, but for most of the book is poor-- sometimes dirt poor. - _Atlas_ has a fair number of rich people portrayed positively, but at least as many portrayed negatively. ---
**Author:** ![ChickenLegs](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ecc23a/32.png) [@ChickenLegs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ChickenLegs)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/18 "2015-12-27T02:22:28Z")
The Blacklist? Raymond Reddington hands out suitcases full of money all the time. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 2:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/19 "2015-12-27T02:36:25Z")
> [@Quartz](#): > > This thread isn’t really interested in philanthropy but a positive showing of the rich working. Where’s the drama/conflict in that? That would be more to be expected in an admiring biopic, and even admiring biopics will find some warts/feet of clay to throw in in order to not come across as a hagiography. I’d say in fictional world-building unless there is a plot point to be made about what an exemplar of excellence or what a slacker a character is, we presume that s/he does their job or runs their business as well as anyone else and there’s no point to be made in gushing about it. If a character is generally presented as having started a prosperous business, we don’t need to watch her working late nights on the books and going into the production line to solve problems unless those traits of her character will be relevant to the plot. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [December 27, 2015, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427/20 "2015-12-27T02:43:30Z")
The Cosby Show? Doesn’t show Cliff and Claire at work a ton, but when it does they obviously are good at their jobs and work hard (and long hours, as one would expect from an obstetrician and a lawyer.) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/works-that-show-the-rich-as-hardworking-and-in-a-positive-light/741427.md?page=2)