We still should treat people and responsibilities in the same way that George Bailey treated the people of his small town.ģ. How does the moral of this film apply to today’s more anonymous society in which we haven’t grown up with the people that we live near or work with and don’t know their families? See Discussion Questions for Use With any Film that is a Work of Fiction.Ģ. The problem is that you have to remember what prompted you to tie the string on your finger.ġ. One of the traditional and antiquated ways of reminding oneself to do something is to tie a string around your finger. Gower’s son at college from influenza is reminiscent of this tragedy. In India it is estimated that 12,500,000 people died from flu during the pandemic. It struck hardest at adults 20 to 40 years of age, a group which usually survives influenza. The strain of influenza prevalent in 1918 – 1919 was particularly lethal. Usually, flu seasons bring illness to millions but death only to people who have weak respiratory or immune systems. This was one of the worst worldwide sieges of illness ever suffered by humankind. Some 25 million people died of the disease. Today the S & L industry is but a shadow of its former self with commercial banks having taken over most of the residential lending market.įrom 1918 – 1919 the world suffered a pandemic of influenza. In 1989, deposits in S & Ls came to be insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), the same agency that insures deposits in banks.ĭeregulation of the S & L industry in the 1980s spawned abuses that almost wrecked the industry and cost the American taxpayers trillions of dollars. This gave the public reassurance in the stability and safety of the industry. The banking reforms of Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal brought savings and loans under Federal supervision and insured the shares of their stockholders. Thus, few banks or S & Ls could survive a mass withdrawal by their depositors. Banks and S & Ls made their money by lending their depositors’ funds to others. Banks that were unable to meet this demand failed. Banks were subject to “runs” in which many of their depositors demanded all of their deposits back. Originally, savings and loans restricted themselves to lending money for the purchase of houses.ĭuring the Great Depression (1929 – 1940) the banking industry was very unstable. Account holders were called members and had the right to vote in the selection of directors as their representatives to operate the business. Most savings associations were mutual organizations, owned by those who had deposits.
The term “building & loan,” used in the film, is a less frequently employed name for an S & L. At one point, savings and loans financed the purchase of more homes nationwide than any other type of financial institution. By 1890, S & Ls could be found in all U.S. They accepted savings from individuals and reinvested those funds by lending them to people who wanted to build or buy homes. By the mid-1800s, permanent savings and loan associations had been established to serve the average citizen. in 1831, when a building society was started in Frankford, Pennsylvania.
Beginning in the late 1700s, groups of workingmen would make regular payments to the societies which would provide money to the members for use in building houses. Savings and Loans (S & Ls) developed from the building societies of Great Britain. He has a lifelong competition with the town’s richest businessman who, despite his vast wealth, will do anything to make another buck. He makes sure that the S & L is operated for the benefit of its members and serves the interests of the community. Bailey, as head of the town’s savings and loan association, keeps his own salary at a reasonable level.
Wonderful world movie movie#
This movie contains valuable lessons for the 21st century, especially in these days of rampant corporate and business greed. Finding the right balance between self-fulfillment and dedication to others is a major developmental task, indeed, it is a challenge for all age groups. In the view of this film, a wonderful life depends upon family, friends and having an honest job that contributes to the community. In addition, it presents the counterargument to the contention that young people should follow their own star, leave the community in which they grew up, and go out into the world. “It’s a Wonderful Life” teaches that everyone can make a difference by living a responsible, caring life.
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