There are few phrases better than “eat the rich.” From dresses at the Met Gala lobbying for higher taxes (courtesy of AOC) to enamel pins in the bin at Hot Topic, it is clear that the general public has an aversion to the wealthy staying wealthy. It is, unfortunately, the way that the world works. This disdain for the 1% is a popular commentary that has permeated every corner of pop culture. The most prevalent, from what I have gathered in recent years, is within modern filmmaking. In short, I believe that classism is a theme that we all know and can relate to, no matter what language we speak or genre we like the most.
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines classism as “a belief that a person’s social or economic station in society determines their value in that society.” In terms of this coming up in films, it is an easy one to spot. For this article, I will reference Titanic (1997) and Parasite (2019).
Titanic (1997), directed by the legendary James Cameron, is a historical fiction about the sinking of the real Titanic ship in 1912. The main story of Jack and Rose is fictional, making it one of the most popular romances in contemporary cinema history. The reason why I bring this up, however, is to mention how classism plays a role in this film.
Titanic, being historical, reflects the classic ways of transportation in the early 1900s. The ship was organized by wealth, with the rich at the top and the poorest on the bottom. The passengers were ironically separated by classes similar to the makeup of a flight: first, second, and third class. Third-class passengers made up the bulk of the count (709 of the total 2,240). Only 712 survived the tragedy, mostly from the first class. Obviously, this is a backwards statistic that perfectly mirrors how a classist society viewed status over human life.
This matters in this discussion mainly because James Cameron ensured these plot devices were prevalent in the film. From the very beginning (of the main story), there is the boarding scene where Rose is seen guiding her luggage in parallel with Jack being packed into a room he can’t afford. The Bukater family, along with all the other first-class families, was allotted a large amount of space for their art, jewelry, clothing, etc. Meanwhile, the third-class passengers were sleeping with bunk beds and rats.
In the scenes where the boat begins to sink, the third-class passengers are left to fend for themselves, having to steal life vests from one another and receive no directional assistance to the top deck. It is safe to imagine that most of them had never even been to the top of the ship. A line that sticks out comes from one of the side characters. As he evades the rising water, the rats on the ship are also running away, and he says, “If it’s good enough for the rats, it’s good enough for me.” Of course, there are so many others, but I want to move on to a more recent and equally famous film.
Parasite (2019), directed by Korean director Bong Joon-Ho, is the first non-English film to win Best Picture at the Academy Awards. The story follows a poor family and their schemes to swindle a rich family. Each member of the poor family (the Kims) is unemployed and living in unhealthy conditions. Their efforts to become acquainted with the Park family eat away at their morals in the gripping social commentary about class.
The film as a whole is NOT for the faint of heart. It is violent and gross in several ways, forcing the audience to deal with their biases as the Kims unravel into tragedy. It is also important to mention that Parasite still matters even though it is a Korean-speaking film. Money talks; it speaks every single language.
My favorite scene from Parasite to use for this example is incredibly pivotal for the plot. To avoid spoiling it, Mr. Kim was given a job as Mrs. Park’s driver. She sits in the back on the phone, having an inappropriate conversation and making gestures that she knows he can see. The image itself was used as a meme; however, with the proper context, it hits home in a few different ways.
Between these two films (and so many more across the world), it is clear that we all know money can corrupt. It is said that the love of money is the root of all evil. I propose that a trope all human beings can get behind is classism/the disruption of classism because it is something we each desire deep down. The sad part is that we cannot afford to be without it.