Ascent of Money 1

I found the first part of the Ascent of Money documentary very interesting. I can think of issues I am currently passionate about now and relate them back to the documentary which is really interesting. First of all, I thought it was very interesting how the history of antisemitism and treatment of Jewish individuals is deeply rooted in money. This is a way money and behavior connect. The documentary stated that Christians couldnt owe interest because it was a sin, but Jews could. This caused a lot of business to be done with Jewish individuals, but they still dealt with antisemitism. They lived in very isolated areas and did not always receive fair treatment. Ss the documentary mentioned, Shylock in Shakespheare’s The Merchant of Venice was highly villainized and shed in a very negative light. We can trace this back to the fact that he was the only Jew in the story. This to me is the biggest example of the connection between money and behavior. This even connects to now. Money and greed can draw people to do very bad things. For example, the college admission scandal of 2019. This proves that people with money can draw them to do bad things. On the other hand, there are als people who will do bad things for money. It works both ways.

The other part I found most interesting was the part where he talked about the value of money. I have never thought about what the value of money really is. The paper and metal we print and engrave to make currency has no real value. A slip of paper means nothing. It is the value we assign to it. This goes back to the Babylonoan clay tablets used for money and how they represented the promise to pay. This documentary so far has put the concept of the history and value of money in a new light. I never knew that money had a background so embedded in culture, religion and behavior.