And the Golden Globe goes to…The Social Network. Were you surprised by the win? After all, the other nominees were arguably much better films. The King’s Speech examined the private side of King George VI, the British ruler extolled for his commitment to his people and land during the Second World War. Darren Aronofsky’s The Black Swan tells a darker, compelling tale, about art and doppelgangers. From an artistic perspective, it’s clear: The wrong film took home the award. But ultimately, The Social Network speaks to our time, which makes it a powerful picture. Even here at the IJN, having just joined Facebook ourselves, we got a thrill watching all about the social networking site’s conception and inception.
Of course there’s the unspoken question: What did the film say about Jews – and about Harvard? Let’s be honest: Deep down – or for many of us, on the surface – there’s envy. Here’s a guy, a kid really, who in a matter of years becomes the world’s youngest billionaire. And he didn’t even invent anything new. He simply took ideas that existed (such as MySpace) and made them better. Doh, why didn’t I think of that, is what most viewers are thinking.
Luckily Aaron Sorkin made it easy for us, and we thank him for that. Zuckerberg is portrayed as such a thoroughly unlikable character, we can at least go home thinking, at least I have friends.
But back to the original question. Zuckerberg’s entrepreneurship is to be envied and admired. His smarts, and frankly nerdiness, are traits stereotypically associated with Jews. As are his passion and business drive, although we do wonder how his parents reacted when he announced he was taking time off from college. God knows most Jewish parents wouldn’t be thrilled with that decision.
And then there’s Harvard. During the first third of the film, especially during a rather raunchy party scene, there’s a voyeuristic thrill, so that’s what goes on at Harvard. It’s not really that special, is it? Thanks, Sorkin, you did it again. Now we don’t feel like idiotic losers for not attending the best college in America. Although we do have to admit, that this happened at Harvard probably wasn’t coincidence.
Zuckerberg and his first business partner Savarin represent a combination of technology and business acumen that’s not exactly common among college sophomores. Facebook also started as an exclusive social networking tool, which is obviously only possible at an elite university. The other candidate could have been Stanford, we suppose; however since the two people who claim the idea was originally theirs (and who in the course of the film sue Zuckerberg) were Harvard students…well there you have it.
If you haven’t, go and see the film for yourself, and then you can decide: Did The Social Network deserve the win, or this just another example of Hollywood’s faddishness?
