How To Succeed In Business By Really Trying...

While reading through "Glengary Glen Ross" by David Mamet, I was struck by how cut throat business taking place and the absolute mockery of American capitalism. The story depicted here is that if you don't lie, cheat, and steal, you're not going to make it rich in the life. After watching some scenes of YouTube of this play depicted as a movie, I began to more fully understand what was taking place. These men are under a tremendous amount of stress to succeed in the busniess world, because if they don't they won't have any job to speak of. For many of these men this is tragic because they have families to think of. Like Levene always saying, "my daughter" (page 104). There's so much pressure that they end up cracking under it.

I think this story brings across the question though of how far are we willing to go as human beings to get ahead? If we're willing to lie are we willing to cheat? And if we're willing to cheat are we willing to steal? Is the moral line easily visible and acute? Or is it fuzzy and easily crossed or misconstrued? There are so many questions that come to my mind in this instance because I think a lot of times in our culture, it is the man's responsibility to provide for his family no matter what the situation is. These men, especially in this story Levene, have to take care of their responsibilities, so it could end up becoming a necessity for them to cheat their way to making that happen. This also brings up the major issue that nearly everyone in the American society deals with is the struggle for success. It is pushed in our society that we're not good enough or really worth much unless we're extremely successful at what we do. I feel like that's why there's so much pressure for kids of all ages, but right now I'm thinking mostly of college students because that's the stage of life I happen to be in, to become extraordinarily successful at what they do. That's why we see so many parents pushing their children to become doctors, lawyers, accountants, etc. But then the question is, how do these people get themselves there? Are they lying, cheating, and stealing their way up to hold this prestigious position or get this wonderful medical degree from the Duke University School of Medicine? It seems to be a cycle of corruption that Mamet wants to bring to attention for his readers.

I found a few good quotes dealing with this cut throat mentality, such as Roma saying, "I'm going to have your job , shithead. I'm going downtwon and talk to Mitch and Murray and I'm going to Lemkin. I don't care whose nephew you are, who you know, whose dick you're sucking on. You're going out, I swear to you, you're going . . . ." on page 96

But there was also some good advice in the context of this play. Even though sometimes it seemed immoral there were things said like, "a man who's your 'partner' depends on you...you have to go with im and for him...or you're shit, and you're shit, you can't exist alone..."(98) teaching loyalty and "You can't buy that. You have to live it." (97) just showing that you have to learn things, not just buy your way through life. Anyway, that's my ten cents on the issue.