When I heard that a Facebook movie was coming out, I initially cringed. In this day and age of extreme wealth polarization, I resent that a 26-year-old gained almost $7.0 billion from a social networking application. I don't resent Bill Gates for being the wealthiest man on earth because he worked hard for his money, took risks and improved the average person's life. Mark Zuckerberg had a good idea and should be wealthy because of it, but billionaire-wealthy? However, after I listened to this podcast I was able to separate the merits of the story and the deservedness of the individual.
We're definitely past summer now, but biking weather is reasonably good. My high school friend Eric was up for the weekend and believe me that I needed to burn a couple thousand calories. We bought a replacement bike helmet cover (mine blew off on the highway last week) and biking glasses (mine were crushed into my face during the crash) just before visiting the homebrew shop. I couldn't find them yesterday morning and thought one of the kids had taken them. It took me until this morning to recall that I'd put it them in the bucket with the malted grain and hops, so they now have a distinct (and pleasing) hop aroma.
The writer Aaron Sorkin, and a few lead actors were in the studio and they were questioned in a way that changed my opinion of the movie. I had immediately assumed that it was only going to glorify Facebook and lead to even more wealth and glamour for Zuckerberg, but Sorkin explained that he wrote it from the perspectives of the three groups who claimed partial ownership of the idea, and therefore the money. The story itself is incredible, and I believed him when he said it was in no way fictionalized. "Dramatized" yes, but his sources were primarily firsthand and he simply had to fit several years of action into 2 hours so the drama is condensed and heightened. The movie is written from the perspective of each of the three, and Sorkin strove to not favor any one angle. The viewer is left to compare the actual outcome with his own opinion, and thus reach closure on the event, which is sure to generate debate and lots of media.
The movie itself sounds great, and I'll just put aside my liberal leanings on fair wealth distribution in order to enjoy the show.
