If I were Mark Zuckerberg’s mother, I wouldn’t want to see the movie The Social Network with any of my friends. Even if my son were a 26-year-old billionaire, his lying, stealing, deceitfulness, and wickedness, especially to his best college buddy, would embarrass me. (This is assuming the movie is factually correct!)
The Billionaire Boy
Mark invented Facebook (well, he didn’t exactly invent it; it was someone else’s idea, which he brought to life behind their backs).
The movie is disturbing because there are no heroes, only victims. The girls Mark dated are victims. To quote the girl who breaks up with him in the first scene: “You’re going to go through life thinking that girls don’t like you because you’re a geek. And I want you to know, from the bottom of my heart, that that won’t be true. It’ll be because you’re an asshole.”
Mark’s friend, Eduardo, is a victim, because he believed Mark was a friend.
The Winklevoss twins, fellow Harvardites (Harvardtonians?), are victims because they took Mark at his word when he said “count me in,” after they revealed to him their idea for a social networking site. (At least they collected $65 million from a lawsuit.)
Mostly, Mark is a victim…of himself. He may be a “genius” (whatever the heck that means), he may have created a cultural phenomenon, and he may be a billionaire (I mentioned that already), but if he’s nearly as insecure, humorless, greedy and vindictive as the movie portrays, he needs to use some of his billions for a live-in therapist.
Older people have repeatedly asked Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Mark, how he could play such a mean-spirited character, according to an article in today’s New York Times. But young people don’t react the same way, Jesse said. They think Mark is just plain cool.
Let’s check back with them in thirty years, when they understand what “cool” really means.
0 Responses to “Mark my words”
Deborah Milne says:
At the end of the movie I ended up with some compassion for Mark as like you stated he’s a victim of himself. Proves to show you that the ultra-genius types have serious issues with relating to us ‘common-folk’ and just being main stream. He barely knew how to talk to people. I wonder if he really talks that fast?!
You could feel the actors desire to just ‘fit-in’ and be part of the norm. He definitely wasn’t the cool guy, far from it, but his genius was amazing. It was obvious that he took the Winklevoss twins idea for a a social network site but felt vindicated doing so since they themselves couldn’t write the programing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but as a mom, I thought much the same you did Geri. If that were my child, I’d be embarrassed. It will be fascinating what Mark makes of his life moving forward.
Interesting you say young people and older people have such different feelings about Mark Zuckerberg. I saw the movie and part of me did think how “cool” he is in terms of his professional achievements at such a young age… but another part of me really feels bad for him – what a lonely ride to the top.
0 Responses to “Mark my words”
Deborah Milne says:
At the end of the movie I ended up with some compassion for Mark as like you stated he’s a victim of himself. Proves to show you that the ultra-genius types have serious issues with relating to us ‘common-folk’ and just being main stream. He barely knew how to talk to people. I wonder if he really talks that fast?!
You could feel the actors desire to just ‘fit-in’ and be part of the norm. He definitely wasn’t the cool guy, far from it, but his genius was amazing. It was obvious that he took the Winklevoss twins idea for a a social network site but felt vindicated doing so since they themselves couldn’t write the programing.
I thoroughly enjoyed the movie but as a mom, I thought much the same you did Geri. If that were my child, I’d be embarrassed. It will be fascinating what Mark makes of his life moving forward.
Sara says:
Interesting you say young people and older people have such different feelings about Mark Zuckerberg. I saw the movie and part of me did think how “cool” he is in terms of his professional achievements at such a young age… but another part of me really feels bad for him – what a lonely ride to the top.