Comments on: What Makes Us Tick: A Short Film About How the Stock Market Works (from 1952)

By: scott

scott — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 03:59:24 +0000

First off, Great Video Find!

Second Off, @ Wearsunscreen — I’m glad someone else noticed it. Near the end, they talk about how the growing expansion of industry is great for security as they can convert manufacturing to war-time industry if needed. Now, A couple of thoughts about that:

1) Are we more insecure because our economy has moved beyond industrial and manufacturing and into more of a service economy?

2) Are wars different now that, we could still convert? for example, will future wars be played out by computers, hacking, robots, engineering? Is the grand industrial wars with new tanks, etc still necessary?

3) Is it time for the U.S. to focus on manufacturing again?

What are your thoughts?

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By: The Arabic Student

The Arabic Student — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 02:54:25 +0000

Gee whiz! That technicolor sure is something!

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By: MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators

MITBeta @ Don't Feed the Alligators — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 01:00:35 +0000

Notice how they spent all of 10 seconds discussing the risk of stock ownership?

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By: Perrine

Perrine — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 00:00:43 +0000

Great film per se… however when we now see the devastating effect of debt in our economy, and the tremendous burden the next generations will bear, it’s quite a tragic piece of archive.

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By: Revee

Revee — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 17:10:48 +0000

My husband and I really enjoyed this video and showed it to our 8 and 9 year old daughters so that they could learn more about stocks!

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By: Wearsunscreen

Wearsunscreen — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 16:08:21 +0000

Did ya catch the part at the end that a capacity to produce goods to ease lives in time of peace can protect us in times of war. At that point the plant switched from cars to war machines. I used to wonder about farmers lobby power, and some of the strange subsidies (like mohair), and if these are more strategic than economic. But nowadays I’m wondering about GM and Dodge relevance to national defense.

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By: Rasheed

Rasheed — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:40:44 +0000

Great Video. They could show it for the next 100 years and it would still be relevant.

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By: Vijay

Vijay — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 15:06:48 +0000

JD, It was fun watching this little educational video.

I am sure this can be an excellent launching pad for young minds wanting know how stock markets work, and how investors contribute to the economy by investing in it.

The darker sides of it are something that we can more easily educate, once they understand this. It replaces hours of teaching and reading.

I plan to refer to this in my blog that I’ve recently launched for the Indian audience.

Vijay

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By: Dan Holt: Laid Off

Dan Holt: Laid Off — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:51:26 +0000

Good Video. I especially like the little blurb “Mr. John Q., because of a 40 hour week, has the leisure to dream about his favorite sport.” The average work week in the U.S. was 53 hours in 1900 and 67 hours in 1850. Not too much leisure time in the old days.

The examination prior to stock listing is quite funny as well, with John Q. in his boxers and 3 stock list department doctors examining him with a moving microscope. Funny how we moved away from the movie’s claim that the “corporation must have substantial assets in plants, tools, equipment, and cash.” Good thing the NASDAQ came around in 1971 so we could have the technology growth that now dominates our economy, as AppleMan alluded to.

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By: Sri

Sri — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 14:41:51 +0000

Great cartoon. Very simple.

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By: KC

KC — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:37:44 +0000

I’ve often wondered how people had car payments and mortgages back in the “Andy Griffith Days” But then cars weren’t so inflated in price (as compared to salaries) and neither were homes. Credit wasn’t so easy to come by either – very few people qualified for a credit card, and a bank loan wasn’t easy to come by. People also didn’t have as many other options for spending their money either – like cable tv, cell phones (or landline phones for that matter), and stuff, lots and lots of stuff!! Even today I think debt is manageable with just a mortgage payment and a car payment assuming both are within your means. Its just all those extra consumer wants that really eat at us and our paychecks.

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By: AppleMan

AppleMan — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:31:04 +0000

It’s interesting how the video seems to think the economy will produce mostly manufacturing jobs. I doubt they could have foreseen the deindustrialization of the country.

Good video overall, but for some reason it creeps me out as propaganda. This is coming from an ardent capitalist with significant funds in the stock market.

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By: Dividend Growth Investor

Dividend Growth Investor — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 13:27:20 +0000

“Naturally, when stockholders invest in a business, they hope to receive dividends to help pay for necessities of life”

As a dividend investor, that’s exactly why I own most individual stocks – to receive enough dividends to spend at my whim..

Great cartoon…

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By: Rob Bennett

Rob Bennett — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:42:40 +0000

I love the glimpse into American culture from a bygone era, when consumerism was just beginning to thrive.

I agree that it’s edifying to see that.

We are influenced by our culture today too, of course. The tricky thing is that when you are a part of the culture you don’t see the effect that it has on you.

It doesn’t make us dumb that this is so. It just makes us human.

Rob

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By: ObliviousInvestor

ObliviousInvestor — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 12:40:06 +0000

“Owning a share of American industry is like owning a share in the future of our nation!”

Indeed. The neatest part (to me, at least) is that now you can actually do just that! (Whereas index funds weren’t around back in the 50s.)

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