Word: misere
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...There was an old miser named Clarence, Who simonized both of his parents. "The initial expense," He remarked, "is immense, But I'll save it on wearance and tearance...
...perfectly possible that this one little boy grew up to make millions and to become a miser who never donated a penny to anything (except to the campaigns of politicians like Congressman Chris Cox of California) and to raise his own son on stories of the one kindly grocer who was never paid for the milk and the tomato soup. So why shouldn't the son, after a lonely but very comfortable life, leave instructions in the will for his lawyers to track down the descendants of that one kindly grocer and give them the entire estate...
...performing is rarely appealing when the camera stops. In Groucho's case, his wit didn't abandon him off the set, but the man Kanfer discovers behind the joker is no fun at all. By the time he breaks up with Chico and Harpo, Groucho has become a crabby miser, shamefully manipulative of his wives and children. You wouldn't want to belong to a club that would have this guy as a member...
...deeply ironic, actually, that Shakespeare chooses to cast his antagonist in the stereotypical role of the miser. As the play progresses, we see the stereotype reflected onto its creators as money reveals itself to be the foundation for their actions. Antonio's friendship with Bassanio is the relationship between benefactor and courtesan. Bassanio's love for Portia is linked to the fortune she will bring him, and even the marriage between Bassanio's man Gratiano and Portia's maid Nerissa (Catherine Crow HGSE '99) is contingent upon their employers' financial union. The Christians themselves embody the gross materialism they condemn...
Like King Midas, George Soros has the golden touch. But unlike the miser of mythology, he is happy to part with his wealth. A latter-day Robin Hood, he takes from the exchequers and pockets of the rich West in order to provide much needed capital for the poor East. After the sterling coup, Soros wasted no time in redistributing the spoils: within the next three months he set up a $100 million fund to support science in the former Soviet Union, organized a $25 million loan to Macedonia and then made the largest single private donation ever...