Gossip Girl and the Paradox of Freedom with Money
The moral case for choosing which problems you want to deal with.
Everyone thinks that money will solve all their problems.
They think that because many of the issues you face in society tend to happen due to a lack of money, that having lots of it can fix it. Which isn't necessarily wrong. If you don't have enough food or housing or any of the fundamental necessary things for life, having money can solve that problem for you. Although that assumes people use it for such things and that's far from a guarantee. Not having money causes a lot of stress and requires coping strategies to manage it properly. Some of those coping strategies can require money as well and that's understandable.
However, the opposite condition of having too much of it has its own trappings. Eliminating the problem of basic needs like food and housing doesn't fix other needs. Things like love, both familial and of a sexual nature, don't get solved with money. You can't buy people's loyalty long term and often this type of purchased loyalty only goes so far. A relationship has to be built on something more powerful than a financial transaction. Deeper than the physical connection people can have between each other, either through blood or other types.
In fact, it's often the case that having money will get in the way of building such powerful connections. People with money can't be certain what their relationships are built if it's not money. There are people who will feign emotional connections if they think there's an opportunity for financial gain. Even people with blood relations are willing to put up with a lot of abuse and destructive behaviour if a financial incentive exists to keep it going. No matter how detrimental accepting that type of thing might be for the person on the receiving end.
So even if having money helps in other ways, it can be hurtful in others. Freedom has costs and you can't get away with not paying for it.
Gossip Girl presents you with this paradox in a compelling and emotionally complex way. Characters like Serena, Blair, Dan and even Chuck are far from what ultimately might be seen in other contexts as entirely one dimensional. Their problems don't depart that much from what's considered “the regular people” who don't have money. To live with conflict is human, whether you have money or not. And it's through that simple reality that anyone watching can relate to.
You're forced to care for the type of person most people don't necessarily have anything in common with. Because they are so much like you on an emotional level.
What type of problem do you want to deal with? Having too much money or having not enough? Struggling to find basic necessities or struggling to find emotional connection? You don't get to live in one scenario without the drawbacks which come with it.
If you're looking to understand the people you might know the least, this is the story for you.
Check out the original Gossip Girl on HBO Max and the sequel series is also there in the United States. Each version is available in Canada on Crave.
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