The Green Monster

"Never spend your money before you've earned it" "A rich man is nothing but a poor man with money" "A fool and his money are soon parted". The warnings about the negative impacts of money-hungry-mindedness have been seen far and wide throughout history. While money is an essential item  in surviving today's world, as with a lot of things, it can become much more of a hindrance in life than it is a benefit. Despite the plethora of warnings given against money and its tendency to create greed and corruption, we invariably see many people succumb to its powers and make "capitalist" decisions that hurt not only themselves, but also those around them. These people are transformed by thoughts of immense income gain, and perform acts that can truly be classified as "monstrous".

An example of a capitalist who became overthrown by the power of money and consumed in greed, or transformed into a "Green Monster" as I like to call it, can be seen in the infamous Bernie Maddoff. Maddoff, a former broker, investment advisor and financier was convicted of fraud in 2009. He pleaded guilty to 11 felonies and confessed to accusations of creating a massive Ponzi scheme out of his wealth management business, Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC. Maddoff's business started off as both innocent and successful as he got his jump start by borrowing money from his father-in-law. This quickly innocence quickly dissipated, however, as the opportunity for immense profit increase by fraud arose in Maddoff's mind. In 1992 he was questioned for fraud in a single case, but this was quickly dismissed as he returned the money to the investors involved. It wasn't until 2001 that Maddoff's company began to be seriously questioned, and investigated in the following few years. During these 15-20 years (Maddoff later admitted to starting his scheme in the early 1990's) of suspicion, Maddoff struggled to keep his trickery hidden and his company alive. He continued to do this despite the impact it was having on both his clients, and many of his family members who were involved with the firm. 

It was not until after his conviction that the impacts and severe damages of the Ponzi scheme became publicly known. The consequences of Maddoff's capitalistic greed are indeed quite monstrous. Thirty-six billion dollars was used in the scam. The original estimated total amount "owed" to customers was as high as 57 billion, and only 2.6 billion of that is repayable to the victims. After further investigation, however, the estimated "actual" fraud amount was as high as 20 billion, but the absolute truth of these numbers may never be known due to missing transactions that could not be found within the scheme. When it comes to the damages of 57 billion versus 20 billion, I will argue that there is no matter in the number, but simply the fact that these losses are in the billions is monstrous  enough  Not only were his costumers indebted billions of dollars, but he also owed his parents and one of his brothers amounts in the millions. Maddoff chose to not only cripple his customers who he had little relations with, but extend this trickery to his family, who he is thought to "love".  As a green monster, he was so terribly consumed his is greed that he schemed his own family for a few extra bucks. 

Maddoff's money hungry actions did not just impact the finical lives of his family, but seeped into their personal lives as well. After his arrest,  he expectedly divorced his wife Ruth Alpern. However, in an interview with her in 2011, she was quoted saying that her and Bernie attempted to commit suicide together after his fraud was exposed. Whether this suicide was a mutual decision or a result of pressure from Bernie on is wife is unknown. Adding to the monstrosity of the fraud, is the death of Maddoff''s son Mark. Mark committed suicide in his New York City apartment on the 2 year anniversary of his fathers arrest. It is believed that Mark's grief from his fathers arrest is what drove him to his death. Although Bernie Maddoff's greed-driven Ponzi scheme affected many people financially, I think the most monstrous aspect of it all was his impact on his own family. During his years of illegal money handling Maddoff was blinded by his capitalist mindset and the selfishness of the green monster he had become. The effects that this had on Maddoff, or that he allowed them to have, led to severe outcomes for his costumers and those he loved most, both financially and personally. 

There are numerous examples in which capitalistic thought and the idea of attaining immense amounts of money have turned potentially great business-men into green monsters. These men (or women) are possessed in the capitalist process and truly become monstrous through their irrational, and what seems to be heartless and valueless actions. Bernie Maddoff is only one of many who have transformed into green monsters in the wake of capitalism.