Argumentative Essay on Nature vs Nurture in the film Trading Places PDF

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This essay will discuss the social psychology debate of nature vs. nurture with the film Trading Places where both the main characters adapt to drastic changes in their lifestyle despite their upbringing and genetic disposition....

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TRADING PLACES: THE ONE-DOLLAR BET ON NATURE VS NURTURE Written by: Rose Anne Joy Balisong “I wasn’t born this way. I am a social construction.” -Anonymous People love films that challenge the social norms, discuss the brutal truth, and raise important questions. Trading Places isn’t your usual yuletide film with White Christmases christened with snow, reindeers, multicolored lights, and gingerbread houses. It starts with the bet made by two millionaire brothers, Randolph and Mortimer Duke (Ralph Bellamy and Don Ameche), which propelled this film into the compelling, controversial, and comical story that it is. It takes a cold, hard look at racism, capitalism, inequality, and countless prejudices – despite it being, ironically, sexist on its own, which immensely influence a person’s character and shapes his world. “You come from a broken home, of course?... You have a history of juvenile arrests, I presume?... Reform school?” Randolph’s interrogation of Valentine’s upbringing implicitly suggested his belief that it was the reason for his current situation and character. This sparked the debate between the brothers that eventually led to their bet. The Duke brothers, being the despicable capitalists that they are, wanted to perform an unsanctioned, non-consensual, and unarguably illegal human experiment through dire means on whether the environment and upbringing of a person or his innate talent and intelligence are responsible for his social stature. Their lab rats are the foolhardy, black con-man Billy Ray Valentine (Eddie Murphy) and the pampered, golden boy entrepreneur Louis Winthorpe III (Dan Aykroyd). The brothers frighteningly turned their world upside down with just a few phone calls and tried to reckon how Valentine will fare in a corporate job and how long Winthorpe will succumb to criminality and plebian behavior just as Valentine did due to his unfortunate life. Winthorpe was stripped of everything he built for himself and all those things were given to Valentine – his house, butler, car, and even his job and credentials. He wallowed in frustration and didn’t know how to process the exponential changes happening in his life, thus, resulting in countless meltdowns and bad choices. Meanwhile, Valentine was doubtful of the “too good to be true” situation he was subjected to. Overwhelmed and relentless, he worried of people taking advantage of him or being discarded if he didn’t meet their expectations. But because of his clever and perceptive nature, it didn’t take long before he adapted the ways of high society and was praised for his remarkable contributions to the company. Economic and social stature affect psychological development and processes. The sudden changes in Valentine’s and Winthorpe’s circumstances brought about personality and philosophy modifications which they never even imagined. Winthorpe’s incessant complaints led to petty attempts at revenge while Valentine’s indulgence in sophistication allowed him handle

all situations with class and wit. This goes to show that environment can influence people’s behavior and motivation to act. The Stanford Prison Experiment conducted by Zimbardo, proved that people will readily conform to the social roles they are expected to play, especially if the roles are strongly stereotyped. Such as what happened to both Valentine and Winthorpe when they are forced into a role with heavy stereotypes. Winthorpe was treated as a criminal and commoner and so he behaved like one, and Valentine was treated as a smart businessman and he adapted to the role. Environment plays a crucial role in developing a person, whether it be psychologically or physically. People are easily influenced by expectations and experiences and so, it is essential to choose the environment we are subjected to.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

(2021). The Influence of Environment. Retrieved on March 3, 2021 from https://www.nap.edu/read/12961/chapter/6 Kreitzer, M. J. (2016). What Impact Does the Environment Have on Us?. Retrieved on March 3, 2021 from https://www.takingcharge.csh.umn.edu/what-impact-does-environmenthave-us McLeod, S. (2020). The Stanford Prison Experiment. Retrieved on March 3, 2021 from https://www.simplypsychology.org/zimbardo.html...