Park Avenue: Money, Power, and the American Dream is an enlightening film that illustrates the great social divide between the rich and poor, the inconsiderate attitude of the many billionaires, and the manipulative power the wealthy have in politics. Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alex Gibney asserts that because of the growing income gap in society, the possibility for social mobility is sharply declining, putting the American dream out of reach for the poor. Gibney goes into great detail of the many billionaire's lifestyles, influence on society, and their treatment of others. Prosperously living on Park Avenue, these people have no need to worry about food, shelter, and a comfort and regularly compares such a life to that of the poor. Gibney most likely made this film for the middle and upper classes of American society. Because he believes that the rich are the cause of this disastrous problem, they should be the ones to fix it. Through donations, charity, policies in favor of the underprivileged, the rich and congressmen can make a significant change in society.
The most effective rhetorical strategy that Gibney incorporates throughout his film is juxtaposition. From beginning to end, he makes a clear distinction between the rich and the poor. Even in a simple study with the game of monopoly, a discerning attitude towards the other player was noticeable. The "poorer" player, who was only allowed to roll one die, started out with less money, and lacked the advantageous opportunities the "wealthier" player had within this experiment. Surprisingly, the winning player felt no sympathy for the losing player and only believed in winning. By juxtaposing the results to Park Avenue itself, the conclusion turned out to be the same. The prosperous side of Park Avenue is filled with billionaire who care about nothing but themselves. And just across a bridge, 10 minutes away from the wealthy area, is South Bronx, a poverty-stricken city in which people struggle to acquire proper food and education. No one is willing to help these penniless people by sparing even a $50 bill. This great disparity between the two social classes ultimately shows that aid from the wealthy is necessary, and without it, fighting for the American dream is a futile effort.
Further accomplishing Gibney's purpose are his many interviews. The entire documentary is based on the statements said by Jack Abramoff, Bruce Bartlett, Michael Gross, as well as other acclaimed people. From the very beginning, this continuously establishes the credibility of Gibney because he can corroborate his assertions with facts, statistics, and statements made by these people. From these interviews, anecdotes were also provided, adding a more personal element within this multitude of information. On the of the bellmen who worked at a luxurious hotel on Park Avenue described his experiences carrying luggage for the wealthy people. He said that the rich were some of the cheapest people to live due to their self-centric behavior, money-hungry attitude, and greedy personality. After 3-4 bellmen carried many heavy bags into a car, various affluent men did not even give a tip! The poor continue to face an even greater crisis as the rich get even richer while the poor remain/get even poorer. Again, showing how the rich are the ones creating the social problem and that only they have the power to stop it.
Indeed, Alex Gibney successfully achieved his purpose of letting his audience understand the social dilemma taking place and that the rich need to help the lower classes. Even with business magnates donating some part of their wealth to charities, that is not enough. The rich show that it is possible for everyone to become just like them, but those same people act as a barrier to social mobility.
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