Worlds Apart

           Michael Moore’s documentary Capitalism: A Love Story sheds light into the flaws of capitalism in the United States. He draws attention to many people and organizations that take advantage of their employees and Americans as a whole. He also implies that there is a divide among the people of the United States, between the privileged one percent and common ninety-nine percent just trying to make ends meet on a daily basis. He sheds light on the people being exploited as well those who are financially profiting off the blood and sweat of others. These practices are not limited to the United States of America, with many countries around the world facing even more financial hardships. The film Beijing Bicycle really puts into perspective the everyday toils and troubles of people living in China; a nation which is socialist but often experiments with the ideas of capitalism and neoliberalism. Beijing Bicycle shows how a young man from a rural time has difficulty adjusting to life in the city. He tries to earn a living but constantly has to face obstacles of a city, where money and profit are the prime objectives. Beijing Bicycle not only shows the economic troubles of China and the negative influences they can have on it its society, but offers an important juxtaposition between China and the United States, as well as the rich and poor in the city of Beijing.

            Guei is a young seventeen year old boy, who does not have the job opportunities to learn a living in the countryside, where he is actually from. He, like many others, travels to the city in the hope of securing a job that would allow him to earn enough money to at least live life with the bare necessities. When he earns the job of a delivery boy, his main objective becomes saving enough money to be able to buy the bicycle given to him by the courier company to do his job. Guei’s boss even tells him and the other delivery boys that “these bikes are [their] livelihood.” Guei takes this idea to heart because it is the truth; the bike would not only allow him to earn enough money to survive in the big city, but as suggested later, the bike also serves as a status symbol. Although he is a young boy, who should still be in school studying, Guei takes to the streets and delivers letters and packages in the heat, without rest or hesitation. The bike delivery route is a tiresome and very meager job, especially by American standards, however, Guei is considered to be fortunate to have the job. Guei’s friend, Mantis, repeatedly tells him that the delivery job is a ‘great job,’ especially since he can “earn a bike in only one month.” The story of Guei is similar to that of any people who go in the search of a better life. In Beijing Bicycle, Guei moves from the country to the city in the hopes of a more sustainable life. In Capitalism: A Love Story, Moore talks about people from impoverished countries who immigrate to the Unites States in the search of the ‘American Dream.’ However, like Guei, most immigrants learn that such dreams are not easy to achieve and can sometimes even be unobtainable. Although both nations appear to be vastly different, they both have an unequal distribution of wealth that allows some people to live a leisurely life while others appreciate even the most difficult of jobs because it is what keeps them off the streets one more day.