In the 1920s and early 1930s, gangsters and businessmen had many similarities. The organizational structure of the gangster included a boss, subordinates and employees and engaged in business methods of making money. Since gangsters looked so much like businessman, a question arose; what makes a businessman legitimate compared to a gangster? This led to businessmen being scrutinized because of these similarities, people could not differentiate between the two and doubted if corporations were legitimate in any way.
In “Criminal Businessmen” by David Ruth, Ruth emphasizes how the scrutiny of businessmen led to the gangster figure acting as a symbol of the contradictions of modern society and showed how society viewed business and power. “At every turn, the methods of the businessman seemed ominously well suited to the conduct of crime.” (Ruth 48). Businessman used a few unconventional methods to rise in society, shown through organized crime and violence which closely resembled gangster culture.
This shows that gangsters were not only mirroring business culture, but businessmen also mirrored gangster culture. So, it became hard to distinguish the two. this can be closely linked to the public figures in the 21st century. As more people gain popularity, specifically businessmen and entrepreneurs, they are heavily critiqued via social media and the means through which their attained their success are questioned. It’s almost like to be successful, you must have gone through some illegal means or be perfect, which is almost impossible. I believe that as we continue to exist in the modern era, expectations will continue to be raised, to almost unrealistic levels and no one will be worthy of the positions they hold.
Works Cited
Ruth, David E. “Criminal Businessmen.” Inventing the Public Enemy: The Gangster in American Culture, 1918–1934, University of Chicago Press, 1996, pp. 41–67.
