Why if I told you there was a utopian work that was not religious, not governmental, not economic but that simply involved private individuals creating the perfect town in the perfect timeline where they really do live Happily Ever After? I speak of "It's a Wonderful Life." The government exists in this work, but it doesn't save the people. The economy exists, and capitalism exists, but people manage to come together and build a better life in spite of it. And it's not really unrealistic. There is some Eucatastrophic intervention from an Angel, but no one counted on it. Everyone worked for themselves and hoped for the best, giving thanks in a reverent fashion but prominent religious displays are very rare except the most secular of holiday decorations, celebrating the reverence of Christmas without needing to have a particular sect favored; spirituality without dogma. If one can have a Christmas movie that is Spiritual, but without Dogma, can one also have a philosophy of private individuals who come together in sufficient numbers together over time to help each other overcome those who wanna hurt everyone else and be assholes and psychopaths to each other. They do their duty to help their neighbor and fight the war to defend their country, but they live their lives and give to each other and give back without giving everything.
This is a Neutral Good Movie.
And it is an iterative movie; people don't get it right the first time, but by being decent to each other and helping each other as a shield against capitalist shitbags, like the ants that make a raft by holding on to each other, they survive the Great Depression together. They survive the Great War together, but George Bailey is the quinstisential individual who gives and gives and gives of his own choice, and moral obligation and then is finally helped by the community around him in his hour of direst need. It is a movie about rugged non toxic individualism but understanding the best American balance between the individual need and the good of the collective without dogma. There were no parties, there were no hidden agendas or insane hierarchies, though people still had their societal roles.
And nobody. had to die. They just did this for each other. They built institutions. They build a Bailey Building and Loan that acted as the framework for that liferaft that kept the whole town together. If it hadn't been for George Bailey, there would have been no Building and Loan. So it also teaches the valuable lesson that there is no someone else.
You want to make the world a better place? Then you need to be the one to do it, on an individual level and build your raft and help others and hope they will help you; do the best you can, not asking anyone for anything but being a decent human being. And sometimes it isn't a scam. And sometimes it isn't a con, and sometimes you can beat the Capitalist Nationalist Lying Potters. Mr. Potter Never lied about he was, and that makes him morally superior to the ones that sit in the shadows and broligarch us to death.
We need Baileyism.
