Blog post: Mr. Sam and Jazzy

      In these two articles, Sam Walton and Shawn Corey Carter, better know as Jay-Z, are both examples  of a "rags to riches" story, with a twist. Both of them had fallen to the "easy road" to success, notably Jay-Z has spent a large chunk of his young life hustling and dealing illegal drugs. Walton took advantage of small towns and basically ran out the local businesses and threatening to alter their way of life, and when his company exploded, necessities such as employee wages were neglected. Jay-Z took a much more underground approach with his drug dealing, undercutting other dealers by setting a lower price and getting his "product" cheaper than anyone else. It became a symbol of capitalism, with "America had become more like Wal-Mart. It had gotten cheap. Prices were lower, and wages were lower. There were fewer union factory job, and more part-time jobs as store greeters."
      Jay-Z developed a similar method, by creating his own line of personalized products such as clothing, sneakers, vodka, cologne, and his records. His response to those who called him a "sellout or materialist", he replied that selfishness was the appropriate response to the events he faced.

Sam Walton and Jay-Z

Sam Walton made business with his philosophy of selling more for cheap, which got him a lot of buyers and a lot of success. Walton was more to save money which is where he bought in bulk and sold the items to make profit. He never splurged with his money even though he was at one point the richest man in America. Walton would do anything so he could save money on items. His savings on buying items to sell in stores would turn into more profit.

Jay-Z was a man who wanted the money and would do anything to get it. He would keep working and working to get the money. Especially with his label and music, he worked hard so he can get the money. His way of getting money was a chase. Jay-Z would do anything, even if it meant to put it life on the line. When he had the money, he would help his mom because his dad had left them. But because he loved money and had a lot of it, he would also spend it on unnecessary things like jewelry and on women.

The similarities that these two articles have is the way both Sam Walton and Jay-Z started poor and became rich. They both want to make money, but for different purposes. They both are also talked about badly for what they do for their business. Walton would sell items that Walmart claims is made in the states but is actually from overseas. Workers and buyers would dislike these type of actions Walton would do for his business. Jay-Z would be talked about his disloyalty to his partners and the music that put out that parents wanted their children to stay away from.

The differences would be Sam Walton was cheap. He would get cheap haircuts and even pick up a nickel on the ground even though he had so much money from his business. With Jay-Z, he loved to get money but also used liked to spend it. He didn't care about cutting people out of his business or paying his workers less than they should be earning. Jay-Z did this for his profit to become richer, not because he thought he doings help them.

Response article #4

In both of Parker's articles, he documents the two business giants of Jay-Z and Sam Walton. They both have succeeded in the "American Dream". Although they came from "humble" beginnings, they both sacrificed happiness and morals for success. Jay-Z would sell drugs and later in the future would sell music. Then Sam Walton who would sell clothes and merchandise. Walton only at first wanted to provide for his family and get them a good education, however jay-Z wanted to achieve is lifelong goals and not let anyone interfere. We see both of their tactics and mind-set to achieve this dream resemble almost a ruthless greed. With evidence of Sam Walton's empire affecting employees and local businesses. Then Jay-Z's song content to connect better with listeners to revive more popularity. I begin to wonder, if we're following false icons to success.

Response #4

     George Packer's articles of "Mr. Sam: Sam Walton" and "Just Business: Jay-Z" provides strikingly similar stereotypical stories of 'rags to riches'. Both Jay-Z and Sam Walton had unparalleled motivation to money, perhaps it is not an exaggeration to say it was an obsession. They both valued monetary success higher than anything, at the cost of morals and sometimes happiness. George Packer rightfully portrays the lives of both icons in a negative manner; Jay-Z as a paranoid mobster contributing to pretentious and violent values, while Sam Walton created a culture of cheapness and low quality.
    Jay-Z and George Packer's difference is in that Jay-Z was making money to survive, whereas Packer was a miserly man from the start. The background of the two is drastically different; George Packer was a man with education from mainstream society (high school, college, retail) and Jay-Z was a man who started from selling drugs and rapping. Both carry themselves dramatically differently as well, Jay-Z chooses extravagance and flamboyance while Packer displays stinginess and obscurity. In contrast to the similarity in that they both value money over everything they hold different philosophies on what money represents and have been brought up from different backgrounds.
    It is my opinion that these two figures are the type of people that are destroying society. The two people are so glorified in society that people view the values of pretentiousness, stinginess, and condescension as something that's good. These values are a part of what is destroying America, and these values are making monsters from the lowest of social classes to the highest. Money holds way too much value in today's life, and there needs to be a fundamental change in that philosophy.

George Parker’s articles, Mr. Sam, Sam Walton, and Just Business, Jay-Z shares the story of how these two mega-businessmen went from rags to riches and their own version of the American dream. In both articles we see the both situations, Walton’s story of growing up a white entrepreneur who would go on to create one of the biggest franchises ever. Whereas Jay-Z’s story is less subtle, doing anything that he could to make a dollar, even if it meant putting his life on the line. In both articles, I noticed that both men had started their journeys only as humble Americans just like the rest of us, but with enough hard work, dedication, and some luck on the way, success for these two embodied what it means to achieve the American dream. Although their come ups were quite different, their persistent efforts to put out their product to the American people truly are inspirational stories; giving me hope that maybe one day, I’ll get to marry a Beyonce too.

Parker's Articles Response

In Packer’s articles, both men, Sam Walton and Jay Z, are similar to each other by working their way up from low class to upper class (upward mobility) which is one of definition of American Dream. Sam Walton saw American dream in a different way. It’s not about becoming super rich because he said “money never has meant that much to me.” He define rich, which I believe his American dream, as  “ If  we had enough groceries, and a nice place to live, plenty room to keep and feed my bird dogs, a place to hunt, a place to play tennis and the means to get the kids good education.” This means that he just wanted enough money to provide his family and give his children a proper education. On the other hand, Jay Z grep up from “a Marcy kid no one ever noticed before in the middle of a crowd, rhyming , throwing out couplets…” to a very successful rapper today. He taught as that in order to achieve the American Dream, “don’t let them diminish your accomplishment and dim your shine.” Meaning that don’t let anyone interfere your achievements to gain the American dream and not let other stop you from getting it. 

Jay-Z and Sam Walton

George Packer's articles documenting the rise of two megabusinessmen, Sam Walton of Wal-Mart fame and rap legend Jay-Z, bring to light some interesting and rather dark perspectives on what success is and what it means to us. We see in both of them a passion for thrift and merciless efficiency, and in Jay-Z a willingness to sacrifice righteousness for money, power, and success. Walton's immorality is more subtle, but it his visible in how he treats local businesses, not to mention the lack of philanthropy. As repulsive as their tactics can be, we can't help but be inspired by how these two men quickly rose from low-income lives to explosive luxury. It leads us to wonder: is the American Dream really just...greed?