Madison Vanguard: a Novel

City University of New York (CUNY) CUNY Academic Works All Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects 2-2016 Madison Vanguard: A Novel Berni Moestafa Graduate Center, City University of New York How does access to this work benefit ou?y Let us know! More information about this work at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu/gc_etds/757 Discover additional works at: https://academicworks.cuny.edu This work is made publicly available by the City University of New York (CUNY). Contact: [email protected] Madison Vanguard: A Novel By Berni Moestafa A capstone project submitted to the Graduate Faculty in Liberal Studies in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts, The City University of New York 2016 © 2016 BERNI MOESTAFA All Rights Reserved Madison Vanguard: A Novel By Berni Moestafa This manuscript has been read and accepted for the Graduate Faculty in Liberal Studies satisfying the capstone project requirement for the degree of Master of Arts. Prof. Roslyn Wallach Bologh Date Capstone Project Advisor Dr. Matthew K. Gold Date Executive Officer The City University of New York Abstract This capstone project takes the form of a popular fiction novel that introduces parts of the academic discussion on capitalism to a wider audience through storytelling. Using a fictional fiscal crisis in New York as its setting, the novel discusses the relationship between capitalism and democracy. It therefore aims to address the underrepresentation of the debate on capitalism in SRSXODUHQWHUWDLQPHQWDQGUDLVHDZDUHQHVVDERXWVRPHRIWKHGHEDWH¶VNH\LVVXHV Popular culture be that music, film, books, media, videogames or advertisement surround our lives and expose us to a plethora of messages that help shape our understanding of the world around us. In that sense popular culture both reflects and shapes society. Even so, some parts of society are reflected more than others and this gap is particularly apparent in the way discussion about capitalism is reflected LQWRGD\¶VSRSXODUHQWHUWDLQPHQW Since the 2008 financial crisis, public interest in political economic topics has risen. In 2011 the Occupy Wall Street Movement raised public awareness about economic inequality, and in 2012 a survey by Pew Research Center shows about two-thirds of the American public believe WKHFRQIOLFWEHWZHHQWKHULFKDQGSRRUZDV³YHU\VWURQJ´RU³VWURQJ´, up 19 percentage points since 2009. There has been attempts to capture this trend in popular entertainment, yet none of the top selling fiction novels and movies since 2008 through 2015 feature stories on capitalism. For instance the movies Joy and The Big Short, the only two movies out of 144 that features a capitalistic centered theme, earned a combined 0.7 percent of the total $11.1 billion in the 2015 domestic box office revenue, reflecting the degree to which capitalism is represented in popular entertainment that, if movies mirror society, falls short of the sentiment reflected in the Pew Research survey or the Occupy Wall Street Movement. !"# # It raises the question whether capitalism makes for a likeable topic in the first place. Does realism have a place in popular entertainment when it is escapism that draws in a large audience? 6XVDQ6RQWDJ¶VUHPLQder on anyone attempting to impose PRUDOLW\RQOLWHUDWXUHLVWR³OHWWKH dedicated activist never overshadow the dedicated servant of literature ± that matchless VWRU\WHOOHU´ This capstone project therefore seeks to address two questions. First, what can a fictional DFFRXQWRI1HZ<RUN¶VILVFDOFULVLVWHOOXVDERXWWKHUHODWLRQVKLSEetween capitalism and democracy, and second, how to explain this relationship using popular entertainment that appeals to a mass audience? The novel must overcome the difficulty of simplifying the complex and dry topic of capitalism and condense it into a story WKDWZLOOJULSUHDGHUV¶DWWHQWLRQ 7KHVWRU\¶VFRQFHSWLVDVIROORZV$s New York City is on the verge of bankruptcy, newspaper reporter Elliott and photojournalist Bridget must race against time to expose corruption in public housing sales before a group of radical activists resort to terrorism to stop the injustice. But can Elliott and Bridget succeed, when powerful business interests obstruct their LQYHVWLJDWLRQDQGWKHDFWLYLVWV¶HQLJPDWLFOHDGHUGUDZVWKHSDLUGHHSHULQWRKLVZRUOGRI violence? The reason for using novel writing for this project is that despite WRGD\¶V emphasis on HVFDSLVPVWRU\WHOOLQJUHPDLQVDQHIIHFWLYHWRRORIHGXFDWLRQ)URP&KDUOHV'LFNHQV¶A Christmas Carol, which raised awareness on child labor, WR$\Q5DQG¶VAtlas Shrugged with its advocacy of individualism and capitalism, storytelling can opeQUHDGHUV¶PLQGV The novels focuses on the conflict between capitalism and democracy through the VWUXJJOHIRU1HZ<RUN¶VSXEOLFKRXVLQJLQDWLPHRIFULVLV2QRQHKDQGFUHGLWRUVGHPDQG1HZ York sell its public housing to pay up its debt, while on the other hand citizens demand the city !" " maintain public housing. The story explains the role of debt and how it affects society and WKHUHE\GUDZUHDGHUV¶DWWHQWLRQWRthe fundamental role financial capitalism plays and how it has been a key driver, although not necessarily the cause, behind many of worldwide financial crises from the one in New York in 1975 to recently in Greece. In writing the novel I follow the conventional novel writing techniques to produce a story that despite its complicated and polarizing topic of capitalism appeals to a mass audience. Key to DFKLHYLQJWKLVLVFKDUDFWHULGHQWLILFDWLRQ7KHQRYHO¶VWZRPDLQFKDUDFWHUVElliott and Bridget, UHSUHVHQWUHDGHUV¶SRODUL]HGYLHZVRQthat topic. It enables readers to follow the story through the point of view of the character who most closely resemble their personal view, thereby avoiding the impression of grandstanding that Sontag has warned writers about. The alternating views do not result in a conflicting message, rather it allows the novel to depict the conflict between capitalism and democracy through different angles, giving readers the freedom to draw their own FRQFOXVLRQIURPLW7KHLUFRQFOXVLRQWKHQLVZKDW,KRSHZLOOPRUHFORVHO\UHIOHFWVRFLHW\¶V sentiment on the question of income inequality. The significance of this capstone project is not merely in introducing a critical take on capitalism, but also in trying to shift the public debate on capitalism beyond the tired dispute of capitalism versus socialism, which has only divided the public along partisan lines, to the more salient question of capitalism versus democracy. This project is also an attempt to defy popular HQWHUWDLQPHQW¶VSUHYDLOLQJWUHQGRISXUVXLQJSURILWE\SXVKLQJHVFDSLVPWRWKHSRLQWRIORVLQJ touch with reality. It aims to show that what is relevant can also be entertaining. !"# # TABLE OF CONTENTS 3ROLWLFDO(FRQRP\LQ3RSXODU)LFWLRQ:KLWH3DSHU««««««« «« 1 ,QWURGXFWLRQ«««««««««««««««««««««««««««« 1 &RQFHSWXDOL]LQJWKH&DSVWRQH3URMHFW««««««««««««««««« 3 How the Project Relates to my 6WXG\«««««««««««««««««« 5 7KHRUHWLFDO)UDPHZRUN««««««««««««««««««««««« 7 )LQDQFLDO6HFWRU««««««««««««««««««««««« 7 &ODVV6WUXJJOH«««««««««««««««««««««««« 11 0HWKRGRORJ\««««««««««««««««««««««««««« 12 1DUUDWLYH&RPSRQHQWV«««««««««««««««««««« 12 )LQDQFLDO6HFWRU«««««««««««««««««««« 13 &ODVV6WUXJJOH««««««««««««««««««««« 13 -RXUQDOLVP«««««««««««««««««««««« 14 7HUURULVP«««««««««««««««««««««««15 (VFDSLVPYHUVXV5HDOLVP««««««««««««««««««« 17 $SSHDOWR0DVV$XGLHQFH«««««««««««««««« 18 0DGLVRQ9DQJXDUG$1RYHO«««««««««««««««««««««««« 24 Chapter I ± 7KH.LGQDSSLQJ««««««««««««««««««««« 24 Chapter II ± 7KH2IIHU««««««««««««««««««««««« 68 Chapter III ± 7KH,QYHVWLJDWLRQ«««««««««««««««« 113 Chapter IV ± )ROORZWKH0RQH\«««««««««««««««««««« 216 Chapter V ± $ULVH««««««««««««««««««««««««« 314 Chapter VI ± 0HHWPH7KHUH««««««««««««««««««««« 342 (SLORJXH««««««««««««««««««««««««««««« 402 %LEOLRJUDSK\«««««««««««««««««««««««««...... 418 !""# # ! Political Economy in Popular Fiction: White Paper Introduction A 2010 study by the Kaiser Family Institute has shown that youth between the ages of 8 and 18 spend about seven hours per day with entertainment media such as TV, music and books, a finding that highlights the pervasive influence of popular culture. In Rethinking Popular Culture and Media, Elizabeth Marshall and Özlem Sensoy ask what HGXFDWRUVVKRXOGGRLIWKHOLYHVRI\RXWKDUH³WKRURXJKO\VDWXUDWHGE\FRUSRUDWH influences that promote values of consumption, competition, hierarchy, sexism, homophobia, raciVPDQGFRQWHPSWIRUHTXDOLW\´<HWDQRWKHUTXHVWLRQZRXOGEHZKHWKHU popular culture can develop a counter narrative against these corporate influences. Since the 2008 financial crisis, there has been renewed interest in the political economic theme of class struggle1. In 2011 the Occupy Wall Street Movement raised public awareness about economic inequality, and in 2012 a survey by Pew Research Center shows about two-third of the American public believe the conflict between the ULFKDQGSRRUZDV³YHU\VWURQJ´RU³VWURQJ´XSSHUFHQWDJHSRLQWVVLQFH2. Still, this trend in society is hardly reflected in popular entertainment. Out of the 258 fiction novels that topped the New York Times bestseller list from 2008 through 2015, none had a political economic or social justice theme3. The closest to UHODWLQJWRWKHVHWRSLFVZHUH-RKQ*ULVKDP¶VThe Appeal and Gray Mountain, both !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! "!^ĞĞ:ĞĨĨƌŝĞƐ͕^ƚƵĂƌƚ͞tŚǇDĂƌǆŝƐŵŝƐŽŶƚŚĞƌŝƐĞĂŐĂŝŶ͕͟!"#$%&'()*'+#!$%&'!(#!)*")+! ,--./00111+-,23%456748+9:;01:5&60)*")0<%&0*(0-,2=52-%58=:>=;45?7@;! )!DŽƌŝŶ͕ZŝĐŚ͞ZŝƐŝŶŐ!^ŚĂƌĞŽĨŵĞƌŝĐĂŶƐ^ĞĞŽŶĨůŝĐƚĞƚǁĞĞŶZŝĐŚĂŶĚWŽŽƌ͕͟WĞǁZĞƐĞĂƌĐŚĞŶƚĞƌ͕ $48%45'#!""#!)*")+!,--./00111+.21@:974&-5286@+:530)*")0*"0""057@783=@,452=:>=4;257948@=@22=9:8>&79-=

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