Joseph: King of Dreams

Disney’s Joseph: King of Dreams is based on the Biblical story story of Jacob and his twelve sons, with a particular focus on Joseph, Jacob’s favorite son. Joseph’s privileged status, marked by a special coat given to him by Jacob, stirs deep jealousy among his brothers. This animosity intensifies after Joseph shares dreams that symbolize his future dominance over his family.

This scene highlights how Jacob’s brothers are motivated by envy and the desire for profit. They seize an opportunity to rid themselves of Joseph. In a calculated move, they decide to sell Joseph into slavery, a practice institutionalized in their society, gain profit. This decision reflects not only their personal resentment but also a profit motive, as they benefit materially from selling their brother. Their actions are facilitated by the existence of slavery as an institution within their society, which provides them with the means to translate their malicious intent into a profitable outcome.

The Simpsons — Grease Business

When Homer finds out from Apu that there is a local business buying old grease, Homer sets out to be rich. He buys $30 worth of bacon, feeding it to the dog, in order to harvest the extra grease and sell it. He spends hours frying up bacon only to earn 68 cents. He doesn’t seem bothered by his losses since his wife (Marge) paid for it. There’s one problem Homer hasn’t realized yet; Marge gets her money from Homer.

Thanks to Alex Marsella for the clip suggestion and summary!

Seinfeld — Bottle Arbitrage

Newman gets the bright idea to take bottles from New York (where the deposit refund is 5 cents) and return them in Michigan for 10 cents. Kramer stops him quickly and let’s him know that this isn’t a good idea because he’s not thinking about the costs of transporting them. Newman quickly realizes he can get a truck at no cost from the post office, which makes the arbitrage scheme profitable.

The full clip comes from Economics of Seinfeld.

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