Introduction
The movie, Chinatown, tells the story of unacceptable levels of betrayals and corruption that leave a trail of destruction in their wake. The degree of betrayal is extensive that even relatives do not respect the blood relationships enough to avoid treachery toward their kin. A father rapes his daughter, kills the daughter and her husband, and kidnaps his child whom he fathered after raping his daughter. These actions prove the level of deception and betrayal that humans can participate in, irrespective of their blood relations. Corruption is evidenced by the creation of artificial disasters to benefit a few people at the expense of others. For example, the water board is accused of creating an artificial drought to cheapen the price of a parcel of land. Therefore, the natures of corruption as depicted in Chinatown include grand and institutionalized misdeeds, which prove that self-interests are the primary motivations for human behavior and that it is impossible to act in the interests of others.
Grand Corruption
The movie highlights various instances of grand corruption, which exemplify the concepts of psychological and ethical egoism. Chinatown uses the character, Noah Cross, to showcase the nature of grand corruption and its implications on morality. Noah was once the owner of the city’s water supply, although Hollis Mulwray, his partner, eventually persuaded him to hand over ownership back to the city. The Los Angeles Water and Power Supply was a project meant to ensure that all people have access to clean water at affordable prices. However, Noah Cross used his position of power to enrich himself with the project. Although Hollis eventually convinced him to return the operations of the Water Supply Company to the city, Noah invented another means to perpetuate grand corruption. He wanted to build a water reservoir that would increase his fortunes to extravagant levels at the expense of the residents who inhabited the land on which the lake would be built. He murders people and engages in other crimes such as rape and incest without a show of human remorse.
The embodiment of grand corruption through Noah Cross demonstrates psychological egoism and ethical egoism. Rachels posits that human beings do not consider others’ interests over their own because human behavior is motivated by self-interest (71). Noah Cross embodies the concept of psychological egoism because all his actions are motivated by self-interest. Despite his pleasant demeanor, Noah is a ruthless criminal who thrives in crimes and grand corruption, and he believes that he is above the law. Cross tries to justify raping his daughter by blaming degeneracy. He quips that all people are capable of the highest levels of immorality when given the opportunity. Noah’s disrespect for morality and basic human decency drives him to commit crimes such as grand corruption and murder without fear of repercussions. Cross also exhibits ethical egoism by not acting in the public’s interests, despite numerous opportunities. According to Rachels, ethical egoism states that we ought not to act in other peoples’ interests, even if we could (71). Noah Cross chooses disrespect for the law and human decency, despite the multiple chances to redeem himself.
Institutional Corruption
Another form of corruption evident in the movie is institutional exploitation. Thompson defines institutional corruption as the intentional systematic and strategic weakening of an organization’s ability to effectively deliver on its purposes using legal and ethical means (1). Institutional corruption is characterized by the public’s loss of trust in an organization due to its inability to deliver on its purpose. Other characteristics of this type of corruption include the fact that it is equivocal, impersonal, and generalizable (Thompson 1). The unequivocal nature of institutional corruption facilitates the exploitation of an institution while undermining it, and the impersonal feature implies that people who hold positions of power in these institutions act in their capacities to undermine the firms’ purpose, leading to the loss of public trust (Thompson 2). However, when the public loses faith in these organizations, staff members use them for personal gain. The generalizability of institutional corruption means that corruption is present in both public and private institutions.
Chinatown movie exemplifies high levels of institutional corruption, proving Rachels’ suppositions regarding psychological egoism and ethical egoism. The Los Angeles water board and the police department are some of the institutions that the movie uses to exemplify this type of corruption. Noah Cross uses his position in the Los Angeles Water and Power Company to undermine its capacity to deliver on its purpose. While it is the firm’s responsibility to ensure that the residents have enough water, Noah abuses his leadership position to limit the effectiveness with which it delivers its duties. For example, ordering the draining of water to create an artificial drought is Noah’s way of creating the artificial drought and undermining the water company’s purpose to provide the citizens with water. Russ Yelburton is Noah’s deputy engineer, and he uses his role in the company to frustrate the organization’s operations. He also plays a significant role in helping Noah commit crimes and get away with them.
The Los Angeles police department is also epitomized as a corrupt institution that fails to do anything about the uncovered crimes. Lieutenant Escobar works for the Los Angeles police department and may have worked alongside James in Chinatown before his deployment in Los Angeles. Escobar actively ignored the hints that James provided to the police department regarding the crimes, including murder. The law enforcer also refuses to acknowledge James’ efforts in uncovering the crimes. Despite their presence at several crime scenes, the police do not make arrests against persons of interest in these crimes. These acts undermine the public’s trust in the police, which has adverse outcomes such as unreported crimes and higher crime rates. For example, Noah continues with his criminal activities without fear of the law enforcers because the department has already proven its inability to perform its duties effectively.
The use of institutional corruption in the movie proves Rachels’s assumptions regarding psychological egoism and ethical egoism. As people who hold positions of power in the water company, Noah and his chief assistant engineer have the authority to improve the lives of the people they serve, but they instead choose to use their statuses to impoverish the community they serve. According to Rachels, such actions constitute ethical egoism (71). Similarly, the police department has the potential to solve crimes and bring the perpetrators to justice but their laxity leads to more crime. The leaders in these institutions are motivated by self-interests, which drives them into disregarding other peoples’ interests and breaking the law.
Conclusion
The different natures of corruption depicted in Chinatown prove that human beings are incapable of acting in the interest of others, even when presented with such opportunities. Leaders hold powerful positions that they can use to improve the citizenry’s quality of life. Instead, they use such opportunities to enrich themselves and impoverish those they are supposed to help. Therefore, the film supports the idea of psychological egoism, suggesting that Noah is not exactly a villain. According to the concepts of psychological egoism, Noah is merely acting in a manner expected of human beings. The belief that we must act in a way that is considerate of other peoples’ welfare is an assumption and violating this assumption does not necessarily imply that a person is a villain.
Works Cited
Rachels, James. “Egoism and Moral Scepticism.” Contemporary Moral Problems, James White, Wadworth Publishing, 2005, 71-82.
Thompson, Dennis F. “Theories of institutional corruption.” Annual Review of Political Science 21 (2018): 495-513.