Keywords
auto industry, economic power, electronics industry, Iacocca, Lido A., kaizen, Man Friday (1975), The Pawnbroker (1964), kaizen, tariffs, trade deficit
Abstract
The transfer of power, especially by economic means, usually happens over time and is not often perceived by the casual observer. Elements of the transfer often manifest over a period of years, where the entity initially in power, whether by omission or at times even denial, is unable or unwilling to ascertain the change in dynamic until the scales are indeed tipped to the favor of the formerly disadvantaged in position. This can often cause intense resentment, not only from those who have lost their economic advantage, but from those bystanders who did not take action to improve their own positions. These dynamics are illustrated in this take on the classic Defoe story in the relationship between the characters of Robinson Crusoe and Friday, as well as through the subtleties, as well as the directness and personal ethnic struggles in the character of East Harlem Pawnbroker Sol Nazerman.
