Financial Freedom

"The Heelots Speech"

For many it seems the more money you have the more responsibilities you gain, and the need to spend that money increases (i.e. Lifestyle Inflation). This makes for a vicious circle, creating the need to gain more money with the end result of people becoming captives to their needs. Money in itself does not always bring the freedom people expect and this speech from “Meet John Doe”, in its own style, speaks of just this situation and can still strike an accord with us today.

“Meet John Doe” is a 1941 film directed by Frank Capra. It stars Barbara Stanwyck as a Journalist and Gary Cooper, with Walter Brennan, both penniless and unemployed hobo’s. When Gary Cooper receives $50, Walter Brennan launches into the following monologue to explain what “Heelots” are.

“When you become a guy with a bank account, they got yer, yes sir, they gotcha.

You're walking along, not a nickel in yer jeans, and you're free as the wind; nobody bothers you, hundreds of people pass you by in every line of business - shoes, hats, automobiles, radios, furniture - everything, and they're all nice, lovable people and they let you alone. Then you get hold of some dough and what happens? All those nice, sweet, lovable people become Heelots! A lot of heels.

They begin creeping up on yer, trying to sell you something; they get long claws and they get a stranglehold on yer, and you squirm and you duck and you holler and you try and push 'em away, but you haven't got a chance - they gotcha!

The first thing you know, you own things - a car, for instance. Now your whole life is messed up with a lot more stuff, like licence fees and number plates and gas and oil and taxes and insurance and identification cards and letters and bills and flat tyres and dents and traffic tickets and motorcycyle cops and courtrooms and lawyers and fines and a million and one other things!

And what happens? You're not the free and happy guy you used to be. You've got to have money to pay for all those things, so you go after what the other fellow's got - and there you are, you're a Heelot yourself!”