WHAT PASSES FOR SCHOLARSHIP IN THE BLOGOSPHERE

Two months ago, I made reference to a Burt Reynolds movie and quoted from memory a line that I used as a set-up for a critique of Paul Krugman.  [The blog post was on April 2nd, if anyone wants to look up what is, in this medium, ancient history.]  This morning, I spent a little time with Google and came up with the script of the movie.  Google is miraculous!

The movie is Stick, a 1985 film version of an Elmore Leonard novel.  Never mind the plot, which is complicated and not that interesting,  Here is the extract from the script with the quote I was trying to recall:

"NESTOR: Are you a foolish man, Stick?
I used to be.

You don't think it foolish to come into my home?
I have no quarrel with you.

(LAUGHING)
Chucky, huh?
And $5,000 you say he owes you.

He does owe me.

What do you want?
Permission.

To what?
To go after Chucky.

And how do you know to ask permission?
I did some time in the joint. I did it well.

I learned you always have to ask permission.

Everything's the same whether inside or out."

The important lines are the last eight, about asking permission.  As I suggested in the April 2nd post, the only function of capitalists qua capitalists is to give permission to workers to use the capital that the workers in previous cycles of production produced.  For that they extract a ransom which we have all learned to call "profit."

Never mind the deep insight into the structure of capitalism.  How cool is it that I can find the actual script of a thirty-five year old movie with no more than five minutes of Googling!