Applying The Theory of Communicative Action on The Movie Wolf of Wallstreet

Theory of Communicative Action is a work by Jrgen Habermas, a sociologist and

philosopher in the tradition of critical theory and pragmatism. In his book, he explains that
although results would vary on the basis of cultural presuppositions it is possible to model a
process of informal logic that would test validity claims in any language or against the
background of any cultural system. However with aesthetic arguments the purpose is typically to
"open the eyes of the participants, that is, to lead them to an authenticating shared aesthetic
experience. Above all, however, the type of validity claim attached to cultural values does not
transcend local boundaries in the same way as truth and rightness claims". Overal Habermas
thinks that humans lack a well worked out logic of argumentation which satisfactorily captures
the internal connections between forms of speech acts.

"The concept of reaching an understanding suggests a rationaly motivated agreement

among participants that is measured against criticisable validity claims. The validity claims
(propositional truth, normative rightness, and subjective truthfulness) characterise different
categories of a knowledge embodied in symbolic expressions." Understanding is coming to a
common definition of a subject.

He makes a preliminary specification of Communicative Action:

"The concept of communicative action presupposes the use of language as a medium for a kind
of reaching understanding, in the course of which participants, through relating to a world,
reciprocally raise validity claims that can be accepted or contested." Language here seems to be
broadly defined as action upon which you can be reflective. The most open definition of
communicative action given is that it is action in which: "the actors seek to reach an
understanding about the action situation and their plans of action in order to coordinate
their actions by way of agreement... A type of interaction that is coordinated through
speech acts and does not coincide with them."
 In relation to Habermas TCA, the movie Wolf of Wallstreet indirectly applies TCA
basic elements. It can be seen through the whole movie. It started from where some of the
stockbrokers were coaxing their clients in investing their money. The stockbrokers used language
that made the clients think that they get most of the benefits, where actually the firm is the who
controlled the money they invested. And on one scene where the main actor, Belfort, was talking
to his senior broker, Hanna, in a restaurant, he explained to him what really happened to all the
investors and their investments. Hanna explained that the firm would make their clients think
that theyve become rich, which they do eventually, but once their clients decided to cash in their
money, it was the stockbrokers job to prevent them from drawing their money, by coaxing them
into re-investing their money and offering them with more and more benefits. They call it
Keeping them on a ferris wheels.

Another one of the examples of where TCA was implied in this movie can be seen in
multiple scenes where Belfort, now the boss of his own firm, giving a speech to his fellow
stockbrokers. He rucked up the morale of his friends and colleagues, motivating them to be rich
by saying Are you behind on your credit card bills? Good, then pick up the phone and start
dialing! I want you all to deal with your problems by becoming rich. This speech, this language,
words that he used, were directed to his stockbrokers to give them motivation to work harder.
And he as the boss, of course would reap all the profits.