I had not watched “It’s a Wonderful Life” for years and noticed three things anew. As a lawyer, I winced several times and waited for George Bailey, supposedly a genuinely good person, to be arrested for assault and battery. Oh, well! Apparently such physical attacks were more acceptable in the movies seventy-five years ago.

A second issue was the disrespectful treatment of the Baileys’ black servant. Again, the film is 75 years old, so maybe there has been a little progress.

My third observation was that the resolution to the hero’s problem was not a return to the status quo ante with the money returned to the rightful owner. Potter still kept money he knew was not his, and the community contributed to solve George’s problem. But was this justice? George and his neighbors remained victims of a selfish rich man. This struck me as a good parallel to parables and acts of Jesus where subjugated individuals banded together for safety in the face of oppression. So Biblical!

Lyn Pickhover, Justice-Seeker