History Main / SuitWithVestedInterests

If you've seen a DisasterMovie or Monster Movie, you've seen this trope. There's an oncoming disaster and TheHero is trying to get everyone to see the CassandraTruth. Problem is that there's this one Suit With Vested Interests in something that's going to suffer if the disaster comes about. He'll argue against people believing the hero or an IgnoredExpert, he'll try to convince people that they are safe with ''his'' product and [[WhileRomeBurns he'll try to stop word from getting further so that the stock prices don't sink all the while the boat does]].

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' has the mayor, who's more of a Politician with Vested Interests, but with a focus on all of the town's businesses and how they'll suffer if everybody avoid the place due to a shark panic on the Fourth of July. In the movie, the portrayal is of a man who just can't grasp the seriousness of the situation until a shark attack finally occurs in broad daylight while his grandchildren are at the beach. In the book, however, he is just a puppet of the local Mafia, who profit from the town's businesses and just don't care whether there is a shark or not.

* In more recent years, a similar concept known as disaster capitalism was coined by alter-globalist writer Naomi Klein in her book ''[[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shock_Doctrine The Shock Doctrine]]''.

* The [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parable_of_the_broken_window Parable of the Broken Window]] was created by the French libertarian economist Frederic Bastiat, to explain why destroying things ended up being false economy.
* In more recent years, a similar concept known as the 'Shock Doctrine' or 'disaster capitalism' was coined by alter-globalist writer Naomi Klein.

* Breckinridge 'Breck' Scott, the CorruptCorporateExecutive from ''Literature/WorldWarZ''. He and his company produces Phalanx, a supposed cure for [[TheVirus Solanum]] which, quite obviously, doesn't work. He even gloats about how much people knows that Phalanx is a sham, yet still buys it.

* Speaking of ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', the developer James Duncan tries to thwart both the architect and the city's fire chief when they urge the top floor be evacuated during the opening gala due to the fire some stories below. Duncan even tries to pull rank on the fire chief by mentioning the presence of a U.S. senator; the chief retorts that in an emergency, he outranks everyone there.

If you've seen a DisasterMovie or Monster Movie, you've seen this trope. There's an oncoming disaster and TheHero is trying to get everyone to see the CassandraTruth. Problem is that there's this one Suit With Vested Interests in something that's going to suffer if the disaster comes about. He'll argue against people believing the hero or an IgnoredExpert, he'll try to convince people that they are safe with ''his'' product and he'll try to stop word from getting further so that the stock prices don't sink all the while the boat does.

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' has the mayor, who's more of a Politician with Vested Interests, but with a focus on all of the town's businesses and how they'll suffer if everybody avoid the place due to a shark panic on the Fourth of July. In the movie, the portrayal is of a man who just can't grasp the seriousness of the situation until a shark attack finally occurs in broad daylight while his grandchildren are at the beach. In the book, however, he is just a puppet of the local Mafia, who profit from the town's businesses and just don't care whether there is a shark or not.
* ''Film/WhenTimeRanOut'', a volcano disaster movie by the same director as ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', has a hotel resort on a Pacific island being jealously guarded by a guy whose portrayal starts getting worse starting with some daddy issues, through hiding the evidence, ending with his fiancée leaving after she finds out he used her to get to her rich godfather, right up to locking himself in his hotel in hope of avoiding [[TooDumbToLive a river of lava]].

The age can be either old set-in-his-ways businessman or young, up-and-coming-with-a-lot-to-prove, charming guy. Gender nearly {{always male}} due to the age of these movies, the characters, the nature of the flaw and the LoveInterest occasionally starting off as his and then changing over to the hero. By the way, the old guy vs. young buck choice tends to work as a foil to the hero. Stoic Paul Newman or Charlton Heston as the lead? Young, charming, slightly smarmy businessman. Young, energetic PoorMansSubstitute of Robert Redford? Old suit.

He'll often be the DoomedContrarian and get finally called out with "WhatAnIdiot" by Creator/ErnestBorgnine.

* ''Film/{{Jaws}}'' has the mayor, who's more of a Politician with Vested Interests, but with a focus on all of the town's businesses and how they'll suffer if everybody avoid the place due to a shark panic on the Fourth of July. In the movie, the portrayal is of a man who just can't grasp the seriousness of the situation until a shark attack finally occurs in broad daylight while his grandchildren are at the beach. In the book, however, he is just a puppet of the local Mafia, who profit from the town's businesses and just don't care whether there is a shark or not.

* ''Film/WhenTimeRanOut'', a volcano disaster movie by the same director as ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', has a hotel resort on a Pacific island being jealously guarded by a guy whose portrayal starts getting worse starting with some daddy issues, through hiding the evidence, ending with his fiancée leaving after she finds out he used her to get to her rich godfather, right up to locking himself in his hotel in hope of avoiding [[TooDumbToLive a river of lava]].

* From the film adaptation of ''HortonHearsAWho'', part of the reason that the council rejects the mayor's warnings of Whoville's imminent danger is the upcoming Whocentennial celebration.
* The Mayor in ''OsmosisJones''. Wants to get reelected, and hopes to stay popular by going to a Bufallo Wing Festival, instead of keeping Frank in bed (to fight off his sickness). He also opposes changing to a healthier lifestyle in general.
* In ''CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', Flint accidentally creates a machine that makes food fall from the sky, and the mayor immediately latches onto it as a way to save the failing town. After a month, the food that falls starts to get bigger, which Flint realizes is due to [[TechnoBabble its molecular structure overmutating]]. He's considering shutting down the machine, but the mayor talks him out of it, since it's one day before the town's grand re-opening.

* ''When Time Ran Out'', a volcano disaster movie by the same director as ''Film/TheToweringInferno'', has a hotel resort on a Pacific island being jealously guarded by a guy whose portrayal starts getting worse starting with some daddy issues, through hiding the evidence, ending with his fiancée leaving after she finds out he used her to get to her rich godfather, right up to locking himself in his hotel in hope of avoiding [[TooDumbToLive a river of lava]].

** Ditto for an innumerable number of "killer animal" B-movies [[FollowTheLeader following the leader]].

* Selfridge in ''{{Film/Avatar}}'': The only thing worse than a PR disaster is a lack of dividends for stockholders.
* ''Film/TheLadyVanishes'' has two elegantly dressed men who deny seeing any evidence because ''they don't want to miss a cricket match''.
** An episode of ''Series/TheCloser'' has a similar scenario where Flynn and Provenza delay in reporting a murder so they won't miss a baseball game. Brenda Johnson is not pleased.
* ''[[Film/DantesPeak Dante's Peak]]'' actually has this trope ''invoked'' -- the initial reaction of the town council was to take the threat quite seriously.
* Burke in ''Film/{{Aliens}}'' puts a higher value on getting a sample of the creature than he does on the crew. As does Weyland-Yutani as a whole.

* The sheriff acts the role of the mayor in ''Jaws'' for the same reason in the ''SluggyFreelance'' arc "Kitten". Parodied when the doctor trying to send out warnings points out that the 'tourist industry' that the sheriff doesn't want disrupted consists of a couple cabins that the town rents out to vacationing college kids and that she could cover the town's losses out of her own pocket.

** An episode of ''TheCloser'' has a similar scenario where Flynn and Provenza delay in reporting a murder so they won't miss a baseball game. Brenda Johnson is not pleased.

He'll often be the DoomedContrarian and get finally called out with "WhatAnIdiot" by ErnestBorgnine.

* ''When Time Ran Out'', a volcano disaster movie by the same director as ''TheToweringInferno'', has a hotel resort on a Pacific island being jealously guarded by a guy whose portrayal starts getting worse starting with some daddy issues, through hiding the evidence, ending with his fiancée leaving after she finds out he used her to get to her rich godfather, right up to locking himself in his hotel in hope of avoiding [[TooDumbToLive a river of lava]].

If you've seen a DisasterMovie, you've seen this trope. There's an oncoming disaster and TheHero is trying to get everyone to see the CassandraTruth. Problem is that there's this one Suit With Vested Interests in something that's going to suffer if the disaster comes about. He'll argue against people believing the hero or an IgnoredExpert, he'll try to convince people that they are safe with ''his'' product and he'll try to stop word from getting further so that the stock prices don't sink all the while the boat does.

The vested interest varies. He could be the owner of the project that is actively causing the disaster or whose destruction is the disaster. On the other hand, it could just be that they would lose a lot of money from the AttackOfTheTownFestival. In fact, in the Attack of the Town Festival, expect this role to be played by the mayor. Similarly, his portrayal and motivation varies. He could be an outright CorruptCorporateExecutive who believes the disaster and just doesn't care or, and it tends to be this way in the better works, he is simply so emotionally invested in what he has that he can't bring himself to face the truth. The latter way tends to resonate better and appear more realistic to audiences, as well as having a natural connection to the common theme in disaster movies of Mankind vs. His Folly.

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* ''SharkAttack3Megalodon'' has ''two'' for good measure. There's a holiday resort owner who doesn't want the beaches closed but at least wants the problem solved. Then there is an electricity company owner whose wires are attracting the shark and who has a big wire junction opening coming up to which he will take a boat full of corporate guests. He knew there was a problem and still doesn't care and goes ahead with the launch of the magical shark attractors and boat ride. ''Then'' when ship hits the fin, he knocks somebody else out to use his jetski to escape before being HoistByHisOwnPetard and driving right into the shark's mouth.

* ''[[DantesPeak Dante's Peak]]'' actually has this trope ''invoked'' -- the initial reaction of the town council was to take the threat quite seriously.
* Burke in ''{{Aliens}}'' puts a higher value on getting a sample of the creature than he does on the crew. As does Weyland-Yutani as a whole.

* ''{{Jaws}}'' has the mayor, who's more of a Politician with Vested Interests, but with a focus on all of the town's businesses and how they'll suffer if everybody avoid the place due to a shark panic on the Fourth of July. In the movie, the portrayal is of a man who just can't grasp the seriousness of the situation until a shark attack finally occurs in broad daylight while his grandchildren are at the beach. In the book, however, he is just a puppet of the local Mafia, who profit from the town's businesses and just don't care whether there is a shark or not.

* ''TheLadyVanishes'' has two elegantly dressed men who deny seeing any evidence because ''they don't want to miss a cricket match''.

If you've seen a DisasterMovie, you've seen this trope. There's an oncoming disaster and TheHero is trying to get everyone to see the CassandraTruth. Problem is that there's this one Suit With Vested Interests in something that's going to suffer if the disaster comes about. He'll argue against people believing the hero or TheJorEl, he'll try to convince people that they are safe with ''his'' product and he'll try to stop word from getting further so that the stock prices don't sink all the while the boat does.

** An episode of ''TheCloser'' has a similar scenario where Flynn and Provenza delay in reporting a murder so they won't miss a baseball game. Brenda Johnson [[{{Understatement}} is not pleased.]]

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** SharkAttack3 has ''two'' for good measure. There's a holiday resort owner who doesn't want the beaches closed but at least wants the problem solved. Then there is an electricity company owner whose wires are attracting the shark and who has a big wire junction opening coming up to which he will take a boat full of corporate guests. He knew there was a problem and still doesn't care and goes ahead with the launch of the magical shark attractors and boat ride. ''Then'' when ship hits the fin, he knocks somebody else out to use his jetski to escape before being HoistByHisOwnPetard and driving right into the shark's mouth.

* In ''CloudyWithAChanceOfMeatballs'', Flint accidentally creates a machine that makes food fall from the sky, and the mayor immediately latches onto it as a way to save the failing town. After a month, the food that falls starts to get bigger, which Flint realizes is due to [[TechnoBabble its molecular structure overmutating]]. He's considering shutting down the machine, but the mayor talks him out of it, since it's one day before the town's grand re-opening.
** The mayor is slightly more proactive than most in ''causing'' the disaster - Flint returns to his laboratory to find that the [[VillainousGlutton now-gigantic]] mayor has somehow gotten in there first and has programmed the device to produce a "Vegas-style all-you-can-eat buffet". Cue Food-A-Geddon...
* ''[[AlfredHitchcock The Lady Vanishes]]'' has two elegantly dressed men who deny seeing any evidence because ''they don't want to miss a cricket match''.

* From the film adaptation of ''HortonHearsAWho'', part of the reason that the council rejects the mayor's warnings of Whoville's imminent danger is the upcoming Whocentennial celebration.
* The Mayor in OsmosisJones. Wants to get reelected, and hopes to stay popular by going to a Bufallo Wing Festival, instead of keeping Frank in bed (to fight off his sickness). He also opposes changing to a healthier lifestyle in general.

* ''When Time Ran Out'', a volcano disaster movie by the same director as ''TheToweringInferno'', has a hotel resort on a Pacific island being jealously guarded by a guy whose portrayal starts gettig worse starting with some daddy issues, through hiding the evidence, ending with his fiancée leaving after she finds out he used her to get to her rich godfather, right up to locking himself in his hotel in hope of avoiding [[TooDumbToLive a river of lava]].