Another vote for “You Can’t Take It With You”

In a letter published in today's Times, Mary-Ellen Banashek continues with the idea that "You Can't Take it With You" is an apt tale for our modern society:

"hard-working people in danger of losing their livelihoods and homes, venal bankers, greedy developers, the overstuffed rich turning up their noses at the less fortunate."

But the problem with my analogy is that the concept of "taking it with you" (after you die) is immaterial for immortal Harvard whose time horizons span centuries. A decade or two (or three) of barren Allston/Brighton property is significant in our lives but probably barely will register in their archaeological record.

Letters - Finding the Present in the Movies of the Past - NYTimes.com