Scrooge always obeying the law??

[Daniel van Eijmeren]

LARRY GIVER, 19-01-2004:

> Marco Barlotti suggested that probably Scrooge did not always acquire
> his wealth legally, along with Glomgold and Rockerduck.  Of course we
> know the slogan, "he made it square", but I was troubled by Barks'
> last story, "Horsing Around with History", drawn by W. VanHorn,
> (Gladstone's Uncle Scrooge Adventures 33, July 1995).  In this story,
> Scrooge discovers the Trojan Horse, and moves it in complete secrecy
> into his money bin, supposedly to foil the Beagle Boys.  But isn't he
> also keeping it secret from the authorities of the country where he
> found it (Turkey or Greece?)? Isn't Scrooge in this story engaged in
> smuggling?

Maybe he made a legal arrangement in between some panels? :-)

Is this the only Barks story in which Scrooge doesn't inform the 
authorities of a country where he finds a treasure or other material?
I suspect it has happened in other stories as well, but I'm not sure.

Scrooge isn't so honest as he wants us to believe. In many of Barks's 
stories, Scrooge uses dirty tricks to get his way. He's so selfish, 
that the few warm moments are cherished as the highlights of his life.

And those highlights don't tell a full story. They don't rule out the 
negative sides of Scrooge's way of life. So, saying that Scrooge has 
always "made it square", is inconsistent with his character. If Scrooge 
makes such a claim himself, he's ignorant or simply telling lies. Maybe 
he wants to give himself a good name by being dishonest. That's what 
lots of big bosses and big companies do. No matter what has happened, 
they always have been fair. And otherwise there must have been some 
unfortunate misunderstandings or human errors somewhere along the line. 
They'll never say that they tried to misguide people on purpose. Even 
the misunderstandings and human errors are mostly only admitted when 
there's a public/juridical pressure on them.

> I don't think this could happen in a Don Rosa story.

Why not? Rosa's Scrooge can be *very* mean, cold, and selfish. Rosa's 
Scrooge often hurts people, or simply doesn't care when they are hurt. 
An example of such a victim is his own family member Donald Duck. Just 
try to list the Rosa stories in which Scrooge is unfair to Donald. And 
how do Donald's wages compare to his work, which is full of stress and 
pure danger?

Scrooge as honest person? Humbug!

Scrooge's "big boss" attitude of being shady at best, is what makes him 
interesting to me.

--- Daniël

"Unhand that gall, Two-gun Wolf!"
(Which Barks story?) :-)