Editing Greater fool theory (section)

==In popular culture==

The tenth and final episode of the first season of ''[[The Newsroom (American TV series)|The Newsroom]]'', written by [[Aaron Sorkin]], is titled "The Greater Fool," which is also the title of the diegetic cover story about [[The Newsroom (American TV series)#Main cast|Will McAvoy]] in a fictional edition of [[New York (magazine)|New York magazine]] that features in the episode: at one point, McAvoy is struck repeatedly with a copy.<ref name=TNR>{{cite episode|title=The Greater Fool|series=[[The Newsroom (American TV series)]]|season=1|issue=10|time=3:03-310, 8:23-8:37; 49:42-50:15|network=[[HBO]]|date=26 August 2012|credits=[[Aaron Sorkin]] (writer), Greg Mottola (director)}}</ref>

Later in the episode, economist and fellow anchor Sloan Sabbith, in an attempt to console McAvoy about the unflattering article, explains the concept to him in an ironic light:

{{blockquote|“The greater fool is actually an economic term: it’s a patsy. […] For the rest of us to profit, we need a greater fool, someone who will buy long and sell short. Most people spend their lives trying not to be the greater fool: we toss him the hot potato, we dive for his seat when the music stops. The greater fool is someone with the perfect blend of self-delusion and ego to think that he can succeed where others have failed. This whole country [the United States] was made by greater fools.” <ref name=ShowBiz>{{cite encyclopedia|type=Edited collection|first=Carlos|last=Rodriguez Braun|entry=The Newsroom|title=Show and Biz: The Market Economy in TV Series and Popular Culture (2000-2020)|editor-last1=Blanco|editor-first1=Maria|editor-last2=Mingardi|editor-first2=Alberto|publisher=[[Bloomsbury Publishing|Bloomsbury Academic]]|year=2023|pages=175-196|quote-page=191}}</ref><ref name=TNR />}}