I just wanted to let you know that Zuckerberg stole our website.The Social Network · 2010 — Chapter 9 of 23 · 3'23" · B2
The Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark, Explained: give someone the finger
Convinced Mark stole their idea, the Winklevosses and Divya plan a legal response, then argue about how far to take it. "Do you wanna hire an IP lawyer and sue him?" one asks. The answer is a class rule: "This is Harvard, where you don't plant stories and you don't sue people."
What happens
Once Facebook is up, the Winklevoss twins and Divya are sure Mark stole their idea. They gather evidence, call their father's lawyer, and argue over whether to sue. The scene ends on the Harvard rule they both resent and obey: no planting stories, no suing people.
Listen for
get around tolied to our facesschool someone incease-and-desist letter
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Phrase of the scene
give someone the finger
Openly insult or defy someone
Cameron 说 He's giving us the finger in The Crimson，认定 Mark 是在报上公开挑衅他们。
Ignoring the invitation entirely was giving them the finger.
Also in this scene
- get around to
Finally find time to do
- lied to our faces
Lie directly to someone
- school someone in
Teach someone, often condescendingly
- cease-and-desist letter
A formal stop-it letter
- plant stories
Feed stories to the press
Everything marked in this scene
26 notes across 71 lines
"'Everyone's been talking a lot about a universal facebook within Harvard,' he says."Finally find time to do
"'a couple of years to get around to it.flap
"'a couple of years to get around to it.And this guy doesn't have three friends to rub together to make a fourth.We'll put all this together and we'll e-mail it to you.You know what, it would just be easier for us to e-mail it to you.He's a good guy and he's very bright and I'm sure he didn't mean to do...Lie directly to someone
We know he lied to our faces for a month and a half.simple past negation: The negation quietly undercuts the accusation.
- No, he never lied to our faces. - Okay, he never saw our faces.because he knows what apparently you don't, which is that getting there first is everything.nominal what-clause: The what-clause smuggles in a jab with apparently.
because he knows what apparently you don't, which is that getting there first is everything.I don't think you need to school me in the importance of getting there first. Thank you.A formal stop-it letter
He's gonna look at all this and if he thinks it's appropriate he'll send a cease-and-desist letter.first conditional: First conditional turns the threat into paperwork.
He's gonna look at all this and if he thinks it's appropriate he'll send a cease-and-desist letter.stress
He's gonna look at all this and if he thinks it's appropriate he'll send a cease-and-desist letter.No, I wanna hire the Sopranos to beat the shit out of him with a hammer.elision
No, I wanna hire the Sopranos to beat the shit out of him with a hammer.No, I wanna hire the Sopranos to beat the shit out of him with a hammer.I'm saying, let's calm down until we know what we're talking about.Shit, I need a second to let the classiness waft over me.Openly insult or defy someone
That's exactly what we said to him. He's giving us the finger in The Crimson.While we're waiting for Dad's lawyer to look this stuff over,We're not starting a knife fight in The Crimson.Feed stories to the press
This is Harvard, where you don't plant stories and you don't sue people.This is Harvard, where you don't plant stories and you don't sue people.The Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark, explained
What's really going on
The scene is really about what a certain kind of privilege will and will not do. The Winklevosses have the facts, the lawyer and the money, but they are also bound by an unwritten code: "This is Harvard, where you don't plant stories and you don't sue people." That code sounds noble, and it is also a cage — the very reason they hesitate while Mark simply acts. Their line about how he lied "to our faces" shows the hurt underneath, but the deciding voice is the one defending manners. The irony is that the film's whole plot is the cost of that restraint: playing by the gentleman's rules is exactly how they lose.
Theme
ClassThe twins obey an elite code of manners that forbids both leaking and suing, even when being wronged.
JusticeThey believe they were robbed and want a remedy, but their own rules keep blocking every path to one.
Listen for
- get around to it — flap
- cease-and-desist letter — stress
- beat the shit out of — elision
This is Harvard, where you don't plant stories and you don't sue people.The code the brothers live by, stated as fact: at Harvard, both leaking to the press and going to court are beneath them.
Because we're gentlemen of Harvard.The reason behind the rule, and the film's quiet joke about privilege dressing itself up as principle.
We know he lied to our faces for a month and a half.The grievance in plain terms: they gave Mark a month of trust and believe he spent it deceiving them.
We're not starting a knife fight in The Crimson.A refusal to turn the campus paper into a battleground, showing how much they prize staying above the fray.
And this guy doesn't have three friends to rub together to make a fourth.A sharp, almost envious jab: for all his success, Mark is described as friendless and alone.
Questions about this scene
What does a cease-and-desist letter mean?
It is a formal warning from a lawyer demanding that someone stop the offending behavior. Sending one is often the step before a lawsuit, which is why the brothers call their father's counsel first.
Why don't the Winklevosses sue Mark right away?
Partly they are waiting for the lawyer to review the evidence, and partly they are bound by a Harvard code against leaking stories or suing. The scene shows them choosing restraint over action.
What evidence do they have against Mark?
They point to The Crimson, where Mark is quoted describing a Harvard facebook, and to a line on his site reading A Mark Zuckerberg production. That is enough to convince them he took their idea.
What did The Crimson quote Mark as saying?
It quotes him saying that a universal Harvard facebook makes sense, and that he could do a classier job than the university in a week. The twins read the article as Mark bragging and rubbing it in.
The Social Network · 23 chapters
All chapters →
Up next · Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 1speak in codeErica Dumps Mark at the Bar
Chapter 2take my mind offMark Builds Facemash
Chapter 3an awful lot ofMark Crashes Harvard's Network
Chapter 4make an example out ofZuckerberg Faces the Ad Board
Chapter 5a no-brainerWinklevoss Twins Pitch Their Site
Chapter 6in a stampedeMark Pitches the Facebook Idea
Chapter 7off the recordEduardo's Deposition Turns on Emails
Chapter 8bounce aroundFacebook Launches Relationship Status
Watching · Chapter 9give someone the fingerThe Winklevosses Debate Suing Mark
Chapter 10Facebook meEduardo Recalls Facebook's Launch
Chapter 11monetizeMark and Eduardo Argue About Money
Chapter 12the minimum amountMark Answers with Minimum Attention
Chapter 13written in inkErica Confronts Mark Over the Internet
Chapter 14the shoe's on the other footSean Parker Wakes Up at Stanford
Chapter 15make that callThe Winklevosses Meet President Summers
Chapter 16a dog in this fightSean Parker Wins Over Mark
Chapter 17stir the potEduardo's Chicken Deposition Story
Chapter 18once-in-a-generationSean Parker Meets Mark in Palo Alto
Chapter 19at our disposalThe Winklevosses Decide to Sue Mark
Chapter 20get left behindEduardo Confronts Mark Over Sean
Chapter 21let bygones be bygonesEduardo Freezes the Company Account
Chapter 22in all honestyEduardo Signs Away His Shares
Chapter 23lawyer upMark Dismantles Eduardo at FacebookChapter 9 of 23 · about 44 min to go