Greed isn’t good; Shredded Wheat is

“Greed is good” became the bastardized catchphrase for everything bad about the 1980s — power-suits, junk bonds and yuppies. While the ’90s and ’00s have learned to package the message in a sweeter form, Gordon Gekko’s speech pretty much rings true for those decades too.

But things have changed. Or at least appear to have. Greed is out. Wall Street bankers are afraid to wear suits for fear of looking like Wall Street bankers. Teach for America is attracting a record number of college graduates and many unemployed people are volunteering at non-profits.

Who knows how long this trend of helping others over one’s self will last but advertisers are sure taking note.