I never saw the Ferengi as Jewish stereotypes, but given Robert's quotes on how they were actually created, it only reinforces my opinion that Hollywood types know about as much about wealth creation, markets, and economics as a cargo cult knows about aerodynamics.

I have no idea why a place like Hollywood, which has probably more millionaires per square mile than anywhere else, is so virulently anticapitalistic. I have some psychological theories, but that's another story.

Star Trek seems to be a socialist utopia, as far as economics is concerned. The baseline of all socialist thinking is "Wealth IS." Everything else is concerned with just how to distribute it "fairly," as though it appeared from heaven like manna. Star Trek is like this. Nobody is ever short of cash. Few things are paid for, unless you go to a bar on shore leave. There is no real consistency to how wealth and economics are dealt with.

Wealth is created by human skill, knowledge, time, and often blood, sweat and tears. Ask anyone who has started a business from nothing. The billionaire moving money to where it can be the most productive is creating wealth. The guy sitting on a street corner selling jewelry he made himself is creating wealth. And a lot of places in between. It's called productivity, whether you are talking goods or services. Trading human time and effort for money. Redistributing wealth by force is redistributing human lives.

The Ferengi are supposed to be raw capitalists, but they are a cartoon version. Only a Hollywood socialist type would have painted the entire race as complete crooks and cheaters. A few moments' thought would tell you that a race of crooked interstellar traders would have a very short business life. Or maybe just a short life.

Larry Niven painted a much more realistic picture of interstellar traders: the Outsiders. They were nearly immortal, traded almost everything, and had a reputation for stainless honesty, although they would not cut you any breaks. A race of long-lived traders would really like to do some repeat business once in a while, and if you have a reputation as dirty dealers, you'd better find another line of work.