Today I will be discussing, “The Dallas Buyers Club” and the aspects of why or how it is entrepreneurial. Ron Woodruff was a hometown bull rider who eventually caught “HIV” or “AIDS”, Ron chose not to believe what he had heard at first but after a few short days, he began to think about the possible ways to heal or cure this disease. Eventually, he concluded that the medicine offered at the hospital was killing people faster than it was saving them, although Ron had finally found an alternative to this medicine he also saw an opportunity. Thousands of individuals who had just been diagnosed with the disease were looking for treatment and Ron decided he would supply these individuals. The reason I feel this is so entrepreneurial is because of the challenges presented to Ron that he had to overcome. While attempting to sneak the drugs past the border he was told that they could only be taken for his personal use and that if the government found out he was selling them he would be in big trouble. Ron chose to draw a sleight of hand and create memberships for people with this disease, instead of selling the pills to people he would offer a membership that then grants free access to the pills. Ron had managed to find a way around all of the legal troubles while making a profit for not only himself but also his partner. Although it doesn't exactly sound ok, Ron was an entrepreneur who chose to attack an opportunity while still helping others.
The movie was fascinating because it showed exactly what sick people had to go through in this period. Hospitals and portions of the government didn't care about people, they cared about the money which led to thousands of lives being lost. Ron made it his top priority to show people the truth, showing them exactly what was in the medicine the hospitals were offering and their effects. The FDA chose to confiscate Ron's “drugs” from his apartment. At the same time, Ron tried to warn everyone that the medicines inside the hospitals were making people extremely sick because of the toxicity levels. He kept trying, even finding a piece of information saying that the medicine Ron had been supplying was a “good” drug and that it helped with people's symptoms.
The relationship between Ron (who was the entrepreneur in this situation) and society was very tight. Ron truly cared for these people and they took notice of that. Although Ron was charging money for memberships, they were still able to realize the efforts that he was trying to make. Ron knew that once you obtained the disease you were with it forever, so why not make the best of it? Each person taking the medicine felt so much better than before, especially when they stopped taking the medicine the hospitals offered. This allowed for the relationship to become even stronger because Ron was telling the truth and giving the people the services they deserve just like we discussed in class. Support was a big part of the movie, Ron started alone but began to realize he had so many people wanting to help. Even people looking to get treatment wanted to make a difference.
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