My friend, Jason, who works in an investment bank in London called me today while I was at home in my pyjamas having breakfast. I was in a rush to get to work and couldn’t afford to speak to him – but as it had been a while since we spoke I took his call. He was all in a flutter. Apparently he and his colleagues came out of a meeting in the investment bank where he works – they, along with the whole floor, found cardboard boxes places on their desks. They were told, to clear them out their personal belongings immediately, while being watched by security, and leave the building on the spot – as the whole bank was going bankrupt. It is estimated that the City (of London – which is the square mile of all financial firms) will lose between 110,000-150,000 jobs alone. So my friend Jason, along with everyone else packed their things and left. Some girls were weeping and some people looked bewildered. Others hadn’t really realised what was happening or had been expecting it and were unfazed. But the thing is, no one cares about bankers who have now lost everything. It is said that bankers are now suffering for losing their job the way someone loses a loved one and yet, they receive no amount of sympathy. Ori said everyone in London was on their laptops or Blackberries scouring the internet for jobs; drinking lattes and being stressed out or just drinking themselves into a stupor. Jobs were decreasing but demand for alcohol wasn’t.
Yet, the jobless banker will go through the same bereavement process as someone in mouring, albeit with different sympotoms, and yet will get no sympathy.
This is both unfair and understandable some say. Unfair because they lost their jobs and have families to support. However it is understandable that people will not be sympathetic as they were earning so much as investment bankers. What they do not understand is that they earned a lot because of the volatility of the market. Which begs the question; if you were paid so much to be an investment banker, and now the market has crashed, should people feel sympathy? Maybe empathy.
But have a look at the video below. My friend Laverne, who saw this said 'who knew the British could be so sassy?' when hearing Vicky Ward (the journalist) talk about Mr. Fuld (of Lehman Brothers). I think she sums up everything people are feeling.
