It goes without saying: we all hate big banks.
Since 2008, we've seen debt-bloated financial behemoths collapse only to be propped back up with public cash. We've seen their stone-faced executives herded before legislative sub-committees only to offer non-apologies, warn against regulation, and justify their record-breaking bonuses. We've had to memorize esoteric acronyms, like CDO and CDS, only to see them for the glorified casino chips that they are. To better express our abhorrence, we've called them "banksters," "fat cats," and, describing the most notorious of all the Wall Street titans, "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity."
Nearly five years after the crisis, the global economy may be in a slow recovery (or so some forecasters tell us), but the reputation of high finance remains in a deep depression.
Responsible banking? Take a hike, Jimmy Stewart. If ever there were an oxymoron for the 21st century, this would be it.
Since 2008, we've seen debt-bloated financial behemoths collapse only to be propped back up with public cash. We've seen their stone-faced executives herded before legislative sub-committees only to offer non-apologies, warn against regulation, and justify their record-breaking bonuses. We've had to memorize esoteric acronyms, like CDO and CDS, only to see them for the glorified casino chips that they are. To better express our abhorrence, we've called them "banksters," "fat cats," and, describing the most notorious of all the Wall Street titans, "a great vampire squid wrapped around the face of humanity."
Nearly five years after the crisis, the global economy may be in a slow recovery (or so some forecasters tell us), but the reputation of high finance remains in a deep depression.
Responsible banking? Take a hike, Jimmy Stewart. If ever there were an oxymoron for the 21st century, this would be it.