Saturday, May 24, 2008

We are not cattle!

That's an investment banker's lament on being cashiered by Bank of America:

“These are people’s lives,” said an investment banker in his 30s who was laid off in November from his job at a Bank of America office in New York. “It’s not head count. We’re not cattle.”

No of course you're not cattle, my young friend. We feed the cattle. Maybe if you go to the soup kitchen run by those do-gooder liberals, they'll feed you, too. Just don't get sick!

It's apparently a jungle out there, even for the survivors:

Even for some of those who survive a job cut, the emotional landscape can change. “It’s like I woke up and I’m in a different country,” said a person who has worked for Merrill Lynch for more than two decades and has weathered a recent round of layoffs there.

He described widespread anger, mistrust and angst at Merrill, both among those leaving and those staying. “People are reeling,” he said. “The culture has turned. It is a nasty culture.”

The veneer of civilization is wearing thin!

None of this is really funny, and Spot is sorry for making light of it. But it may be just the ticket to get some of the fledgling Gordon Gekkos out there to learn a little empathy.

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