Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Party's Over, Wall Street

Yesterday's New York Times has an article about the extravagant company retreats ($23,000 in spa charges!) and lavish spending at A.I.G., and I couldn't help but thinking, "duh". Everyone knows Wall Street guys are the worst partiers - overgrown fratboys in ill-fitting blue button down shirts who are only a million dollar bonus away from a kegstand.

As I was reading, it occurred to me that there's got to be a lot of pictures on Flickr of these chillwads partying it up, banker-style, back in happier days. A quick search for "Lehman Brothers" yielded images relating to their recent troubles, but when I sorted by most recently posted photos, and skipped back to the spring 2008, and voila - the sweet memories started rolling in of the good times and the volitile explosion of an expense account ignited by a douchebag attitude. Fellas, it looks like you were writing some party checks you couldn't cash.

The salad days, my friends: (please, save your tears for the end)

Lehman Brothers party:


Theodore Roosevelt IV, Managing Director of Lehman Brothers:


A.I.G. yachting in France:


A.I.G. Sponsored Lunch with John Legend:


Morgan Stanley employees (what did I say about ill-fitting blue shirts?):


Bear Stearns:


You can see how hard these guy are straining to keep themselves from doing a beer bong at the Morgan Stanley Christmas party:


Ouch - looks like this guy couldn't make it through the Morgan Stanley party without getting on the table to dance:

13 comments:

Diffusionist said...

This is fucking brilliant.

Anonymous said...

Oh please please more of these.

WeThePeopleOfTheUnitedStates said...

I was looking at the pre-foreclosures on http://www.buymyhousebeforethebanktakesit.com and tried to tie our current events into historic events. I came across these famous old quotes;

This (Federal Reserve) Act establishes the most gigantic trust on earth. When the president signs this bill, the invisible government by the monetary power will be legalized. The people may not know it immediately but the day of reckoning is only a few years removed, the worst legislative crime of the ages perpetrated by this banking bill." - Charles A. Lindbergh, R-MN

"We have in this country one of the most corrupt institutions the world has ever known. I refer to the Federal Reserve Board and the Federal Reserve Banks. Some people think the Federal Reserve Banks are U.S. government institutions. They are private credit monopolies; domestic swindlers, rich and predatory money lenders which prey upon the people of the United States for the benefit of themselves and their foreign customers. The Federal Reserve banks are the agents of the foreign central banks. The truth is the Federal Reserve Board has usurped the Government of the United States by the arrogant credit monopoly which operates the Federal Reserve Board.” - Congressman Louis T. McFadden, Chairman of the House Banking and Currency Committee, addressed the House on June 10, 1932. 75 Congressional Record 12595-12603

“Capital must protect itself in every possible way, both by combination and legislation. Debts must be collected, mortgages foreclosed as rapidly as possible. When through the process of law the common people lose their homes, they will become more docile and more easily governed through the strong arm of government applied by a central power of wealth under leading financiers. These truths are well known among our principal men who are now engaged in forming an imperialism to govern the world. By dividing the voter through the political party system we can get them to expend their energies in fighting for questions of no importance. It is thus by discreet action we can secure for ourselves that which has been so well planned and so successfully accomplished." - 1924 US Banker’s Association Magazine

Zen Wizard said...

AIG "brilliant, cost-effective advertising idea--sure to entice a lot of American customers."

brendan donnelly said...

hhahaa
don't forget squared toe black shiny kenneth cole boots aka date rape boots.

these guys deserve to be broke until they're in the mid to late 30's like the rest of us.

Jeff said...

The worst thing about that AIG article was that that lavish retreat was paid for with bailout money. The party is not over, it just has a new benefactor.

Anonymous said...

I'm with Brendan (whose blog I thoroughly enjoy -- Hey, Brendan - you have a devoted reader in the Midwest!)

I live in a university town with a HUGE Greek system. I struggle with the college-level version of these people every single day. At a visceral level, I pretty much hate them.


Oh . . . and that is why I'm taking the 'anonymous' route with this comment!

Anonymous said...

the picture of the cunt in the ill fitting blue shirt with hos hands in the air was taken right outside of a bar in san francisco called city tavern. Anyone from the city will know the reputation that that bar along with all the bars within 10 minutes walking distance have, but for all the out of towners that neighborhood caters almost exclusively to the frat house/haggard as shit sorority lifestyle. Many of the people that live there work in high finance. I work at a restaurant in the neighborhood, and while I'm sad to see my tip money dissapearing, I just smile ear to ear when I think of all the cockbandits that are losing even more money.

matt said...

I applaud your use of "chillwad"

T-Biscuit said...

Instead of "bad times/old people," I think your tags for this should be "old times/bad people."

Southwestern Belle said...

Theodore Roosevelt IV is saying, "I like cocks that are thiiiis big."

doctressjulia said...

EAT THE RICH.

Anonymous said...

if you have the money, burn it in you wanna parties, boats, strippers clubs, with you friends, anything in your mind only is possible with money, well maybe not all but yes all the human whims, like viagra without prescription, cars, girls, houses.