Mark Morford, SF Gate Columnist:
Call it, then, the death of all we once held dear, if what you held dear consisted of seven McMansions and three trophy wives and five revolving psychiatrists and four personal trainers and regular spa treatments for the Wheaten terriers, along with blatantly rubbing your aging genitalia against the stiff leather of your fleet of Porsche Cayenne Turbos after drunkenly nailing your mistress in your corner office at Goldman Sachs. Ahh yes, that’s more like it.
Whatever you call it, there’s a bitter tang in the air, a nasty streak of anti-Everythingism, a collective bullet of disgust and frustration that’s most violently aimed at the most precious American commodity of all: the rich, the overly entitled, the uberwealthy, the manicured bankers and CEOs and Wall Street cash jockeys we used to cherish like royalty but who now smell vaguely of death and foreclosure and Bernie Madoff.
The Nation reports that America is an angry place just now.
“People are furious, all kinds of people for all kinds of reasons, most of which are good and sufficient, if not always prudent and well thought out, but they’ve used, gamed, duped, lied to, betrayed, ripped off, conned, humiliated, scammed, cheated, plundered, rooked, screwed over, hosed, dissed and dishonored.
“Americans, left, right and center, have had it.”
And, to add insult to injury, research by Michael Kraus and Dacher Keltner of UC Berkeley found that the rich are rude and inconsiderate, displaying snootiness like a peacock’s tail, only to say “I don’t need you”.
Portfolio.com addresses ‘The Number’, how much does it take to feel rich? Oh, you mean ‘Fuck you’ money,” a veteran Wall Streeter said.
Dear Valued Client,
You’re screwed. You’re poor. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions.