Putting aside the fact this financial crisis is affecting the lives of millions of innocent people … is anyone else out there enjoying watching the egos and arrogance of the financial industry being brought down a peg or 10?
Of course not all people in the banking industry are idiots – some are decent, smart and worldly individuals who really have helped make a difference – however there’s a huge amount who think that because they have fancy suits, big job titles and obscene salaries, they’re better than the rest of society so go through life with their noses high in the air.
I met one recently who reacted so badly to my questions regarding roles and responsibility that he resorted to bragging about how much money he made because he obviously thought that was the best way to justify [probably to himself] his value/success in society.
As much as his reaction will probably cause the blood to boil in quite a few of you, you can’t blame him totally.
You see this is an industry that doesn’t just embrace the concept of meritology, but worships at it’s feet … so now the World sees how the lies, delusions and illusions they were sold have contributed to this financial massacre [acknowledging that in some cases, people really didn’t help themselves by blindly accepting whatever they were told] they realise their ‘intellectual and social value’ has fallen quicker than their shares, so the only way they can maintain their self esteem is to focus on their material success.
Look I am not against people making money … it helps make great things happen … however when people are sold lies to maintain the illusion of global prosperity and keep the outrageous banking bonuses flowing, then I get very pissed and think they’re getting all the deserve. [even though a hell of a lot more people are getting what they don’t deserve]
The banking industry is not all bad … in areas of training they are absolutely one of the best … however what gets me is that they were able to create this perception of being ‘superbrains’ because for all their talk about research, data and analytics, the wheels of their industry are greased by rumour, myth and perception so they’re a hell of a lot closer to gutter of adland than they are to the intelligence of science.
[Plus it shows that research DOES have it’s flaws because they’re a damn sight better at it than companies who think focus groups can judge the mood of the nation]
On the positive side maybe this will help get the World to realise what is truly important again … move them from embracing meritology to something I call morolology – where values and principals are regarded as being important again … however the cynic in me feels that once the financial markets recover, the memories and lessons of the past will be first to fade …
Then we only have ourselves to blame.