Published 3/2/2009
by chadwick.matlin
at The Big Money
I am a heretic, an economic masochist, a traitor to my industry and my country. When the Dow Jones Industrial Average starts falling, I hope it keeps falling. I am a man who roots for the stock market to go down.
Forgive me, capitalism, for I have sinned.
I, like the rest of America, find myself entranced by the Dow. Those little green numbers on the bottom right of a cable-news screen are like a dangling stopwatch, hypnotizing me with every swing up and down. Just before I check on the market’s closing number, the anticipation is like the one felt before opening a present from Santa. What has this mysterious and invisible force left me with this time? Mommy, Santa got me a financials sell-off! To run out one more tired but apt analogy, our national fascination is the equivalent of rubbernecking. How can you not look at the most awe-inspiring car crash you will ever see in your life?
But here’s the thing: I can’t help but want as many cars to crash as possible. Especially on days like ...
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