Unabridged and Cliff’s Notes
People who know my background and views frequently ask me what I recommend to someone who wants to learn more about “the current (financial) unpleasantness.”
Besides this blog, that is. 🙂
My response: “how much time do you have?”
From most-to-least time-consuming, here are my recommendations.
A weekend: Michael Lewis’ fabulous “The Big Short.”
Two hours: “Inside Job,” Charles Ferguson pitch-perfect, Oscar-winning documentary on epic Wall Street greed and corruption — and its many enablers.
Five minutes: Calvin Trillin’s Op-Ed bemused take on things, “Wall Street Smarts,” in The New York Times.
Trillin does “droll” much better than moral outrage, when the latter is clearly called for.
And, unfortunately, 5 minutes really isn’t enough to understand the origin(s) of today’s financial mess.
But, what Trillin says about Wall Street’s makeup today relative to a generation ago is undoubtedly true.
Five minutes very well spent.