Friday October 3rd. The House passed the economic meltdown bill. I’m in Baltimore in front of one of those money shows on t.v. next to another guy. I say “we all need a good weekend.” He says “there’s a run on the Wachovia. I’m putting my money in my mattress.” I assume he’s a banker or broker but find out he’s just an ordinary guy who couldn’t get money out the Wachovia ATM down the street in downtown Baltimore. I grab my camera and head over to the ATM two blocks from work. I see a sign on the ATM. It’s a paper sign with a handwritten “No Money” on it.
A couple of interesting ethnographic notables here. First, somebody in the bank went to the trouble to put up a sign AND to use the words “No Money” rather than just the usual “not in service.” There was money inside the bank afterall. Second, our country is steeped in two parallel “No Money!” meltdowns — the one on Wall Street and the one on “Wal” Mart. We have much to learn and see about how these two meltdowns proceed.
October 10th, 2008 - Posted in Anthropology, Behavior, Cultural Trends, Ethnography | |
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