17
Mar
Instant icon
If our entire era could be described in a single picture, it would be this one (from Fairfield County Look via TPM): the current head of AIG Financial Products (the division that lost all the money) wearing a Che Guevara tee-shirt at a cocktail party.
But who am I to talk? I’ve got a Che tattoo on one bicep and Tupac on the other.
A Mom Anon
Good God.
I gotta go clean my brains off the monitor now.
Seriously,what the fucking fuck?
If I ever see that guy anywhere I’m kicking him right in the balls.
ronin122
I am torn; is this supposed to be ironic, or not surprising in the least? That’s pretty awesome though, now it all makes sense why AIG always makes me nauseated when it’s in the news.
DougJ
Both at the same time.
dollar general spice
Deadhead sticker on a Cadillac
Comrade Stuck
Gawd, Don’t let Malkin see that. Atomic head detonation.
cleek
cue Wingnut screaming "Look! photographic proof that the AIG bailout is a Marxist plot!" in 3…2…
DougJ
This more like a “save the planet” sticker on a Hummer.
DanF
I have no doubt it’s done in an ironic, "f**k the little people" kind of way.
ronin122
@DougJ: Oh I know, just a rhetorical statement. It’s just strange how every day I think it cannot get worse with them, the imaginary gods seem to always find a way to kick it up a notch.
By the way, I think the "assholes" tag needs a little plastic surgery. I propose that given the increase of assholes in recent months, you guys modify the tag to read "assholes, jack-offs and scumbags" (after the one non-stage skit by George Carlin)
Matt
So….where can I find him? I’d like to have a little "talk."
burnspbesq
Just another pathetic attempt at hipness by the terminally unhip. Don’t read more into it than is actually there. The guy probably sent his admin out at lunchtime with instructions to "find me something edgy to wear to this party."
A pocket square with a linen blazer, a t-shirt and jeans? Srsly, this guy is in line for a visit from the Fashion Police long before the FBI or the SEC get there.
SpotWeld
@cleek
See, I was going to go with the "Proof that the credit mess is all Obamas fault"
Zoogz
The irony becomes even deeper if you try to think of Che Guevara wearing an "AIG" teeshirt.
jibeaux
Don’t overanalyze…that t-shirt gives you instant asshole cred, bipartisan-like. Add a coppery gold pocket square to your sports coat worn over it and some white pants, and you’ve got so much asshole cred you could open up your own bank and loan it out to the asshole impaired.
Ricky Bobby
A white belt would have completed the outfit, and I think my uncle Murray has some shoes that would have gone well with those snappy trousers.
Spitting in the eye of Marxism? Or perhaps someone who doesn’t understand what the fuck HE represents in the grander scheme of things. News flash boomer-guy-who-helped-destroy-American-finance… you wear the black hat now, and always have.
Michael
Che would’ve kicked his ass.
cleek
just a note: the theme of the party was "the sights, sounds and tastes of 1940s-era Havana". since Che was born in 28, he was just a student in the 40s. so that shirt’s a little anachronistic…
of course Che was actually the director of the Cuban central bank. so maybe it’s OK.
zirconium
I’ll bet that guy’s related to Bernie Madoff.
Wasn’t Che hunted down and shot?
NonyNony
@burnspbesq:
It’s worse than that – if you follow the link you see that the pics were taken at a "Fiesta Cuba" charity party where the theme was "Havana in the 1940’s".
So it’s very possible the guy said "find me something Cuban to wear" and his admin assistant came back with a Che T-shirt. I’d like to believe said assistant did it to make the boss look like a tool, but in fairness there’s a good chance that the assistant was a tool as well.
Paul in KY
I think Che wouldn’t mind at all if he was strangled with that shirt.
Dennis-SGMM
An asshole with the capability for introspection of a rutabaga behaves like an asshole with the capability for introspection of a rutabaga. In other news…
Tom65
That’s Asshole Hall of Fame material right there.
Olliander
For the record, he’s only been at AIG since October. He was brought in to "unwind" the derivatives mess they already had. Hasn’t been doing a good job apparently.
Michael
BTW - looking at the pictures, the asshole is the only one at the party dressed like that. The stupid fuckwit (Gerry Pasciucco) couldn’t be bothered to do what everybody else did in terms of theme.
Jon H
Holy crap that photo spread is just a cornucopia of douchebags.
Never have I been so glad that I’m not rich or born to the kind of family who would participate in such douchebaggery.
jibeaux
Okay, that theme is idiotic, but at least it heads in the direction of suggesting how that ensemble came to be. Consider the asshole bank to be more of a small local asshole credit union.
Redhand
I agree. Truly an icon of the age.
I read in the NYT or WaPo that these scum are now shitting themselves at their CT Wolfschanze, hiring security guards to fend off the mob with pikes and pitchforks. Good training for ‘em.
Atanarjuat
Why would any of you leftists scorn Gerry Pasciucco’s party attire?
It proves that he’s one of yours, which helps to explain why he feels that his company is entitled to taxpayer-funded rewards despite an egregious lack of performance.
That’s one of the basic tenets of liberalism.
Viva la Bailout, gringos!
-A
Josh Hueco
Does someone make a pie filter for Safari?
Rick Taylor
Via Americablog, Citi, Morgan Stanley look to sidestep bonus caps
Can we please just either give their damn money, or nationalize their institutions? Giving them lots of money and then acting shocked and outraged when they do what they have always done is getting embarrassing.
Napoleon
Viva la Revolution!
Miriam
He probably had a Che poster on his wall at Princeton (or wherever) and still thinks of himself as a cool duuude.
cleek
@Josh Hueco:
you can run GreaseMonkey on Safari. and that means you can use my filter.
Glocksman
@Olliander:
Pat yourself on the back because you just saved the guy from a beatdown if I ever ran across him.
Now if you can locate his predecessor for me….
DougJ
Awesome.
Olliander
I wonder how much Chris Dodd has received from Mr. Pasciucco…
Janet Strange
@cleek: Ah, I see. This is what they are celebrating at their little party (1940’s Cuba):
Of course they are. This is their dream for America. Well, except for the "prosperous middle class" part. They’re doing their damnedest to make sure there’s none of that for us little people.
Napoleon
@DougJ:
I wish I would have thought of that one.
Singularity
Wow. A bunch of upper class assholes celebrating the gangster paradise that was Batista’s Cuba. How fitting.
You know, old Gerry there could do a lot to set the tone at his new gig by very vocally refusing to accept any bonus. Even if he’s not due one, it would send a message to the rest of the tools in his particular toolbag. Somehow, though, I doubt he’s going to do that.
scav
Remember, these are very important people that deserve these bonuses because otherwise they would leave. I mean, you have to grant that these are not garden variety scumbags and idiots that drove their companies into the ground, these are world class, once in a generation scale idiots that managed to drive both their companies and the world economy into the ground. Tthese are simple epic douches that we may in no way allow the Martians to get their hands on. The thrill, the simple thrill of being allowed to inhabit the space-time continuum with these towering beings, let alone stand near them at a cheesy costume parties.
Belgium.
In related news, I think we better pass the hat pretty soon in case Atan. might up-sticks and wander off.
Adrienne
Before everyone gets their panties into a twist, this is the guy who currently heads up that division. IIRC, the previous guy who actually DID all the damage was fired/quit/no longer works there.
That’s not necessarily the case. They were going to lose a shit-ton of money no matter who they brought in and/or what they did. The unwinding of those derivatives, which had already lost a great deal of value, combined with the payouts for the stuff they’d insured is what’s killing AIG. They’re getting hammered from both sides of this thing.
Olliander
@Glocksman: I didn’t mean to imply that he should be getting a bonus. He’s been there since the fall, which means he should get squat as far as I’m concerned.
Rosali
Socia lismo o muerte!
scav
plus, how many of us haven’t seen raises/cost of living blah-blahs in years "for the good of the company" and furthermore have seen repeated rounds of right-sizing so that the firm’s actual performance manages to match their "plans"?
Please.
Comrade Dread
If I remember my Latin American history correctly, Che was captured while trying to foment more Marxist revolutions in South America and was summarily executed by the opposition on the spot while trying to bargain for his life.
As to the photo, this guy should be on his knees praying to God every hour that some modern day charismatic revolutionary doesn’t rise up and attract the masses. Because I imagine anyone who worked for AIG would be the first ones up against the wall.
valdivia
@NonyNony:
But NonyNony in all fairness there are no Batista t’shirts around (the dictator from the glory days before Castro). Unless the crazy Cubans in Miami wear them or make them? That would have been very appropriate.
(Edit—for the historical record—Batista was really the all powerful Dictator in Cuba since the late 30s until 59 even if others were officially in office, he controlled them. Che was killed in Bolivia where he had been trying to stir up a revolution, this was after his Angola adventure)
Ryan
And people say vulcanization is cruel and unusual.
zirconium
Viewing the linked party photos, many of the people attending look just like the upper crust, ruling class folks you’ll find in wealthy summer communities like Newport or Watch Hill.
Comrade Darkness
It’s a disguise so no one can identify him on the street.
No one expects the Che Guevara t-shirt.
passerby
@dollar general spice:
@Atanarjuat:
@Zoogz:
Brilliance a-go-go.
It’s hard to pick a winner this morning. Balloon Juicers are rockin’ ! !
Phoebe
I can’t analyze the motivation right now because I can’t get past the ugly wrongness. My brain is like a skipping cd, stuck on that.
passerby
Speaking of tattoos…
Little known fact that C Dodd of Connecticut (insurance capital of the world) has AIG tattooed on his (war) chest and Joe the Biden of Delaware (credit card capital of the world) has VISA tattooed on one butt cheek and MasterCard on the other.
Bet you didn’t know that.
Josh Hueco
@cleek:
Gracias, mì amìgo
passerby
@Comrade Darkness:
Ha! With the death threats and subsequent pumped up security around the AIG offices, I am inclined to agree with your assesment.
My brother, who spent a few days in a Mexican jail for some gringo reason, once told me that if you’re ever in a Central American riot, grab a stick or stave (preferably something on fire) and join in by saying "Che Guevara es mi amigo!"
DougJ
I didn’t but I’m certainly not surprised.
TenguPhule
Its like a list for Dexter, all it lacks are names and addresses.
Bubblegum Tate
I didn’t think it was possible, but now I’m somehow even more embarrassed to be from Fairfield.
Seanly
Give Vincent Vega a break. He & Jules were coming back from retreiving a briefcase for Marcellus when Vincent accidently shot Marvin in the head. The t-shirt was the only thing Jimmie had to replace the awesome Cuban-themed shirt covered with Marvin’s brains.
Delia
I find myself a sudden huge fan of Chuck Grassley. He’s come up with a modest proposal that the AIG thieves all either resign or go Japanese and commit seppuku. Preferably both.
Will
You know what strikes me about those linked photos? All of the "staff" aren’t named. They are pictured without comment, like the other decorations. Even for a frou-frou online social magazine, that’s incredibly telling.
passerby
@Delia:
"The first thing that would make me feel a little bit better toward them (is) if they’d follow the Japanese example and come before the American people and take that deep bow and say, I’m sorry, and then either do one of two things: resign or go commit suicide," Grassley said.
Me too. Sprayed coffee all over.
An Iowa Republican at that. I had to check and make sure I wasn’t on The Onion site when I read that.
Punchy
I have no idea who Che is, although this thread is learnin’ me some things.
drunken hausfrau
He appears to be drinking a mojito… not a cuba libre. The cuba libre would be more apropos the Cuba in the "40s theme. Wonder if the party also had casino tables? It’s so very Marie Antoinette of them to celebrate this way…
guesti
reads like the graphic equivalent of:
socialize losses, privatize gains
let’s party! is this country great or what?
JWW
Well at least Tupac knew what he was saying, but only 10% of those listening had the slightest idea. The other 90% thought it was cool.
Kinda reminds me of the current president.
the listenerd is physically ill « the listenerd
[...] Look! An AIG executive wearing a Che t-shirt! Surely God will smite him for this transgression. [...]
Just about says it all » The Sly Oyster | culture & entertainment on the sly » Blog Archive
[...] From Balloon Juice: If our entire era could be described in a single picture, it would be this one (from Fairfield County Look via TPM): the current head of AIG Financial Products (the division that lost all the money) wearing a Che Guevara tee-shirt at a cocktail party. [...]
dj transit
"@Glocksman: I didn’t mean to imply that he should be getting a bonus. He’s been there since the fall, which means he should get squat as far as I’m concerned."
if you read any serious news about this situation this week, you would know that he was not one of those getting a bonus
dj transit
@ Adrienne
"Before everyone gets their panties into a twist, this is the guy who currently heads up that division."
sorry adrienne, but that ship has sailed.
only a few months ago, the posters here were the ones reading the daily kos and getting themselves in a froth over sarah palin’s daughter having a baby. that redneck!
now that they have their hope and change, they are fixing their sights on people brought in to stop the bleeding at aig. why? because some idiot blogger found a photo somewhere and didn’t do any research besides seeing the guy’s name and aig in the same sentence.
the outrage shown here, and in many other blogs, should be directed at those (who are long gone from aig) who drove the company into the ground. not at those (like pasciucco and liddy) who came in to clean up the mess left behind.