Economic meltdown explained, satirized online

Why isn't this required reading on Wall Street?

Published October 6, 2008 2:00PM (EDT)

In the vein of last week's post on the veritable bevy of Sarah Palin Internet humor, I thought I'd bring you another round of funnies from the Net -- but this time on the theme of the current financial meltdown that's gripped American and worldwide financial markets. Some of these are a few months old by now, but have renewed poignancy given all this bailout biz.

So let's get started with my top five faves, in reverse order:

5) "I live on Main Street/Where's my bailout?"

This T-shirt is pretty straightforward, but honestly looks like it was created using KidPix circa 1996. C'mon, guys, can't we do better than this? Green and red colors? What is this, Christmas? Still, I dig the sentiment.

Grade: C

4) SUB'

This might be the most clever T-shirt I've seen so far on the economic crisis fiasco. From the Swiss T-shirt site Hellvetic comes a twist on the UBS logo, replacing the familiar UBS logo with the exact same reordered letters -- SUB. The key handles are cleverly changed into dollar signs. Classy. If it didn't cost $35 (39 Swiss francs), I'd give it a higher grade than a B-.

Grade: B-

3) Broker Joe comic

Just before Christmas last year, one Cameron Crise of Fortis Investments in London put together this Dr. Seuss-inspired poem about the subprime crisis. With the illustrations and the cute rhyming scheme, sadly, this still holds just as much water (if not more) than when it was originally penned.

I am slyer than a fox
And I don't think you have the docs
That you must have if you foreclose
And so a judge will thumb his nose
At you, your SIV, and CDO
Who owns the mortgage?
I don't know
And you don't either, Broker Joe
I would not know it here or there
I would not know it anywhere
I will not buy your CDO
I will not buy it, Broker Joe!

Grade: B+

2)The Long Johns (John Bird & John Fortune)

Ah, the Brits. Is there any better comedic style than the deadpan pseudo-analysis pas de deux that the Britons simply excel at? I shan't think so, old chap. Cue the High Grade Structured Credit Enhanced Leveraged Fund. Oh wait, this was made pre-Bear Sterns meltdown, wasn't it? Heh, nevermind.

Grade: A

1) The Subprime Primer

This just might be the best explanation of exactly how we found ourselves in this entire mess, in stick-figure form. "Trust the 'Really Smart Guys' for all your Investment Needs" indeed.

Grade: A

That's all I got. Anyone got any others -- preferably new -- to share?


By Cyrus Farivar

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