Strangely, as my job leads fizzled out one after another and in stark contrast to my financial situation which kept getting worse over the course of my unemployment, my publicity kept growing [and continues until this very day, Voices of the Decade, Ten defining events for New York City by the people who were there, New York Post, December 27, 2009]. Apparently, my image and story had struck a deep chord in the personal and social psyche. In fact, my publicity seemed to grow in perfect inverse proportion to the deepening global economic crisis.
As the Face of the American Economy and a Sign of the Times, I became the go-to guy for depressing economic news. Every time higher-than-expected unemployment numbers came out, I received at least one or two calls from journalists asking me to repeat the details of my sandwich board story and share my insights on the economy.
And every time a television, newspaper or Internet story came out displaying my sandwich board picture with my contact information in plain view, my cell phone would ring for hours, and I would receive dozens of emails from across the nation and around the world.
On August 22, a crew of journalists from Japan’s NTV chauffeured me from my Upper East Side sublet to Wall Street for an interview in the heart of capitalism.
We strolled around the financial district and settled on the steps of the old Federal Hall National Memorial, by the prominent bronze statue of George Washington.
I sat facing the New York Sock Exchange whose pillars were covered by a giant American flag and spoke about the presidential candidates, their economic policies and the upcoming elections.
I explained that initially I had been leaning toward Senator McCain because I thought we needed to maintain a clear strategy against terrorism and a strong force in the Middle East—and I was for lower taxes and less government.
However, I also admitted that Senator Obama’s charisma was pulling me in, and I was starting to believe he could help change the world’s perception of the USA for the better—which might be more powerful than the sword. Furthermore, I was for universal health care and aggressive development of alternative energy technologies.
Playing the diplomat, I said I was still on the fence and expected to learn more about the candidates’ policies and visions during the upcoming national conventions.
Crowds of tourists passed by, glancing at me as if I were a celebrity—and a street preacher who seemed to have been in the same spot since George Washington’s time barked for all to repent.
When the interview was over, I strolled around Wall Street recalling my first job after graduating MIT—when I worked on the floor of the American Stock Exchange as an Assistant Options Specialist.
I recalled the excitement on the floor, the rows of computer screens displaying stock quotations, the yelling and shoving as floor brokers and traders positioned themselves and elbowed their way through the crowds.
On the floor of the stock exchange, I had felt as though I were in the heart of capitalism, the center of the free market.
After an intense day on the floor, I would often go across the street for a beer at a bar on a high floor in the World Trade Centers. I would look out over the city and feel as though I were on top of the world.
I remembered the awe I had felt when my brother had first guided me around his place of employment, the Salomon Brothers trading floor near Battery Park. I recalled visiting with my mother in her office when she had worked at AIG on Maiden Lane. I recalled my father telling me that his first office, after graduating from Harvard Law School, had been on Lower Broadway.
My family and I were so connected to the financial district, I almost felt as if I were home—or more relevant to my situation, I had the heart-warming sensation of being employed again.
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