Can someone clue me in as to when the American Psycho Wall Street craze will end. I am amazed it has lasted this long. Generations (Wall St generations last maybe 3-5 years) of my fellow Wall Streeters delight in trying to be just like their hero Patrick Bateman. I get it that it was an edgy movie (and an edgier book) but is it necessary 9 years later to express your male prowess based on your AP knowledge? It’s like a who has the bigger dick contest based on who is the most like Pat Bateman (ex the homicidal mania of course). How many of you have a guy on the desk who says he has to “return some video tapes” to a random question for which that answer has no practical application. Or tells a girl he works for “Pierce and pierce.” Or how about, “because I want to fit in” or “no can do got and 830 rez at Dorsia”. I understand people having something silly to rally behind, a common cause if you will (hell look at this website) but a sea of highly educated financial professionals looking up to a fictional serial killer is just absurd. Most of the so called fans have never even read the book which was a meandering critique of pretty much everything our lives are based on. I certainly didn’t walk away with a good feeling about Ellis’ portrayal of our culture. The hero was a killer and his friends and girlfriends were a series of shallow vapid sexual miscreants all obsessed with money and things and transient behavior (I guess that actually sounds about right when I think about it).
Ellis (the author of the novel for you vcinephiles) said the character was based on interviews with Wall Streeters, a loose association with his real estate mogul father, and a demonic power which possessed him nightly. Not sure about you guys but modeling myself after this seems just stupid. Some rich aloof father who’s son turned him into a serial killer in his fictional world, or a collection of drug-addicted morally bankrupt zeros seems an unusual lot to look up to. Besides isn’t that what rock stars are for? You do though have to love that Ellis definitely got rich by force feeding us a critique of ourselves making us out to be a pack of vain assholes and then in turn taking the profits and living the life most of Wall Street dreams of: sleeping late, endless drug abuse, and no responsibilities.
I meet girls and they tell me how their ex boyfriend envisioned himself as Patrick Bateman and how it was his favorite book. Right away I lose respect (but not enough respect to skip trying to hit them in the can) for any woman who could sit by laughing it off while her boyfriend droned on about how he wanted to be the American Psycho. In all likelihood, most of these guys probably haven’t been to a gym since the mid 90s, and the only thing they have in common with the character is greed. Which is awful anyway, let’s all become people who worship greed and disgust. Misery and money. Can I get a hallelujah? Amen.
Halloween is the worst. If I see another dickface in a suit with a knife claiming to be the American Psycho I might just grab the knife and stick it in his fucking eye socket.
Anyway I think the bottom line is clear, Wall Street is a place where villains (Gekko, Bateman, etc.) are idolized and heroes (in a traditional sense) are ostracized. It is high time we set about the wheels of reversing this conundrum in favor of the return to decent moral values the character spoke of lest we have another crisis and are forced to subject ourselves to another team of fucking sell-siders whining endlessly about their commissions. This is town drunk, ripped, pissed, and sending you all a great big fuck you.
Now go get me a rez a Dorsia, order the ceviche, and suck it.
-Town Drunk
