Please Stop With The Main Street-Versus-Wall Street Rhetoric

Political candidates across this great country of ours, I ask you -- nay, I beg you: Can you please put a moratorium on the words "Main Street" and "Wall Street" in the same sentence? I know it won't be easy (Gosh, I even enjoyed writing that last line). Surely the best thing to come from this financial crisis is the gooey schlock that it's given speechwriters -- after all, who doesn't come off sounding Lincoln-esque after dropping these two street names back-to-back?

The problem with this turn of phrase, besides dumbing down our discourse or sounding cliché, is manifold. First, it assumes a good-versus-evil duality to the financial problem at hand. Main Street assumes wholesomeness and apple-pie-eating America. Wall Street connotes wickedness, Gucci socks, and guys who post Craigslist ads on why they are "appreciating assets." The financial meltdown, of course, is more complicated than that. I'm sure you can find someone out there in Middle America who wears Gucci socks and there are corporate Gekko-types in downtown Manhattan who probably eat apple pie.

Second, pundits and politicians love to talk about streets for some dumb reason, whenever making blanket, ivory-tower statements about some social group's behavior. No discussion about the Middle East is complete without some mention to the "Arab Street," which instantly catapults the viewers' mind to images of angry young Arab men burning U.S. or Israeli flags and shooting stuff into the air. The expression assumes every Arab thinks in lockstep with the other and masks an inherent religious prejudice: Rarely does it refer to Christian or other non-Muslim Arabs.

Finally, it ignores all the other streets from popular lore. What about Elm Street or Easy Street? It overlooks boulevards and byways and romantic highways like the New Jersey Turnpike. Most people live in such exurban-like settings with flowery street names, they'd be embarrassed to mention their address in an argument ("Those guys on Wall Street just doesn't get us good folks on Pumpernickel Drive.")

Bail us out. Raise our taxes. Do whatever. But politicians across America please stop casting the debate over this financial mess in such lame yin-and-yang prose. It's not about Main Street versus Wall Street. Get it out of your cliché-loving, lemming-like minds.

Comments

[silversister]

When CEO's and the Wealthy Elite stop walking away with billions of dollars, at the expense of the economic health of an entire nation, and quite possibly the GLOBE... then we will stop polarizing our views: Wall St = EVIL, Main St. = GOOD.

Fact is, Wall Street and its ilk, have just about KILLED Main Street. Good old American Pie, may soon be financially out of reach to the average working class, (or should I say soon to be unemployed class?) of American. It is unacceptable that what amounts to FRAUD, and THEFT.. will go unpunished, but if you or I took a piece of gum from a convenience store, we would quickly find ourselves in handcuffs.

I can envision a future, (perhaps not too distant), when CLASS WARS, become a very real issue. Forget race wars, it's really about the money... who has it all, who is taking it away from everyone else. God help us all, if things don't change drastically.

[Colingavignet]

I haven't seen a real main street in a long time like with a Bakery, a newstand, a butcher and a hardware store all I see are mall strips and highway exists with mc donalds. What is main street today? a bunch distribution circuits indexed on wall street.
And where are the Factories???? America won't live forever on stockbrockers, lawyers and salesmen.

[ThePeacemakers]

You'll know it actually is Wall Street vs. Main Street when you get a loan from the the bailout money (basically already contributed to with your tax dollars) and then the interest rate creeps up and up - to ensure we're right back where we are now.
Main street can not afford extortion interest rates and until this is addressed it's all BS.

[CanisLatrans]

Wall St. vs. Main St. is just the latest charming blanket to cover up the "widening gulf of rich & poor" issues that plagues the USA. The problem is, it is a very real concern and one that needs to be addressed realistically.

[MagisterLudi]

I absolutely agree. Let's say a loud NO (vs.YES) to all these distinctions. We must especially oppose such dialectic generalities as: Liberal vs Conservati­ve... right vs left....Ea­st Coast vs. West coast...Ma­c vs. PC... Day vs. night.... down vs. up.... off vs. on...

[JamesInDenver]

What a Silly Argument:

"The problem with this turn of phrase, besides dumbing down our discourse or sounding cliché, is manifold. First, it assumes a good-versus-evil duality to the financial problem at hand."

We need reform, and the best way to get it is to highlight what went wrong. Let's not just sweep this under the rug. If Wall Street gets demonized and becomes a symbol greed, so be it.

[Yellowbird]

You're absolutely right. Who is this guy? What a stupid article. It says absolutely nothing worth reading.

Main Street has a LOT OF BUSINESS THAT DOES NOT SELL ITSELF OUT ON WALL STREET.
Main Street also has businesses who "go public" and sell stock on Wall Street.

THE TWO STREETS ARE ENTIRELY DIFFERENT.

Wall street is a machination that sucks the life out of Main Street. It never goes the other way, where Main Street damages Wall Street.

This "crisis" is meant to frighten us all so that we will accept ruinous debt and tiny wages and agree to live in poverty in the coming years and find it "normal" to become slaves to CORPORATE AMERICA.

The only defense is to let it fall. Let it crash... and buld a new America that is not owned by Wall Street. Just like our parents did. And it begins ON MAIN STREET.

So to put it simply to the author, Lionel Beehner (what a name, I am sure he made it up)...

Main Street is where the rubber meets the road and people work for a living. It is the euphemism for AMERICAN WORKERS.

Wall Street is where people DON'T WORK, BUT LIVE ON THE USUARY OF THE MASSES. It is the land of "Passive Living".

It is an untenable octopus that is choking the value out of our labor. It has got to stop.

[mouselion]

To paraphrase -- and, more importantly:

"Please Stop With The Free Market-Ver­sus-Social­ism Rhetoric"

[ElBruce]

Don't forget K Street!

The fact is that political discussion typically involves reducing a concept to as small a phrase as you can make it. People who do that win. However, used properly it doesn't necessarily dumb down what the politician's saying or cast blame. I refer you to Obama's speech (made on Wall Street) back in July in which he discussed at length how neither Wall Street nor Main Street can prosper if the other does not; how they need each other. It didn't demonize anybody.

[beulawitch]

Main Street holds as much blame as Wall Street for these economic crises: the overuse of credit cards as a supplement to salary, the thoughtless financing of household goods without acceptance of a final settlement, automobile leasing which has reduced the great car companies to shadows of themselves. One cannot blame companies entirely for using the ignorance and greed of the individual to make a profit. They are not teachers or philosophers; they are profit motivated entities answerable only to their shareholders.
Where were the economics high school teachers? Where were the parents who teach their children to save for what they want? For many decades the American slogan has been “spend now pay later” without the impetus on intrinsic value. There is one thing to live as if one has money and to actually have money. Many companies can share the blame: advertising companies, “celebrity” magazines, reality shows and lottery tickets. All of these still are supported by the individual who really knows better.

[macracan]

While it is true that Main Street spent more than it could afford, much like Wall Street took risks that it shouldn't, the issue is that the government plan of fixing this situation should address middle class too, not only the fat cats that took millions in bonuses.

[Artfullyaware]

I live in Europe.

Can you please just elect Obama/Biden and then can we all concentrate on getting back to the "Sunny Side of the Street"? Just a suggestion­...

[macracan]

I've been living in the US now for quite some time. One thing I learned is that people in the US don't do what Europeans tell them to do, but have a mind to do quite the opposite if pushed. So be patient and let us go through our own system. Unless you're playing a double game, you will probably do more harm than good.

[joshuahmcdonald]

I live in San Francisco (which has about as much pull in "America" as Europe does) and I agree.

[TheHandyman]

So you live in Europe and you think that we should put in the Whitehouse another bought and paid for by the people who brought us this economic mess Senator from the institution that has a lower approval rating the worst President ever? Like the rest of the People who can't even figure out what is in their own best self interests, and I don't mean McSame, you think that somehow Obama is going to miraculously take this country in a differnt direction. How can someone who is riding on the same train to Oblivion take you somewhere else? Maybe the passengers should get off the train and ride one that is going where they want to go? Why not Ralph Nader? Why Not Bob Barr? Why not Cynthia McKinney? These people have platforms and agendas that benefit the Peopler, not the wealthy elite.

I remember a man who promised a change! JFK! What he gave us was the Bay of pigs, an esculation in Viet Nam, and, and, well, that's about the time he ran out of words. Obama is just more of the same! Sorry, you understand about as much of American Politics as Americans do unfortunately.

[AdamX]

Let's not say anything that would stick in the mind....

[KathyinCT]

From a communications/PR professional -- you're fighting a losing battle. Communications with the mass audience means quick phrases that capture a larger concept. "Main Street" has been used for years to mean all of the folks out there in America, the paycheck people. "Wall Street" means the business/banking world, the wealthy portfolio people.

For too long the government's attention has been focused on the portfolio people's needs (capital gains taxes, taxes on dividends, corporate tax cuts, etc.). Paycheckers worry about gas prices, rent, food for the kids, keeping a JOB.

Trickle never worked. Instead of the theory -- business and portfolio people get tax breaks, more investments and trickle -- the reality was that businesses kept the profits, paid dividends, bonused and rewarded senior execs with obscene comp packages, which they used to buy bigger McMansions, private planes, etc. The only trickle was hourly wages for housekeepers, nannies and landscaper (I live in Greenwich and see it all right here).

So it's time to use stark comparisons to get the attention of the policymakers. Talking about a "tax credit" to "pay" for health coverage is ridiculous. If people buy insurance, they pay for it out of this month's paycheck. A "credit" on their income tax next spring doesn't do a bit of good to help them NOW. Only portfolio people care about that. Real people care about can I pay the bills THIS MONTH.

It's about time someone started paying attention to "Main Street."

[TexasDem0]

I agree, let's throw the cliché card under the bus.

[Buddy McCue]

Yes. At the end of the day, you have to step up to the plate.

[joshuahmcdonald]

But we need to be careful not to put all of our eggs in one basket!

[TrooAmerican]

Thats Class Warfare buddy!
the one thats usually always innocent as a group is mainstreet, the one thats almost universally guilty of crimes against humanity, and predatory actions is wall street.

[george99]

Regardless, its still Main Street Versus Wall Street, idiot. Wall Street is always going to try to con, rob and rape Main Street and Main Street is always going to be conned, robbed and raped by Wall Street and then be made to bailout Wall Street by the Wall Street owned Government. This guy doesn't have a clue or is it that he's owned by Wall Street too.

[SurrealPumpkin]

Main Street always has the option of saying no. Demand better regulation, refuse to participate in an "I can spend money I don't have" jamboree. And yes, Wall Street and Main St are inextricably mixed. The shares trading on Wall St are for ownership of the companies "Main St" works in. Government doesn't own Wall St yet, but will soon. And what Government owns we own, because we are the government.

[KillTheMessenger]

The use of "idiot" is neither friendly nor does it reflect well on you. If you like standing in the middle of Main Street and keep hitting yourself in the face with a foam club, please continue to use it. If not... you can do without it.

[Bryony]

Mr. Beehner is writiing about the dumbing down of discourse. George99, Mr. Beehner is not the one who "doesn't have a clue" here.

[george99]

Read it again, you're right I' m wrong. Take out my first and last sentences and leave the rest in.