# WAMU: White Men Get the Last Laugh? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 26, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377 "2008-09-26T19:20:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/1 "2008-09-26T19:20:24Z")
In [this race-baiting commercial](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BJ7EIKbnnkw) the hip young black dude makes fun of a group of older white guys. I especially like this line: > [@](#): > > If these stodgy old bankers think an idea is wrong, then we know it’s right. Well, a big hearty FU to WAMU. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/2 "2008-09-26T19:25:40Z")
Wow. Your scorn seems to have caused [Washington Mutual to collapse](http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080926/ts_afp/usfinancebankingcompanywamujpmorganchase_080926181856). Nice going. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/3 "2008-09-26T19:37:37Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Wow. Your scorn seems to have caused [Washington Mutual to collapse](http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080926/ts_afp/usfinancebankingcompanywamujpmorganchase_080926181856). Nice going. Thank you!!! Although I suspect that WAMU’s collapse was more due to their poor lending policies. I imagine those “stodgy old bankers” would not have approved of those policies. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/4 "2008-09-26T19:40:12Z")
Old stodgy white men get the last laugh! Ha! ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 7:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/5 "2008-09-26T19:42:45Z")
> [@Jack\_Batty](#): > > Wow. Your scorn seems to have caused [Washington Mutual to collapse](http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20080926/ts_afp/usfinancebankingcompanywamujpmorganchase_080926181856). Nice going. Fuckin’ A, **brazil84**! Lokk what you done! Do me a favor and don’t heap scorn on me or I might just assplode. 😉 Were those ads “race baiting?” That never occurred to me, and I’m an Old White Guy. Never occurred to me that the WaMu guy was “hip,” either. Seemed mostly nerdy. Visible t-shirt? Ironed work shirt with the cuffs buttoned? A smile on his face? Feh! Complete dweeb! ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/6 "2008-09-26T20:04:10Z")
How many stodgy old bankers aren’t white? ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Batty](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jack_batty/32/3201_2.png) [@Jack\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Batty)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/7 "2008-09-26T20:09:38Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > How many stodgy old bankers aren’t white? Four! Wait … no … that’s popes in a Volkswagon. Shit. I give up. ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/8 "2008-09-26T20:11:14Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > How many stodgy old bankers aren’t white? I don’t know . . . I would guess that if you define “stodgy old banker” in a reasonable way, they would be very disproportionately white men. ---
**Author:** ![JohnBckWLD](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/d6d6ee/32.png) [@JohnBckWLD](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnBckWLD)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/9 "2008-09-26T20:43:42Z")
That spot doesn’t even approach “race-baiting”. It’s anti-elitist, the yang to [The Ladder’s](http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-2353589587605869359&ei=4kndSNjDKJycrALHy9igCw&q=the-ladders+commercial&vt=lf) ‘better than the great unwashed’ yin. ---
**Author:** ![ivylass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/9de053/32.png) [@ivylass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ivylass)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/10 "2008-09-26T20:48:37Z")
Well, this stodgy old guy is [laughing all the way](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428641,00.html)to the bank. I presume it’s not a WaMu bank. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/11 "2008-09-26T20:53:05Z")
Maybe race WAS a factor in WaMu’s demise!\* > [@WaMu's last press release beforeit collapsed](#): > > WaMu Recognized as Top Diverse Employer—Again > > Company ranks in top ten of Hispanic Business’ Diversity Elite and earns perfect score on the Human Rights Campaign’s Corporate Equality Index > SEATTLE, WA (September 24, 2008) – Washington Mutual, Inc. (NYSE:WM), one of the nation’s leading banks for consumers and small businesses, has once again been recognized as a top employer by Hispanic Business magazine and the Human Rights Campaign. > > Hispanic Business magazine recently ranked WaMu sixth in its annual Diversity Elite list, which names the top 60 companies for Hispanics. The company was honored specifically for its efforts to recruit Hispanic employees, reach out to Hispanic consumers and support Hispanic communities and organizations. > > The Human Rights Campaign, the largest national gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (GLBT) civil rights organization, also awarded WaMu its second consecutive 100 percent score in the organization’s 2009 Corporate Equality Index (CEI), which measures progress in attaining equal rights for GLBT employees and consumers. WaMu joins the ranks of 259 other major U.S. businesses that also received top marks in the annual survey. The CEI rated a total of 583 businesses on GLBT-related policies and practices, including non-discrimination policies and domestic partner benefits. > > In both surveys, WaMu earned points for competitive diversity policies and programs, including the recently established Latino, African American and GLBT employee network groups, all of which have a corporate executive sponsor and champion. > > “Diversity is an integral part of cultivating a welcoming, innovative and dynamic workplace here at WaMu. We are proud to be recognized for the opportunities and benefits we offer to all of our employees, including the specific efforts we have made to engage Hispanics and the GLBT community,” said Steve Rotella, WaMu president and COO. “We are committed to diversity at WaMu and pledge to listen to our customers and work closely with our employees to continue to make progress.” > > These two recent honors build upon diversity recognitions WaMu received earlier in 2008. WaMu was named one of 25 Noteworthy Companies by Diversity Inc magazine and one of the Top 50 Corporations for Supplier Diversity by Hispanic Enterprise magazine. It’s a press release. They would WANT it quoted in full. - - Okay, that’s not my take, but it appears to be that of [Mark Krikorian at the National Review.](http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDQzYjA4ZWYyZDYyNjY0ODZjZmE1NzRkMWI3MWZiZGU=) ---
**Author:** ![Scylla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a5b964/32.png) [@Scylla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scylla)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/12 "2008-09-26T20:54:18Z")
> [@Lute Skywatcher](#): > > How many stodgy old bankers aren’t white? Stan o’neill, former CEO of Merrill Lynch. Black man. Walked away with 500,000,000 or so. Pretty much started this debacle. Bringing race into this is a bad idea. It creates the opportunity for counterarguments such as “see what happens when a black man run a financial services co.” ---
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/13 "2008-09-26T21:14:19Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Bringing race into this is a bad idea. Putting racial issues aside, I would submit that bankers need to be a bit stodgier. ---
**Author:** ![Gangster\_Octopus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a8b319/32.png) [@Gangster\_Octopus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gangster_Octopus)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/14 "2008-09-26T21:14:38Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > Maybe race WAS a factor in WaMu’s demise!\* It’s a press release. They would WANT it quoted in full. > > - > - Okay, that’s not my take, but it appears to be that of [Mark Krikorian at the National Review.](http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=MDQzYjA4ZWYyZDYyNjY0ODZjZmE1NzRkMWI3MWZiZGU=') I’m sure some of his best friends are hispanic, though. ---
**Author:** ![VinylTurnip](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b2d939/32.png) [@VinylTurnip](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VinylTurnip)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/15 "2008-09-26T21:15:33Z")
**WAMU: White Men Get the Last Laugh?** No offense, but that’s the dumbest acronym I’ve seen in a while. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/16 "2008-09-26T21:16:56Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Well, this stodgy old guy is [laughing all the way](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428641,00.html)to the bank. > > I presume it’s not a WaMu bank. That is positively maddening. ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/17 "2008-09-26T21:19:51Z")
> [@Scylla](#): > > Stan o’neill, former CEO of Merrill Lynch. Black man. Walked away with 500,000,000 or so. Pretty much started this debacle. Ah, but the question was specifically about _stodgy_ bankers. Is Stan O’Neill stodgy? ---
**Author:** ![Wolfian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/7ea924/32.png) [@Wolfian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wolfian)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/18 "2008-09-26T21:40:11Z")
Anyone else see the thread title and wonder what [Diane Rehm](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WAMU) had to do with White men laughing? ---
**Author:** ![Neidhart](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Neidhart](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Neidhart)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/19 "2008-09-26T22:18:34Z")
I thought the thread was going to be about 88.5 FM too. ---
**Author:** ![NinjaChick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/71c47a/32.png) [@NinjaChick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NinjaChick)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2008, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377/20 "2008-09-26T23:07:21Z")
> [@ivylass](#): > > Well, this stodgy old guy is [laughing all the way](http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,428641,00.html)to the bank. > > I presume it’s not a WaMu bank. _incomprehensible grunts of rage_ [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/wamu-white-men-get-the-last-laugh/465377.md?page=2)