"There is always something infinitely mean about other people's tragedies" - Oscar Wilde.
And the tales of the tragedies wrought by the recession are legion...
"I had to lay off 64 people" begins one regular, no word as to the fate of those he laid off, merely that we should somehow feel for him, empathize that his profits are almost entirely reduced to the work of his own hands. Another has had to sell his car, buy a cheaper model, yet another cancelled his annual trophy hunt in Europe. The best, a customer complaining about the cost of a new windshield for his Bentley - "Guess how much" he asks us, "$1500" guesses one, "$5000" I guess, "$7000" he tells us, "Use my car" I generously suggest, offering the keys, "Once around the block and you'll return to your world a changed man...".
These people, other peoples tragedies, they haven't got a clue...