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Comment of the week: the changing culture of the City Comment of the week: the changing culture of the City
(2 months later)
In this series, Comment is free writers and editors want to highlight some of the best comments on the site. Each week, either an editor or the author of a recent piece will pick a comment that they think contributes to the debate. Hopefully, it will give staff and readers an opportunity to see how thought-provoking such contributions can be and allow great posts the chance to be seen by a wider audience.In this series, Comment is free writers and editors want to highlight some of the best comments on the site. Each week, either an editor or the author of a recent piece will pick a comment that they think contributes to the debate. Hopefully, it will give staff and readers an opportunity to see how thought-provoking such contributions can be and allow great posts the chance to be seen by a wider audience.
This week, banking blogger Joris Luyendijk has picked a comment by CharlesSurface on his two interviews with "the happy banker", before and after he was made redundant from his firm.This week, banking blogger Joris Luyendijk has picked a comment by CharlesSurface on his two interviews with "the happy banker", before and after he was made redundant from his firm.
"The City is hurting, no doubt about it. The difference with five years ago is huge; there are just so many people out of a job. In the job centre many are interviewing for jobs far below what they used to do. The over-40s, especially, are in a tough spot. The more senior you get the harder it is to find something.

Just thought I'd highlight that paragraph from the full interview. There does seem to be an idea that nothing has changed in the City since 2007, and that bankers are untouched by the recession – it's simply not true. Clearly, given wages before that point, they should have built up a cushion against redundancy, but thousands of people have lost their jobs.

At my bank, in the beginning, I could tell you who was going to go when we had a round of cuts – it was the rubbish ones, obviously. Now, so many cuts have happened that genuinely decent people get the chop too. Your happy banker sounds like he might have been one of those, so best of luck to him for the future."
"The City is hurting, no doubt about it. The difference with five years ago is huge; there are just so many people out of a job. In the job centre many are interviewing for jobs far below what they used to do. The over-40s, especially, are in a tough spot. The more senior you get the harder it is to find something.

Just thought I'd highlight that paragraph from the full interview. There does seem to be an idea that nothing has changed in the City since 2007, and that bankers are untouched by the recession – it's simply not true. Clearly, given wages before that point, they should have built up a cushion against redundancy, but thousands of people have lost their jobs.

At my bank, in the beginning, I could tell you who was going to go when we had a round of cuts – it was the rubbish ones, obviously. Now, so many cuts have happened that genuinely decent people get the chop too. Your happy banker sounds like he might have been one of those, so best of luck to him for the future."
Joris explains why he chose this comment:Joris explains why he chose this comment:
"This comment is great because it's an insider weighing in with his own experiences. As I see it the ideal comment thread is a three-way conversation between insiders willing to share and outsiders curious to know more. My role is then simply to mediate and highlight interesting questions and answers. Sometimes the interviewees themselves come into the thread as well, making it a menage a quatre!"
"This comment is great because it's an insider weighing in with his own experiences. As I see it the ideal comment thread is a three-way conversation between insiders willing to share and outsiders curious to know more. My role is then simply to mediate and highlight interesting questions and answers. Sometimes the interviewees themselves come into the thread as well, making it a menage a quatre!"
CharlesSurface tells us his reasons for commenting on Luyendijk's piece, and gives us a bit of personal information:CharlesSurface tells us his reasons for commenting on Luyendijk's piece, and gives us a bit of personal information:
Have you commented on Cif before?Have you commented on Cif before?
Lots. Too much, probably, given I should be working.Lots. Too much, probably, given I should be working.
For how long have you commented on Cif?For how long have you commented on Cif?
I see I'm coming up for my six-year anniversary soon. Cake gratefully received.I see I'm coming up for my six-year anniversary soon. Cake gratefully received.
How would you describe the community of commenters you find here?How would you describe the community of commenters you find here?
Best on the internet. Genuinely. My politics (socially liberal, but also economically) mean that I'm often a contrarian voice, and my short fuse means I get into a fair amount of scraps, but what's heartening is when the community combines around certain issues. For that to happen, though, people have to be willing to engage and not just bring pre-baked opinions to the table – some of the most high-profile commenters just end up repeating themselves on multiple threads. That said, what regularly surprises me is the amount and level of cognitive dissonance on display – when presented with evidence that doesn't fit people's worldviews, it's ignored or undermined. We saw it recently with the stories on the income gap between the rich and poor being at a 26-year low, and the revision of the "double-dip" out of the GDP statistics.Best on the internet. Genuinely. My politics (socially liberal, but also economically) mean that I'm often a contrarian voice, and my short fuse means I get into a fair amount of scraps, but what's heartening is when the community combines around certain issues. For that to happen, though, people have to be willing to engage and not just bring pre-baked opinions to the table – some of the most high-profile commenters just end up repeating themselves on multiple threads. That said, what regularly surprises me is the amount and level of cognitive dissonance on display – when presented with evidence that doesn't fit people's worldviews, it's ignored or undermined. We saw it recently with the stories on the income gap between the rich and poor being at a 26-year low, and the revision of the "double-dip" out of the GDP statistics.
Why did you feel motivated to comment on this piece?Why did you feel motivated to comment on this piece?
I regularly read and comment on Joris's column – I work in finance, and it's interesting to hear others' experiences of it. I suppose I have an agenda inasmuch as I like to combat the widespread view that bankers have sailed through the recession unscathed, and the City's the same place it was in 2007. It's absolutely not – it's changing, I would argue for the better, and at a personal cost to many who used to work there. I regularly read and comment on Joris's column – I work in finance, and it's interesting to hear others' experiences of it. I suppose I have an agenda inasmuch as I like to combat the widespread view that bankers have sailed through the recession unscathed, and the City's the same place it was in 2007. It's absolutely not – it's changing, I would argue for the better, and at a personal cost to many who used to work there. 
Something that also happens regularly on Joris's columns is that people don't read the full interviews, so I wanted to highlight a salient point that might have been missed.Something that also happens regularly on Joris's columns is that people don't read the full interviews, so I wanted to highlight a salient point that might have been missed.
In regards to your comment highlighted here, do you feel you changed the conversation or moved the debate on?In regards to your comment highlighted here, do you feel you changed the conversation or moved the debate on?
Not really, no. Other commenters assumed I was simply sticking up for the banks and responded to that assumption rather than the comment I actually made.Not really, no. Other commenters assumed I was simply sticking up for the banks and responded to that assumption rather than the comment I actually made.
Where are you in the world?Where are you in the world?
Canary Wharf. Big tower.Canary Wharf. Big tower.
• Let us know your thoughts on this exchange in the comments below, and tell us whether it has given you a new insight into the issue• Let us know your thoughts on this exchange in the comments below, and tell us whether it has given you a new insight into the issue
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