Wall Street fight clubs

A friend sent along a curious article from the Bloomberg site: “Bankers Enter ‘Dungeon of Pain’ to Cut Stress in Ultimate Fight.” It describes the training routine of a 26-year old Merill Lynch employee who “spends a couple of hours most evenings … kicking, throwing punches and tackling opponents, as they train to compete in mixed martial arts.” He is so much into it, that he often sports “a black eye or row of stitches” as he advises wealthy clients on how to manage their assets. It turns out such forms of “ultimate fighting” are increasingly popular among “finance guys” these days. Incidentally, these are the kinds of people on whom the existing socioeconomic system bestows some of the most extravagant rewards. And then we, teachers, are expected to preach to young people the virtues of moderation and social responsibility.