A close reading of all those images of brokers with their hands on their faces.

The Lonely Boy

Many BWHHOHFs are pictured as isolated creatures, with nobody but themselves to rely on. The market is an inherently communal creature, yet it’s the sum of individual actions, and we, the non-BWHHOHF onlookers, feel a downturn in the market on an individual basis. By picturing the broker alone, we understand that even those at ground zero have nowhere to turn.

The Internationalist

Just like the credit crisis, BWHHOHFs are not a uniquely American phenomenon; the hand-on-face gesture is a human trait. Schadenfreude plays heavily into American newspaper photos of the Internationalist. It’s a confirmation that we aren’t the only ones in trouble. There’s a recognition of globalization as well. We are all part of the same community, the photos imply, and we all react similarly to similar crises. We will get through it, but not until we learn to work together.

The Average Joe