Red Cross relief for Tribeca's monied set

The Red Cross is canvassing the high-earning professionals of Tribeca in an attempt to disburse the relief funds collected in the wake of 9/11. They're encountering two reactions according to this New Yorker editorial: disbelief from high-rolling captains of industry who don't understand why they would be on the receiving end of $15,000 of charity money that they hardly need, and gleeful anticipation of high-end appliances and gadgets that the found money can go to.

The stranger explained the deal. The Red Cross was offering Tribeca residents the equivalent of three months' mortgage and maintenance payments (or rent), along with money for utilities, groceries, transportation, and medical expenses, if applicable. In a building like the one on Hudson Street, some victims could expect more than fifteen thousand dollars.

The man was stunned. He said, "That's obscene." He said that he didn't begrudge anyone's collecting the money, but that he didn't want any of it himself, and he headed for the elevator.

As the elevator doors closed, the building's superintendent slipped in behind him. "You're being a fool," the superintendent said. "They're giving it away..."

"Dude," a lawyer who lives in Tribeca said last week, "I hope this story doesn't break before I get paid." He had his money the next day.

Link Discuss (via This Modern World)

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