Kappa Beta Phi evening of racous fun

January 22, 2012 4:29 PM

Billionaires doing skits dressed in drag.

Kappa Beta Phi, an exclusive Wall Street fraternity whose members include big-name bankers, hedge fund billionaires and private equity titans, met at the St. Regis Hotel in Manhattan on Thursday night...

posted by pallen123 (29 comments total)

The sun shines bright...
posted by Cool Papa Bell at 4:40 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

They just do this to throw reporters a bone who are miffed about not being allowed to the Eyes Wide Shut-esque parties away from the city.
posted by Burhanistan at 4:41 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

“This is not a political convention,” he said by telephone on Friday. “It’s a group of people that are friendly with each other trying to have an enjoyable evening, mostly at each others’ expense.”

No, it's a backroom meeting by a bunch of movers and shakers in the financial sector bonding with each other against perceived common foes in order to lubricate future off-the-record dealmaking. It's pretty fucking political all around.
posted by hippybear at 5:00 PM on January 22 [17 favorites]

They just do this to throw reporters a bone who are miffed about not being allowed to the Eyes Wide Shut-esque parties away from the city.


And they just use those to prep for the main event, which is jetting off to some island in order to hunt a man.
posted by jquinby at 5:01 PM on January 22 [4 favorites]

And they just use those to prep for the main event, which is jetting off to some island in order to hunt a man.
posted by jquinby

A reporter, however, was able to walk in unquestioned and observe the proceedings.

I got a feeling that next year a certain reporter is going to be offered an opportunity to participate in one of their even more exclusive island meetings...
posted by 445supermag at 5:05 PM on January 22

....None of the jokes are even funny.
posted by steamynachos at 5:07 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

And they just use those to prep for the main event, which is jetting off to some island in order to hunt a man.

Everyone knows that's just a smoke screen for the real main event, where they all jerk off on the mummified remains of al-Jazari.

Also, can anyone tell me what's up with the napkins dipped in wine?
posted by Uppity Pigeon #2 at 5:07 PM on January 22

Of all the things to be disgusted about, I find myself most nauseated over the fact that the name of their fraternity is a play on "Phi Beta Kappa". I'll bet their motto is "Fuck you, everyone else."
posted by 3FLryan at 5:11 PM on January 22

No, it's a backroom meeting by a bunch of movers and shakers in the financial sector bonding with each other against perceived common foes in order to lubricate future off-the-record dealmaking.

When you're rich and powerful enough, every contact you make with other human beings involves future dealmaking, on-or-off-the-record. That's what makes life worth living.
posted by oneswellfoop at 5:11 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

That's what makes life worth living.

Wrong! Conan, what is best in life?
posted by griphus at 5:22 PM on January 22 [18 favorites]

Kappa Beta Phi can Eta Cow Pi.
posted by twoleftfeet at 5:29 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Are you guys upset that they have more money than you and now apparently a better time of it as well?
posted by xmutex at 5:33 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Man, I hope the organizations that I belong to that have weird inside-joke type meetings never get writeups in the NYTimes.
posted by the man of twists and turns at 5:38 PM on January 22

Well too bad.
posted by griphus at 5:42 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

"This is not a political convention"

It is straight up not possible for somebody with a billion dollars at their disposal to perform an act that isn't political.
posted by mhoye at 5:44 PM on January 22 [2 favorites]

"Occupy Christopher Street?"
posted by ZenMasterThis at 5:45 PM on January 22

Are you guys upset that they have more money than you and now apparently a better time of it as well?

No, we're mocking them back just as they mock others. Turnabout is fair play, and all.

Anyway, I have a great life, and that's not dependent on having money. Getting a bunch of cronies together and doing skits as a form of communal take-down of one's perceived enemies feels a bit desperate overall. Don't you think?
posted by hippybear at 5:46 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

THE EMPEROR WEARS NO UNDERPANTS
posted by JHarris at 5:49 PM on January 22

Are you guys upset that they have more money...

I call class warfare on this comment. (It's about time that that phrase comes to mean "when the billionaires fight back" rather than "when the non-billionaires fight back".)
posted by DU at 6:13 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

Uppity Pigeon: If you dip a napkin in wine you can throw it, I suppose. Thats actually quite clever and I'll use it next time my secret brotherhood hires a couple of homeless men to fuck each other for our enjoyment in our annual soiree.
posted by falameufilho at 6:18 PM on January 22 [3 favorites]

Are you guys upset that they have more money than you and now apparently a better time of it as well?
posted by xmutex at 8:33 PM on January 22 [1 favorite +] [!]

I think we're more upset that thousands and thousands of Americans are unemployed, uninsured, more and more sink inexorably into poverty every day as a direct result of the policies these people directly or indirectly enact, and the only reaction the billionaires can muster to the crushing despair of America's growing underclass is laughter and knee-jerk defensiveness.

No, you're right. It's just jealousy. If only I too could delight in the squishing noise my boot made as I crushed the hungry underfoot.
posted by schroedinger at 6:35 PM on January 22 [8 favorites]

how did I know a fraternity was involved before I even clicked into the thread?
posted by randomkeystrike at 6:37 PM on January 22 [1 favorite]

You know what's sadder than billionaires dancing on the graves of the poor and hungry? The non-billionaires that defend them doing it.

Seriously, billionaires can take care of themselves. Why not work for good rather than them?
posted by DU at 6:41 PM on January 22 [5 favorites]

I think we"d all rather they stayed home and counted their money.
posted by michaelh at 7:46 PM on January 22

Even imagining the Trump or Gates in drag is enough to traumatize me. How much worse would it be if I found out they were good looking girls.
posted by psycho-alchemy at 9:04 PM on January 22

Are you guys upset that they have more money than you and now apparently a better time of it as well?

As a middle-class person, I have enough money to be content. There are many people below me on this ladder, and many fewer above me. Many of the people below me have too little to get by, much less be content. Many of the people above me have much more than is required to be content.

No, I'm not upset that that some people have more money than me. I'm upset that some people have more money than me AND ALSO that lots and lots of people have much LESS than I do.
posted by Philosopher Dirtbike at 12:49 AM on January 23 [2 favorites]

“Go home, wash that off your face, and get back to work,” Mr. Lebenthal told the protester.

“You callow, insensitive Republican!” Mr. Mulrow said. “Don’t you know we need to create jobs?”

You would think that billionaires could afford to hire some better joke writers. Those punch lines are terrible.
posted by ook at 3:52 AM on January 23

“We have members from every firm that has failed, as well as members from those that will fail in the future,” he said to loud laughter.

But OK, I'll give them this one. Nice work, Grand Swipe.
posted by ook at 3:55 AM on January 23

But OK, I'll give them this one. Nice work, Grand Swipe.

In my mind they're all turning to laugh at one guy when he says that.
posted by michaelh at 4:07 AM on January 23 [1 favorite]