As it says goodbye and good riddance to 2010, is America also saying so long to depres- sion, both the economic and the psychic varieties? Is double-dip now just another way to get your hot fudge sundae? Riding the Metro North commuter train from Pleasantville to Grand Central Station on the last weekend before Christmas, you’d certainly suppose so. The consumer confidence index had been rising for two straight months now and most of it seemed to be on board, wallets bursting to get in on the action. Heavy-set thirtysomethings on parole from suburbia, fists popping cans of Bud Lite, boomed to all who wanted to hear (Ben Bernanke maybe?) that they were “gonna do some serious shopping DAMAGE dude!” In the month before Christmas Grand Central turns into a retail bazaar, and to the strains of jingle tills vendors selling silk scarves, Thai and Polish jewellery, hammered leather goods and fancy stationery were all doing brisk trade to elbow-working crowds.
在美國說著「謝天謝地」告別2010年之際，它是否也在和經濟衰退與心理沮喪說再見？二次探底如今是否只是過上甜蜜生活的另一條途徑？在耶誕節前最後一個週末乘坐紐約北郊鐵路(Metro North)通勤列車從普萊森特維爾到紐約中央車站(Grand Central Station)的你肯定會這麼認爲。消費者信心指數已經連續兩個月上揚，而回歸的信心似乎大半都在那趟列車上，人們揣著鼓鼓的錢包，準備加入購物的行列。身材魁梧、30來歲、好不容易出趟門的郊區居民，用拳頭打開一聽又一聽百威清啤，衝着所有願意聽他們說話的人（班•柏南奇(Ben Bernanke)大概算一個？）嚷嚷著：「哥們，讓我們好好採購一番！」耶誕節前的一個月，紐約中央車站變成了集貿市場。在摩肩接踵的人羣中，伴著鈴兒響叮噹的旋律，兜售絲巾、泰國和波蘭珠寶、錘制皮件以及別緻文具的小商販們生意非常興隆。