If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from the recent shake-ups on Wall Street, it’s this: I have no idea what’s going on. The ins and outs of financial markets have become so twisted, so complex, that a layperson has about as much knowledge about how they work as he or she does about how a fission reactor does its thing; without an advanced degree, and years of study, all we’ve got is the executive summary.

I’ve been hearing about deregulation all my life — assured, by some, that it was just the bee’s nipples. Regulations, some said, do nothing but impede growth and innovation. Others say that a "wild west" attitude, and unchecked, unsafe behavior on the part of the rich and the powerful (often the same people — funny how that works out) can wind up hurting the less rich and powerful.

So, who’s right? Given the complexity of the financial system, the regulations surrounding it, and whatnot, who can say? Not being economists or analysts ourselves, we can only rely on the pronouncements of the people our news-media claims are experts on the topic, the same way we rely on physicists to assure us that the nuclear power plant down the road isn’t going to kill us. The problem is (as ever) that they can’t seem to agree either. Other than your own political biases, you haven’t the background to tell who’s right.

And, at this stage, we’re way beyond blame, even. At least, it’s useless in any practical sense; well, except for the emotional comfort that comes from slighting whatever group you happen to dislike, confirming your beliefs about how the world really works and insulating you from any real responsibility.

But, pragmatically, there’s no profit in blame, because whomever you choose to call out, they will not be held to account. If they’re broke, they’ve got nothing to take; if they’re rich, they’ll remain rich no matter what you do; politicians and faceless regulators seem to be made of Teflon, these days, wrapped up in plausible deniability and patsies.

The most galling thing about big, national stories with complex ramifications is, simply, as an average citizen, what do you do? And this, during an election year, when we the people get our say — the major presidential candidates don’t even sound that different when they talk about the meltdown. (Though one of them kind of had to re-think [not flip-flop, no no no] his position on the subject of AIG.)

Wall Street was designed by, and is maintained as, a giant, money generating machine. You, are not. So when they blow up, and everybody is telling you about the repercussions that are about to rain down on you and your family, what do you suppose you should do? Compounding this is the fact that you are just a small fraction of a large group of people who are remarkably similar to you; any action you could take is already being taken by someone who’s just a little quicker than yourself. And it’s difficult to haul others out of the water, when your own boat is sinking, too.

Say you want to sell off your stuff on eBay: First of all, other people are going to do the same thing, possibly driving the prices down, due to oversupply. Second, who the hell has money to waste on your trash anyway? So, maybe you want to try to curb your own expenses by purchasing things used, from thrift stores; good idea, but you’re a little late. You’ve already cleaned the place out — not you personally, but "you" as in the aggregate of people like you (only a little quicker).

So, you might think you’re a little smarter, a little better, than all those folks you spend your mornings and evenings surrounded by during rush hour. And maybe you are — but they’re not the problem.

Your best interests are not shared, looked-after, or even considered by the folks up on Wall Street who are currently putting your livelihood at risk. And maybe you think that’s how it should be, which is fine — more than fine, even. But it’s not something you should ever forget, something that shouldn’t be allowed to slip out of your conscious thoughts at any point during your waking life. They could destroy your retirement accounts; they could let your bank fall to pieces; their mistakes could cause ripples of such magnitude that they tear your employer to pieces. And, if that happens (god forbid), you just better pray that you’re actually as smart as you think you are — or just as lucky as you believe you aren’t.

Because AIG is to big to let fail; you on the other hand, are not.