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American Morning

What Do People Know of Enron?

Aired January 17, 2002 - 09:50   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
ANDERSON COOPER, CNN ANCHOR: It is time now for "The Flip Side" of the news.

CNN comedienne contributor Alexandra Wentworth hit the streets for us.

What did you find out there?

ALEXANDRA WENTWORTH, CNN CORRESPONDENT: There's been a lot of talk of Enron, so I decided to go out in the streets and talk to people about what they thought about Enron. It turns out a lot of people didn't know what Enron was.

So can we roll tape?

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

WENTWORTH: Can you tell me what Enron is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enron, no. I cannot tell what Enron is. Definitely not.

WENTWORTH: You say that with such strength and character.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Sure, it's an energy company.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: No, I have no clue.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's an energy company. They sell energy.

WENTWORTH: Can you spell it?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I-N-R-O-N? I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

WENTWORTH: Take a guess: Enron?

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I don't know. Like, some sort of transportation? I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: What happened?

WENTWORTH: I don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Do you know? I don't know.

WENTWORTH: I can't answer you. I'm asking the question.

Take a guess: Enron?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No idea.

WENTWORTH: Is there a rapper named Enron?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Not really.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: It's a thing that's under, I don't know, conspiracy or something. I really don't know.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Oh, Enron? That company that took a dump.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Yes, that's that company that went into bankruptcy that stole all those people's money.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Somebody should go to jail.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enron?

WENTWORTH: Yes.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Never heard of them.

WENTWORTH: Never heard of it?

What's in that envelope, sir?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: This envelope?

WENTWORTH: It wouldn't have anything to do with Enron, would it?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: It has nothing to do with Enron. I am a student at NYU.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Enron?

WENTWORTH: Enron.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No.

WENTWORTH: Do you know what Enron is?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: No, I don't.

WENTWORTH: You don't? OK.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Enron is a problem.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COOPER: What was the outfit that guy was wearing?

WENTWORTH: He was a fashion designer that had made out of purple felt fur a little bunny outfit that he was quite serious about.

The funny thing was that I would then talk to people about other things a little, and to a lot of people I'd say, Do you know who Dick Cheney is, and they would say no. And to a couple of people I said, Do you know who Pamela Anderson is, and they go yes like I'm an idiot.

It was fun. It was definitely an interesting experience.

COOPER: Did anyone actually know what Enron was?

WENTWORTH: The funny think is you would pick out an intellectual and go up to them ask do you know what Enron is, and they would say no idea. You go up to somebody that looks like he's talking to aliens through a tinfoil dish, and he'd say, Absolutely, it's a company that's going bankrupt, and the stock is down to -- he knew exactly what Enron was. So you never know.

JACK CAFFERTY, CNN ANCHOR: The guy said it was an energy company. You said, What do they do? He said they sell energy.

WENTWORTH: That's exactly right.

CAFFERTY: This is New York. We know these things here. Not a bunch of dolts.

(CROSSTALK)

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