"American Unemployment is an introduction for everyone that takes aim at misinformation, willful deceptions, and popular myths to set the record straight"In fact we can begin by using more accurate measures such as U6 and not U3 to report the unemployment numbers as many have given up looking and are not counted, many are out of work longer than 6 months, many are working poor yet still need help, many are temp and seasonal working but w/o the true full time status.
Now, in addition we will note the miconceptions and myths are abundant and for the poor they are damning.
In fact good luck using EBT and not hearing how those lazy bums don't work, want handouts, all on drugs, or they have better cars/cellphones/and food choices than I do...aka no we don't buy lobster tails nor can we purchase cigarettes with EBT. In fact, you can't buy a hot rotisserie chicken but you wouldn't know this by the way many make myths become reality.
What I see is a wave against the poor.
A revolution if you will that is rooted in pure hatred for the fact that the poor often are in need and many feel they don't deserve to be helped for whatever reason.
I have a Masters, I never expected I'd be bankrupt and homeless or in extreme poverty with three kids. Certainly not after marrying and being married for 11 yrs. Certainly not after obtaining a Masters and still paying for it. Certainly not after working in a factory as top producer in two departments, associate of the month, and being such a hard worker and volunteer with 20 yrs experience.
But life happens and people need to understand that there are no good paying jobs with room for advancement like in years past. There's no more superiority. The idea that one works hard and is rewarded is a farce and a selling point.
While one can blame automation, lack of skill or trade, lack of work ethic the reality is far from all the above.
I've personally applied for 10 yrs seeking work. I'm highly skilled, and highly trained, and have utilized on the job training offers and referrals. Yet here I stand before you seeking full time work because employers hire the young and college grads without families to support who don't necessarily seek benefits, higher wages, or flex schedules.
We are living in an era when it's a dog eat dog world and a good paying job brings in high competition and competitive salaries.
Therefore, those who've been out of the workforce raising families, the women who are paid less than a man, those who must beg are finding it harder and harder even with the skills that pay the bills.
Not everyone like myself would send cold call emails to future employers but I did and was told I came across as desperate and needy with a negative connotation- Keep in mind the first question asked of me during the interview was why I can't be hired?
If you start with a negative this way the answer isn't going to be a happy go lucky response.
Sure, ten years of job searching will make anyone feel less than optimistic yet if I felt 'entitled' I wouldn't be going door to door, sending cold call emails, begging for work. I'd instead wait for a job to come to me.
Now, this is the problem with today's world -everyone has judgments and want to make opinions in the first 10 minutes of knowing you.
You couldn't be more wrong about painting everyone with the same brush without using a totality of the circumstances approach.
I will offer you up this video from my former president of the food bank in which I volunteered for food: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HakCA...
In this you tube TED X video she discusses some of those common myths and misconceptions ingrained in the psyche from repetition and misuse.
At this point the offering of incentives to hire long term unemployed with families isn't working so more needs to be done in terms of creating living wage opportunities so that those with families can survive.
Working multiple jobs and early retirement isn't the best option when many are falling in from companies like Amazon and Walmart who are paying peanuts and having workers drop like flies because of the stress and strains from this level of manual labor placed upon them.
We need answers and we need help.
I pray for those in similar circumstances because the red tape society and the top 1% are ruining our country. Taking from the poor while giving tax breaks to the rich only creates further hostilities and inequality.
We can't allow this new norm in which we turn a blind eye to the world's suffering.
Empathy and compassion need to have a place in society.
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