Recommendations
It has been around three months that I have been with the Unemployeds, living as one of them. I’m not sure exactly; I cannot find my calendar and the clock is flashing 12:00. It’s light outside. It’s either August or September. Or possibly October.
I have truly come to appreciate the Unemployeds’ community over the past months. I really believe that at their core, they are just misunderstood because their language and habits are different than those of the Employeds’ world; not that our needs and wishes are inherently conflictual. It is luck of the draw what life we each get born into and what cross is ours to bear. And the Employeds just happened to win the lottery; what with your fancy haircuts and your fancy suits and your fancy Peruvian restaurants. Who needs fancy Peruvian food?!
Oh. So as I was saying, they really are just like us, and we have to continue to understand our differences in order to see how minor they are. Through my research, I have found that there is nothing substantial that should keep members of these groups from being friends, partners, husbands and wives, parents, cousins, nephews, and nieces of one another. Yes, Unemployeds may need a little extra support from family and the government, but this in no way poses a challenge to Employeds’ core interests and needs. If we work together, we can develop healthy relationships that stand the test of time. Any day of the week. Oh are you giving me that look because you think I don’t have a job? So I can just hang out on a random Wednesday because I have nothing better to do with my time and no one cares about my whereabouts and probably wouldn’t even notice if I didn’t leave my apartment for a week?!
Stop harassing me!!! You know a career isn’t for everyone. And not everyone thinks that sitting at a desk all day pushing papers and checking your Facebook page is the be all end all. Some people really value a nice head of hair. Look at these curls! Look at them!!! THIS IS ALL I HAVE!!!
You know what, fine. How about we all just join the army and get shipped off to Afghanistan or Iraq!? Oh wait a minute, you already did that to us. How about we go to Iran then? They seem to have tasty food and freedom of speech!
Oh god, oh god, no. What is happening to me?! My professors warned me about this--that this could happen. That even the best of ethnographers find a case study so intriguing, so engrossing, so fascinating, that they begin to meld their own sense of identity into that of their subjects.
I have to separate myself from these people! I know they are just misunderstood, but I’m no match for the magnetic pull of their slovenly desperation. These Unemployeds are like bed bugs, taking over our civilized society. Starting Monday, I return to the office!
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