Jobs, the Economy and Unemployment

The other evening I watched a contemporary film that I’m positive was meant by its writers and producers to be a modern day story depicting five well-to-do company executives who like many of us, become victims of our country’s financial meltdown, or as the news media calls it – the Recession. These unfortunate souls were forced to go from multi-million dollar homes, corporate jets, vacation houses in the Bahamas, first-class country club memberships… you get the story – right?

As the reels unwind, one of the newly pink-slipped executives is forced to work for his brother-in-law’s contracting company, installing drywall and so-forth. Still, the bills continue to mount as he remains in denial thinking that another big corner office is waiting just around the corner. His wife however gives him a little push into reality by selling his classic Porsche. Another one of our ex-execs goes so far as to commit suicide. No longer could he go on playing real-life charades by pretending to continue his family’s once lavish lifestyle. Sadly without sympathy or understanding from his spouse, this poor soul stays out at the bar until evening then arrives home as in the past with his briefcase and Wall Street Journal under his arm so the neighbors don’t get suspicious. The script attempts to put the darkest hue of doom above the ex-vice-president who must now find a way to live off of his one-hundred million in stock options while maintaining his pride, dignity, and sexual liaison with his ex-corporation’s head of human resources.

I sat patiently waiting for the killer plot twist or story-stunner; but what happened at the end (spoiler warning) they all had to start over with new jobs and careers. SERIOUSLY! They had jobs! But lowering themselves to a significantly lessor pay-scale was equivalent to being unemployed in their eyes. There was a scene where one of the major characters had to sit on the back steps with his young teenage son (teary eyed) and explain that he lost his job; not mentioning that there was a construction job waiting for him if he wanted it (but that was not a real job). Someone wrote and produced this major motion picture with a minimum of six major actors portraying down and out executives who once had it all and now must live off of their stock options and lower-middle-class salaries. Honest! This was not a comedy… it was meant to make me sad and concerned for the characters.

I did a little investigating myself and found that a large portion of individuals collecting unemployment for the um-teenth month feel that lower paying jobs with less benefits and options than their previous jobs are considered as unacceptable, therefore they remain on unemployment. Oh, if I could be so lucky!

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