Unemployed People Are Victims

They deserve your empathy and understanding—at the very least.

We live in a culture that loves to blame the individual for his or her lot in life—and I’m fucking sick of it. It feels like a boot on my back smeared with horseshit.

I never believed in the foolish notion that “everything happens for a reason” or “the universe is in control” because most people who espouse such beliefs never hold elites and their flunkies responsible for making sure that everything happens for them and that they—not the universe—are in control.

It’s tempting to assume that the world is safe and fair until you step out of line. While childish, this belief serves an important function: Reassurance. Few people are comfortable with chaos, peril, and uncertainty—which is why we live in stationary houses in the safest neighborhoods we can afford and not on makeshift rafts drifting through shark-infested waters. If someone, even a celebrity, were to choose to live on a raft and end up shark food, however—I guarantee that most Americans would blame the victim. They wouldn’t think twice about it.

Of course, that’s a strange and lazy example. I admit I don’t have the patience to analyze and refute every manifestation of victim-blaming in Western culture, so I’ll focus here on how victim-blaming affects unemployed people, who aren’t seen as victims at all in some cases. I’ve been unemployed (against my will) for six years of my life since graduating college—not including times when I was underpaid or worked part-time jobs. I’ve been criticized for this by a variety of assholes ranging from my father to my (former) gastroenterologist. (The latter asshole couldn’t fathom why no one else wanted to look at assholes for a living.)

Below are the three assumptions I’ve encountered the most:

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1. We aren’t trying hard enough to get a job

I hate failure. I’m not good at half-assing anything. As embarrassing as it is to admit, I’ve hand-delivered job applications to secure buildings in order to get a job. I’ve branded myself, scheduled coffee chats, stalked recruiters on LinkedIn, created hundreds of different resumés, wrote personalized cover letters, attended workshops, interned for no money to get a foot in the door, hired career coaches, dropped acid—you name it, I’ve fucking done it. I’ve even mentored others on how to do it.

Okay, I haven’t done everything. I haven’t outright lied or seduced a hiring manager. But I’ve done everything you’re supposed to do—and it hasn’t paid off.

And when a man tries for too long and keeps failing, he inevitably starts to feel helpless. This, I admit, leads to a lack of effort in times of deep despair. If you can’t accept that, sue me. No one’s perfect—and rest is revolutionary in a culture that ranks productivity above everything else.

2. We don’t want to work

Let’s be real here: Most people would quit their jobs if they won the lottery. I don’t see any problem with not wanting to work—it’s only a problem for our corporate masters. Because they are terrified of a worker-led uprising demanding better pay, universal healthcare, etc., they manipulate the public through the media and popular culture to make it seem as if unemployed people are lazy and entitled. They know this is bullshit. They are the entitled fuckers who can’t go one presidential term without a massive tax break—even if it means taking food out of the mouths of children. Fuck them.

When my wife has the TV tuned into the lives of the Kardashians or the “real housewives” (of wherever) and I happen to catch a glimpse, I’m not blown away by their industriousness. They seem about as useless and lazy as the worst stereotype of an unemployed person—with more expensive (and revealing) clothing. In fact, the worst stereotype I can apply to them is that they have little to offer except (fake) tits, asses, and lips—not much in the IQ department. Even their problems are stupid. If they don’t like my insults, then they should get a real job like the rest of us. (Or at least try to—it’s a tough labor market.)

But, hey, if someone wants to put me to work producing a TV show, I’m ready for it. I’ll call it the “Real Unemployed People of America.”

3. We’re not playing the game

There are several versions of this assumption that capture the same sentiment, such as “you’re not playing by the rules” or “you’re not doing it right.” My objection is there are no rules in the sense that if you follow a specific procedure, you’re guaranteed a job. Submitting 100 solid applications, for example, doesn’t guarantee a single interview these days, networking is a bust unless you meet the right person at the right time, and upskilling is a bullshit word designed to distract from the fact that employers refuse to invest the resources to properly train new hires. (Of course, the burden is always on the job seeker to be perfect in every way—while employers continue to exploit them in every way.)

Moreover, too many universities give out too many degrees that don’t do dick. (I have a Master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies, for example.) The older generations could achieve a middle-class standard of living without a college degree, so they have no concept of how useless a degree from a non-elite institution can be in 2025. A degree is a given for most white-collar jobs. What matters most is experience—but good luck getting experience if no one gives you a fucking chance in the first place.

Sometimes we also get blamed for our lack of interviewing skills—if we get that far and still get the shaft. The problem is I have had hundreds of interviews in my life, and I don’t recall ever being given a rubric. I’ve also rarely been given any meaningful feedback—good or bad—whether I get a job offer or not. How is anyone supposed to improve at something when they aren’t aware of the criteria? If I were a teacher and failed my students without returning any of their work or telling them why, I’d be summarily fired. Interviewing is subjective—it just is. You can do everything right and still fail. Believe me—I’ve been there many times. I’m writing a book on the subject.

So, when someone tells me I’d be more successful if I “played the game,” I retort that the game is rigged. And that they can play with my balls.

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Do me a favor if you’re still reading: Find some compassion for unemployed job seekers. Give them top priority if you’re hiring. It’s not their fault the system is designed for people unlike them. They have to make a living just like you do. Who knows, maybe one day you’ll be in the same position addressing the same (bullshit) assumptions and wondering why you can’t catch a break from anyone, anywhere, ever. If it gets bad enough, you might even consider burning your diplomas for catharsis and selling your blood plasma.

When that day comes, reach out. I’ll be here. Until then, feel free to keep ignoring us (at best) or blaming us (at worst) for not having a job—whatever helps you sleep at night.