I went to fill out a survey online the other day, and this particular site always has a poll for its members. This question was about how soon we thought the economy would pick up. I chose the option for "sometime in 2009." When I submitted it, I got to see the poll results so far, with 2% of responders saying there was nothing wrong with the economy. Even though it raises my blood pressure significantly, I'm going to give these %$#^&holes the benefit of the doubt. They did answer the poll before the nation-wide article that unemployment jumped to 5.5% in May. The people who answered that poll probably didn't get the same call I did the other night from an office I hoped to get an interview with. For a simple front desk position, the office received 350 queries in a few days time.
I saw "Don't Mess with the Zohan" on Friday evening. I don't usually see comedies in the theater, and I was a little apprehensive about admitting I was going to see this film. But let me tell you some things about the movie industry. #1: Previews are almost always deceiving. They show the funniest or the crudest or the most sexual parts of any movie. Or they completely bypass the main plot. #2: The primary functions of any movie in the comedy genre is to defy social convention, bring people together, and explore social issues while you're loosened up by the comedic aspects.
Keeping these things in mind, I found "Zohan" to be a priceless film. I heard that some people thought it was stupid. I guess if you don't believe in world peace, achieving your dreams, or that older women deserve to feel sexy, it might have seemed stupid to you. If you were paying attention to the dialog more than Adam Sandler's rippling muscles or pervasive pubic bulge, however, there was a lot to take away from the film. A lot that doesn't get shown in the previews. Go for the laughs, stay for the meaning.
So what does Zohan have to do with unemployment? Maybe nothing, maybe everything. Maybe the message I'd most like to take away this morning is "Stop fighting, start employing." Dreams are dying while people quibble over bullshit. They say the most human potential is lying in cemeteries. And then they vote Republican. But by the time I got to be a Democrat, they stopped believing in what I stand for, so neither party is really standing up for the sane people anymore. I have to keep reminding myself that I do have a dream, I do know what I want in life--to write--but since it's still not paying the bills, I continue my search for the elusive "day job." I have a Master's in English, for Hel's sake. I'm not unemployable. It's just hard to get your foot in the door with so much "right-sizing."
