Being unemployed for a long time brings a lot of problems. When this happens, the society will start jumping to conclusions by accusing or bashing the unemployed as lazy. In fact, this belief of 'Unemployment Equals Lazy'
is so widespread within the society that, even an unemployed person who is frequently looking for a job but never succeeded, is accused or bashed for being lazy.
What's worse, whenever there is crime news, patricularly, news about robberies of thefts, many people within the society always accuse unemployment laziness as the cause of crimes.
As a battered unemployed blogger (I really mean it!), I am EXTREMELY DISGUSTED by the society's hostility towards the unemployed. In fact, I strongly believe, anyone within the society might have NEVER done any thorough research on why do people are unemployed and choose to jump to conclusions by showing no empathy towards the unemployed, such as labelling them as lazy and blaming unemployment laziness as a cause of crimes.
LAZINESS: UNEMPLOYED VS LAZY WORKERS
Laziness is one of the many human traits, but this trait is, apparently, stereotypically synonymous with the unemployed. Ask anyone about unemployment, and laziness is usually the first thing that come out of their mouths!
To be honest, relating uneployment to laziness is getting old; and, as for a battered unemployed blogger like me would think of, it is highly offensive!
Just because an unemployed person is popularly believed to be lazy, society shuns that person totally, when that person could have been looking for a job several times but failed or being helpful in housework. Worse still, when there is crime news like robbery or theft perpetrated by the unemployed, many people within the society would blame unemployment laziness as the cause of crimes.
However, there are two things that society must know:
- Firstly, laziness has nothing to do with unemployment, as people who have jobs also have a tendency to become lazy!
- Secondly, criminal behaviour has nothing to do with unemployment laziness!
For your information, do you know that a lazy worker who got its salary for being lazy in its job is no different than a thief who thrived by stealing or robbing something? In fact, getting one's salary but lazy in doing one's work is actually equal to stealing!
Unfortunately, I can guarantee that nobody would take note and actively deny it, as our society has vowed to treat the unemployed with total hostility, while at the same time, turning a blind eye over lazy workers who get paid for their laziness! In short, this is an obvious and blatant double standards in dealing with lazy people!
When an unemployed person still not getting a job, society would automatically label that person as lazy, when that said unemployed person could have recently failed its 99th job application and is currently trying to apply its 100th job application!
Ironically, when someone who already have a job for a long time but lazy in doing its job and yet, got its salary in full, society would usually never take the matter seriously as they did to the unemployed!
There's more: I noticed that some people even used the term 'healthy body' whenever they want to bash the unemployed, and some even have gone too far as to comparing the 'lazy' unemployed to the hardworking but handicapped workers! And, as expected, these same people always turn a blind eye over healthy but lazy workers who got their salary for being lazy!
THE MASS MEDIA: POPULARISING UNEMPLOYMENT LAZINESS TO THE MAX
The mass media, particularly, the newspapers and TV, are all the same: they tend to ENJOY popularising unemployment laziness to the max and show only the evils of the unemployed. I have seen a number of front page news about crimes perpetrated by the unemployed; on 1st of April this year, I saw a comic strip in one Malay language newspaper that openly bash the unemployed as lazy, and back in 2014, an on-stage comedy performance performed by a comedian duo I watched on Astro also bashed the unemployed as lazy.
Take a look at the two photos below as proof:
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| This photo of the said comic strip taken on 1st of April is from KOSMO! newspaper. Take a look at the second panel of the comic strip for 'concrete proof' of relating unemployment to laziness. |
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| This 10th June issue of KOSMO! newspaper shows two crime news perpetrated by the unemployed on the front page. In fact, one of the said news is the biggest one displayed! |
The Internet is also no different, particularly, Internet news portals and social media sites like Facebook. As I used Facebook (using my real name, not my Blogger username), I sometimes encountered CCTV videos of robberies and thefts uploaded to Facebook.
One of these examples is a CCTV video footage of a robbery in progress at a convenience store. Whenever this video was uploaded, I noticed a large number of netizens blaming unemployment laziness as a cause of crimes including robbery and theft. Then there is another CCTV video footage of a person stealing money from a donation box, and that same comments by that same netizens appear.
What really annoyed me, or rather, angered me, when watching these videos? The caption written by the uploader, who is also the admin for this one Facebook page known for viral news and topics. The caption written by the admin not only blamed unemployment laziness as a cause of crimes, but also, bashing the unemployed and also, the poor, with disparaging remarks like "Don't give stupid excuses like 'hardships' and 'rising living costs' as reasons to rob and steal!"
So what was that admin's excuse when healthy but lazy workers get their salary for being lazy in their jobs?
MY THOUGHTS
Honestly, after seeing those things, I just can't tolerate anymore. Seriously, why must anyone make any news of the evils of the unemployed go viral? Why can't they make any good things done by the unemployed go viral like, for example, an unemployed man helping his father who was confined to a wheelchair to and from the hospital?
Why can't anyone stop generalising the unemployed as 'freeloaders' or 'lazy bums' who thrive by either parents' money, welfare, or theft and robbery?!
What's more, I find the phrase "Don't blame others, blame yourself" is getting old and annoying. If the unemployed must take the blame for suffering from hardships due to laziness, shouldn't the lazy workers take the blame for suffering from hardships due to one's laziness too? Why only the unemployed be attacked in the first place?
After all, getting salary for being lazy in a job is, as Malaysians say, 'tidak berkat', right?
WHAT AM I DOING NOW
As written above, what am I doing now, as a battered unemployed blogger? Doing some occasional housework like washing dishes or vacuuming the house, running errands for my mother like buying her breakfast, participating in contests, blogging here to make barely an income, and lastly, getting annoyed and angry at the sight of unemployment bashing.
Did I ever try to get a job before? YES!
Back in 2011, I was planning to get a job at an Anime merchandise shop owned by an acquaintance of mine at SS15 Subang Jaya, but my parents stopped me from doing so. The reason? Two words: DRUG MULE.
Last year, I have tried to get a job one month after my father died, and failed all of it. I went for a job interview at McDonald's, but failed to get a job there. Later on, I tried to get a job at Domino's Pizza and also failed. I even tried getting a job at a nearby mini market, but also failed. It was here that I finally decided to quit job hunting forever.
Since I am jobless, and as written earlier, I chose to participate in contests as an alternative way to make at least a small income. The result? I won three contests, but lost several others. In fact, one of the contests I lost almost caused me to die at one point!
CONCLUSION
As long as society keeps on bashing the unemployed as lazy, relating unemployment to laziness and blaming unemployment laziness as a cause of crimes while turning a blind eye over lazy workers who got their salary for their laziness, there is no way that any unemployed person, particularly those who are not lazy and totally innocent, be spared from any kind of attacks from the unemployed haters.
In the end, all the people within the society, particularly, the Malaysian society, need to do now are two simple things: one, listen to the song 'Aku Penganggur' by Sudirman and read and understand the lyrics of the song if they want to; and two, start showing empathy towards the unemployed instead of attacking them non-stop.
If they don't want to do it, so be it...
GO AHEAD AND BASH THE UNEMPLOYED!!!
RemainUnknown522 Out.
RemainUnknown522 Out.
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