They've Taken Away the Bagels
We got word of this the other day. Our Friday bagels are no more. Well, that's not exactly true. We'll still have bagels the first Friday of every month. But that's it. This news comes shortly after they tell us that there will be no more promotions, there will be no bonus this year, and there will be no pay raises. There is no time line for reinstatement of pay raises. And in this market, we are supposed to be lucky to have jobs. This is supposed to be enough motivation to come to work every morning and pack into our carpeted, cubed sardine cans. After all, so many people have no jobs right now.
But I know one of these people. He has had no job for over a year now. But he cannot blame the economy. He cannot blame the president or the war in Iraq. He can only blame himself. He was the one who openly defied store policy, who abused his employee discount. He was the one who got caught doing so.
Then again, maybe his parents can share some of the blame. They've spent the year enabling him. Without them taking care of the rent and the gas and the water, he'd have had to get a job by now. He'd need more than the unemployment checks that keep coming because his cutoff dates keep getting pushed back. Because the government assumes that he can't get a job, not that he won't. And why would he want to get a job? He's living a pretty good life that involves sleeping through the morning hours and bathing but every few days. Not to mention his roommate cleans the bathroom and the kitchen. She leaves out clean sheets for him, but he doesn't make his bed. She buys him a toothbrush and some laundry detergent for Christmas, but why does he need clean teeth or clothes if he never really has to leave the house? See, this is the life of someone without a job. And some days it doesn't seem so bad as finding out you may never get a raise or a promotion, no matter how hard you work. It doesn't seem so bad as knowing that the company can't support weekly bagels. But I'm not too worried just yet. It's when they take away the coffee that will have me scared.
But I know one of these people. He has had no job for over a year now. But he cannot blame the economy. He cannot blame the president or the war in Iraq. He can only blame himself. He was the one who openly defied store policy, who abused his employee discount. He was the one who got caught doing so.
Then again, maybe his parents can share some of the blame. They've spent the year enabling him. Without them taking care of the rent and the gas and the water, he'd have had to get a job by now. He'd need more than the unemployment checks that keep coming because his cutoff dates keep getting pushed back. Because the government assumes that he can't get a job, not that he won't. And why would he want to get a job? He's living a pretty good life that involves sleeping through the morning hours and bathing but every few days. Not to mention his roommate cleans the bathroom and the kitchen. She leaves out clean sheets for him, but he doesn't make his bed. She buys him a toothbrush and some laundry detergent for Christmas, but why does he need clean teeth or clothes if he never really has to leave the house? See, this is the life of someone without a job. And some days it doesn't seem so bad as finding out you may never get a raise or a promotion, no matter how hard you work. It doesn't seem so bad as knowing that the company can't support weekly bagels. But I'm not too worried just yet. It's when they take away the coffee that will have me scared.
posted by KC in Katoland at 3:52 PM
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