Media Spin sinks to new lows: Funemployment

[asda1]

I am not kidding, LA times just coined a new term "funemployment".

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-funemployment4-2009jun04,0,7581684.story

I suppose if we just consider unemployment vacation fun time there is no reason to be upset by the failure of Obama's stimulus plan to curb unemployment.

Also, new updated Obamanomics crashes into reality graph for May 2009. I hope they are all enjoying thier funemployment.

http://michaelscomments.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/stimulus-vs-unemployment-may2.gif?w=460&h=280

[zombies! galore]

That is truly absurd.
That's just like saying,
"Hey, America! Do something stupid to lose your job, then don't find a new one - it'll be fun, and you'll get unemployment benefits!"

People might as well just quit their jobs and assume that it's a free ticket.
Not that it's much different from a year ago, but still... comments like that make it all worse.

[ModerateVoice]

I'd like the author of the article to struggle with unemployment for the last year as I have; then he can tell me how much "fun" is in unemployment.

[CaptainCrunch]

Americans work too hard any way. We need to downsize and get back to the basics. Spend more time with our families, get in shape, think about our future, enjoy life while we still can. Who can do that working 40+/wk being strapped down with a mortgage payment, and living life in the fast lane.

[RTchoke]

Great isn't it?

I posted that in another thread in response to the unemployment rate right now. With it's own thread it should get some good discussion. http://www.mommaville.com/forums/images/smilies/v3/2t.gif

Wonder what these stupid little twits are gonna do when they run out of money.

http://www.mommaville.com/forums/images/smilies/roflmao.gif

[roger teekell]

I can't wait for the Sequel to this article...

"The Joys and Pleasures of FUN-Homelessness"....

Should be a big hit as well...

This coud actually become a series of stories..

"The Excitement of Having your Car Repossesed"...

And maybe "From Neiman Marcus to Goodwill in 6 short months"...

I look forward to those articles as well..

[RTchoke]

I'd like the author of the article to struggle with unemployment for the last year as I have; then he can tell me how much "fun" is in unemployment.

No kidding. we went through a year of that too. We had soooooooooooooo much fun. :rolleyes:

[pattyk]

I was on UI from July to December. not enough money to pay my house payment. no food, power, gas, insurance.

of course I scrambled, did some stuff to make it up, worked here part time, and loved being off work. It was hardly "funemployment" - I was worried all the time I was having "fun."

[simssk]

From the article: "These jobless folks, usually singles in their 20s and 30s, find that life without work agrees with them. Instead of punching the clock, they're hitting the beach."

Great work ethic there. Lets have fun and hit the beach. obama's got us covered. The New America.

[ThrowCop]

Being out of work is not fun.

I was without real work for a year.

There was not a bit of "fun" in it, I assure you.

[mkh]

It's an interesting article and fail to see why you would be so outraged by it? SOme people saved their money wisely and are taking this time to have fun. That's so evil I know. This article is talking about a small minority of those unemployeed at the moment. Of coures not everyone is giong to be able to go do these sorts of things, but that's not the point of the article.

[simssk]

I was on UI from July to December. not enough money to pay my house payment. no food, power, gas, insurance.

of course I scrambled, did some stuff to make it up, worked here part time, and loved being off work. It was hardly "funemployment" - I was worried all the time I was having "fun."

You mean you didn't go to the beach and have margaritas? It's time to embrace the new work ethic in America. The rich are filthy pigs. Funemployment is cool.

[Ballygrl]

I am not kidding, LA times just coined a new term "funemployment".

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-funemployment4-2009jun04,0,7581684.story

I suppose if we just consider unemployment vacation fun time there is no reason to be upset by the failure of Obama's stimulus plan to curb unemployment.

Also, new updated Obamanomics crashes into reality graph for May 2009. I hope they are all enjoying thier funemployment.

http://michaelscomments.files.wordpress.com/2009/06/stimulus-vs-unemployment-may2.gif?w=460&h=280

There's no chance the media could be biased? could they?

[RTchoke]

I can't wait for the Sequel to this article...

"The Joys and Pleasures of FUN-Homelessness"....

Should be a big hit as well...

This coud actually become a series of stories..

"The Excitement of Having your Car Repossesed"...

And maybe "From Neiman Marcus to Goodwill in 6 short months"...

I look forward to those articles as well..

Homeless? Nah............that's what the parent's basement is for. :D

[kenpoman]

they shilled for Obama during the campaign,
why expect they'd stop now?

[kenpoman]

and the press wonders why they're dying in the marketplace of ideas.

[asda1]

I can't wait for the Sequel to this article...

"The Joys and Pleasures of FUN-Homelessness"....


I think you might have stumbled on the author's next article.


A hot new trend is developing among thousands of funemployed 20 somethings unable to pay for rent, going FUN-Homeless. They are moving out of their appartments and cashing in their homes and living out of their cars or even out of their backpacks.

Formerly reserved for those in desperate times, homelessness is seen as an increasingly attractive option for 20 somethings that just don't want to be tied down to a job or permanent shelter and wish to explore this great country.

Random Stoner Dude claims "Yeah, Funhomelessness is the best thing ever. I don't have to work, I just eat out of the dumpster, and I get to sleep on the beach every day. I can't imagine ever wasting my life siting in some cubicle."

As the stimulus plan has taken full effect and completely restored our economy, the rises in unemployment and homelessness are likely to be results of Funemployment and Funhomelessness.

[shrek]

I can't wait for the Sequel to this article...

"The Joys and Pleasures of FUN-Homelessness"....

Should be a big hit as well...

This coud actually become a series of stories..

"The Excitement of Having your Car Repossesed"...

And maybe "From Neiman Marcus to Goodwill in 6 short months"...

I look forward to those articles as well..

I am waiting for these Funemployed to pop up before congress demanding a bailout of their own. This is rediculous.

But it goes back to another recent phenomenon that many HR Depts have started seeing in the last 5 years.

Millions of 22-23 year olds that have never ever worked a day in their lives.

I am betting its these same kids with the exact same lack of work ethic that are now loving being unemployed.

Keep in mind what the article said many of them are living off of parents.

[monkeymom]

It's an interesting article and fail to see why you would be so outraged by it? SOme people saved their money wisely and are taking this time to have fun. That's so evil I know. This article is talking about a small minority of those unemployeed at the moment. Of coures not everyone is giong to be able to go do these sorts of things, but that's not the point of the article.

Uh no - the article states the these unemployed, primarily 20s-30s are using "generous" byouts, unemployment, and mom and dad's money to support their fun. So the "byouts" are monies they "earned" - but the rest is on the back of others.

[roger teekell]

Homeless? Nah............that's what the parent's basement is for. :D

One of these guys apparently made a video about the joys of Funemployment"...

Here it is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niha3qa1HC0

[Proud Mom and Teacher]

Homeless? Nah............that's what the parent's basement is for. :D
Many parents that are living on retirement based on the stock market, however, may not be willing to shell out the dough since times ain't good on that end either.

Wait until cap and trade...and $$$ for gas incease...

Unemployment is not going to be fun for long. Most people don't like living meal to meal.

[simssk]

That explains part of the reason California is broke. The 20's and 30's are too busy have fun being unemployed and collecting unemployment.

[mkh]

Uh no - the article states the these unemployed, primarily 20s-30s are using "generous" byouts, unemployment, and mom and dad's money to support their fun. So the "byouts" are monies they "earned" - but the rest is on the back of others.

[QUOTE=Buoyed by severance, savings, unemployment checks or their parents, the funemployed do not spend their days poring over job listings. They travel on the cheap for weeks. They head back to school or volunteer at the neighborhood soup kitchen. And at least till the bank account dries up, they're content living for today.[/QUOTE]

So they got buy outs and saved and some are using unemployment and their parents. So, uh yes. We have no way of knowing how many and how much people get something outside of their own work. And once again, I agree being unemployed would suck, and this is not a majority of people, it's speaking of probably a very very small minority of people, so the outrage is ridiculout in my opinion.

[zombies! galore]

I can't wait for the Sequel to this article...

"The Joys and Pleasures of FUN-Homelessness"....

Should be a big hit as well...

This coud actually become a series of stories..

"The Excitement of Having your Car Repossesed"...

And maybe "From Neiman Marcus to Goodwill in 6 short months"...

I look forward to those articles as well..

That has to be the greatest sarcastic remark I have ever seen...
Thanks for the laugh:D
You're a genius.

[asda1]

So they got buy outs and saved and some are using unemployment and their parents. So, uh yes. We have no way of knowing how many and how much people get something outside of their own work. And once again, I agree being unemployed would suck, and this is not a majority of people, it's speaking of probably a very very small minority of people, so the outrage is ridiculout in my opinion.

You don't find it even a tiny bit offensive that an article is portraying being unemployed and living off of unemployment enjoyable enough to warrant coinning a new word to describe it?

It just seems a bit taboo to me.

What if the article had been about Hapicide a new term they had coined about fun suicides?

[mkh]

Not when I think rationally about it and realize that yes, unemployement sucks for most people, but these are a small % of people that are doing something they enjoy while being unemployed.

[monkeymom]

So they got buy outs and saved and some are using unemployment and their parents. So, uh yes. We have no way of knowing how many and how much people get something outside of their own work. And once again, I agree being unemployed would suck, and this is not a majority of people, it's speaking of probably a very very small minority of people, so the outrage is ridiculout in my opinion.

I agree - I'm sure this is a very small minority of unemployed people, but I think the outrage is more toward the LA Times (worthless piece of trash newspaper that I believe it is).

[roger teekell]

That has to be the greatest sarcastic remark I have ever seen...
Thanks for the laugh:D
You're a genius.

Thanks...

I'm here all week!;)

[shrek]

Not when I think rationally about it and realize that yes, unemployement sucks for most people, but these are a small % of people that are doing something they enjoy while being unemployed.

See I look at it differently.

It is no secret that the LA Times is liberal. Famously so.

Who is President as Unemployment increases? Oh that would be Obama the Liberals Messiah.

The LA Times is interested in focusing on this admitted small % and made an entire artcle about it in hopes of any anger or Ire from the unemployed away from Obama.

I mean why else write the article. You say so yourself that the amount of people capable of enjoying funemployment is small almost too small to even notice.

So why do you think they would have written article like this in a down economy where few are having fun??????????????

[notluzn]

wow.. just WOW!

[mkh]

I guess I just don't really think that deeply into what a newspaper writes about. it either interests me or it does. If it does I read, if not, I don't. Maybe I'm naive, or really, I just don't give a rats ass if the paper is trying to distort something, but I just dont' let things like this get to me.

They would write it thinking people would be interested in reading about it? It's an iteresting concept to me. I don't see it as covering anything up. I'm sure in that same paper they have serious articles about the unemployement and economic downturn. This is one of hundrads of articles every week put out by the paper. They need to fill space.

[ThinkingMan]

It's good that Democrats are in power now so that unemployment doesn't take its toll on single mothers.

[shrek]

I guess I just don't really think that deeply into what a newspaper writes about. it either interests me or it does. If it does I read, if not, I don't. Maybe I'm naive, or really, I just don't give a rats ass if the paper is trying to distort something, but I just dont' let things like this get to me.

They would write it thinking people would be interested in reading about it? It's an iteresting concept to me. I don't see it as covering anything up. I'm sure in that same paper they have serious articles about the unemployement and economic downturn. This is one of hundrads of articles every week put out by the paper. They need to fill space.

I did not say they were covering anything up.

I said I am betting they wrote the article to deflect anger about unemployment away from obama.

Look at it this way the LA Times is so liberal only the very liberal buy the paper any more.

So a liberal person reads about people having fun being unemployed and they in turn start saying well maybe this latest recession aint so bad especially since Obama is our leader and they go off singing ignorantly thinking the world is rosy under Obama.

Could I be wrong??????????????? Sure. But you admit yourself that the % of people being able to enjoy funemployment has to be extremely small. So how many people would be interested in reading about others having fun on unemployment while they are worrying about their car, or house being repossessed.

[JenyEliza]

ThinkingMan....how do you get that unemployment doesn't take a toll on single mothers?

I know of several who have lost their jobs due to RIFs, some of them had worked for big-name companies for years, and now find themselves without jobs, health benefits for their children and no way to make the mortgage payment.

There's no special protection for single mothers. None at all.

[shrek]

ThinkingMan....how do you get that unemployment doesn't take a toll on single mothers?

I know of several who have lost their jobs due to RIFs, some of them had worked for big-name companies for years, and now find themselves without jobs, health benefits for their children and no way to make the mortgage payment.

There's no special protection for single mothers. None at all.

I am pretty sure he was being sarcastic. Note his comment about thankfully the Dems are in charge now.

[shaveking]

God forbid someone does a random local article about how some people cope with being unemployed.

[ThinkingMan]

ThinkingMan....how do you get that unemployment doesn't take a toll on single mothers?

I know of several who have lost their jobs due to RIFs, some of them had worked for big-name companies for years, and now find themselves without jobs, health benefits for their children and no way to make the mortgage payment.

There's no special protection for single mothers. None at all.

Well of course, there was some sarcasm there. But I don't understand why there is no protection for single mothers. They make up 90% of the welfare rolls.

[simssk]

So during the Bush years, unemployment rates were screamed at us from the news media, we were told how bad the situation was, we were in a recession heading for a depression, it was all Bush's fault, the war was draining us, people were homeless, it's so bad out there, blah blah blah blah

BUT NOW, that obama is president, and the unemployment figures continually increase, we're told by wonderful, unbiased journalism how great it is to be unemployed. Yes, it's funemployment. Let's live off unemployment and our parents' money, life is fun and carefree, let's all have fun and drink margaritas.

Hypocrisy - thy name is journalism