Among politicians and others in the the lines of the employed – those who have not been laid off in this abysmal recession or in others - there’s an insidious belief that the reason someone remains unemployed is because s/he’s lazy.
Unemployed banker; MIT grad
The thinking goes – if they were really trying to get jobs they’d have one, but instead they’re enjoying being at home with their feet up, eating bon-bons and living off unemployment benefits.
Part of it is the all too common practice of blaming the victim. The unconscious thinking pattern goes like this: If the situation is the victim’s fault, then it won’t happen to me. In other words, Employed Doe can feel both safe and superior by believing “Even if I were to be laid off – which wouldn’t happen because I’m a top performer – I’d get a job quickly because I would really look for one, unlike the unemployed people who are lazy.”
This thinking ignores or denies:
- There are 5 unemployed people for every job opening
- The recession that began in 2007 has led to the worst unemployment in nearly 30 years.
- There are record levels of long-term unemployment.
- The 9.6 % jobless rate has been essentially unchanged since May.
(data from The Unemployed Held Hostage, Again)
Perception – We See What We Want Or Expect To See
What people perceive as truth comes from assumptions and preconceptions. Perhaps you were told growing up that Susie could have a job but she likes not working (lazy) and collecting unemployment. That can set the stage for you to generalize the statement about Susie to the ranks of all the unemployed. But like all generalizations they only contain a kernel of truth.
When the human tendencies:
- of blaming the victim
- of wanting to feel safe and superior
- of incorrect assumptions
- of gross generalizations
becomes scary is when the people who are in a position of control, in this case those who determine whether unemployed benefits should be extended, hold these underlying beliefs and aren’t even aware of it.
We talk about transparency in the government and in corporations but not enough times with individuals…with ourselves. It’s important to surface and recognize the assumptions underlying our thinking. Otherwise we never see the fallacious reasoning; the inaccuracies in our assumptions; and our biases.
For instance, I need to be conscious of the fact that my thinking about the unemployed could be affected by knowing some people when I was younger who did take advantage of unemployment benefits. I have to be careful that I don’t generalize about today’s ranks of the unemployed (approximately 14.8 million people) based on a couple of people or based on a different time and an entire set of different circumstances.
Federal benefits average $290 a week or $15,080/year, about half of what the typical family spends on basics. Who can take care of their family on that – their rent or mortgage, insurances, clothes, car and food etc.? For that matter, who wants to stand in line and deal with the bureaucracy if you don’t have to?
People in Indiana stand in line for unemploment insurance
What makes people who are making 5, 10, 20 times the average unemployment benefits amount think that people are reveling and slothfully enjoying themselves on that meager amount? What are their underlying belief systems about people in a different income bracket or life situation? How can they become aware of their paradigms and perceptions?
If fairness, there are also misconceptions, biases and assumptions about people who are wealthy. Recognizing our paradigms expands our thinking. We become more open-minded and better problem solvers. In today’s difficult economic environment, we need to think about our thinking more than ever. What are some of your paradigms?
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[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by RedheadWriting and Heather Caldwell, Cherry Woodburn. Cherry Woodburn said: Are Unemployed People Lazy? | Paradigms Of The Employed http://t.co/XgFsJFu [...]
A terrific post, Cherry, that pushes all the right buttons. It takes having been down and out to put unemployment, economic struggling, and the darkness of uncertainty into perspective. Those who believe that most of the unemployed don’t want to work don’t know much about the importance of dignity in our lives. ~Dawn
Thank you Dawn and I think your response/comment is right on target! You say things so well. Cherry
This article has many great points thank you. It also demonstrates your own bias and paradigms about the unemployed. The reality of ‘mass’ unemployment is a product of the paradigms of this nation to begin with, it has little to do with the government and will only ever be corrected by the effort of the individual.
I grew up very poor, very poor. My family was victim minded and held lack consciousness. We were without principles of integrity or basic morals. However, no one in the family could have known that or admitted it. So I do know that people may not believe they are lazy, but their lack of discipline or their contempt for government or wealthy people create a mindset that manifests itself as lazy behavior.
Today’s unemployed would rather receive a check for $290 a week, than work for $300 a week, despite the fact that working for $300 a week may begin to create new conditions in their life, in their heart and in their consciousness and begin contribute to and support a growing economy overall. My own small business employees 3 people, 2 full time and 1 part time. I do know that they are grateful for the work and I do know that I interviewed several for the job. Some had been looking for work a long time. My own family has had several pay raises in our other work and a growing business. While I do agree that the ‘unemployed’ are generalized as lazy, and there is much more to the truth than that, in truth many have become complacent. The payoff for a lower paying job does not equal the benefit of a monthly check.
We all need each other. Our economy is only going to improve when we improve our approach, our attitude and our willingness to change how we do things.
Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree that “We all need each other. Our economy is only going to improve when we improve our approach, our attitude and our willingness to change how we do things.” I disagree that all (and that’s the operative word for me) unemployed would rather receive a check for $290 a week, than work for $300 a week. To me it’s the sweeping generalizations about any group that are problematic.
I think this sentence of yours was particularly insightful. “So I do know that people may not believe they are lazy, but their lack of discipline or their contempt for government or wealthy people create a mindset that manifests itself as lazy behavior. ”
Again, thanks for commenting. I think dialogue like this is important. Cherry
Thank you for the reply Cherry, I also appreciate the dialogue.
My intent was not to offer any sweeping generalization in this case (I feel the same about them as you), I simply did not begin the sentence with ‘most’, or ‘the majority of’, 95% etc. Nor was the statement birthed from the behavior of the’unemployed’ per se, but rather an understanding of human behavior and value systems, regardless of the group.
Few people are inner directed in my experience Cherry. Most people (the majority, 95% etc.), regardless of age, race, culture, country etc. are reactive versus proactive in a personal crisis situation such as a job loss. The longer the unemployment or external / environmental conditions remain the same, the easier it is to fall into a consciousness of complacency. This is a real threat that few (albeit well intentioned) people protect their minds from.
I understand your article was intended to address those who believe that ‘If this happened to me, I would be a go-getter and a proactive job seeker and I could find work where others have failed’ etc. I do not dispute your wisdom, I simply want to contribute to a complete picture by adding another valid perspective. In my experience, few people are self motivated enough to reinvent their current paradigms to support the necessary change required to find work. “Work’ in their chosen field may no longer be available, or work that meets their own standard (even lowest standard) of hourly or monetary value or self-worth may not be available, but work itself is always available to those who relentlessly seek it. This is the mandate of Universal law. When faced with the opportunity receive a check for being unemployed, or to receive a check by working for far less than their own standards, few people have the integrity to work for less because it is too easy to justify their position.
Many people, deep within their consciousness can justify being ‘paid’ by the ‘system’ for all they have contributed. After all, it is them that is the victim of external circumstance outside of their control, from own their point of view at least. For externally directed people, this is reality for them. Most people can validate their position of continuing to receive a check until ‘things get better’ out there or until ‘they’ fix the economy’ etc. I believe that even well intentioned people fall into this category. The small check may is not ideal by any stretch, but it is enough to contribute to a lack of motivation. I don’t believe people start out with that mentality, but over due course it can take its toll on even well-meaning people unless they protect their minds, become diligent enough, motivated enough, walk upright enough and contribute enough to their own solution through creative thinking and action. This is not intending to diminish those in need or those who are suffering right now, but unless we look at the whole picture, the equilibrated picture, all of us will be in this situation for a much longer than necessary time.
I think that the word “paradigm” is the key. I understand that it means “world-view” or “belief-system.” In my opinion, what we call “laziness” may just be a disease of the belief-system. In this sense, some people are correct when they say that they deserve to be paid by the system, because the system has, indeed, given them the short end of the stick. But, I think that the way in which the system has victimized them is not the way in which they think the system has victimized them.
Consider the concept of a “good work ethic.” We all know it when we see it, and we all know that people who have it are much more likely to succeed in life. So where does a good work ethic come from? It is a direct result of training from the family and community in which a child grows up. So, in that sense, I would agree that a person who did not receive good-work-ethic-training as a child does have a legitimate gripe against the system. Of course, though, once a person becomes an adult and can see the underlying issues for themselves, then there is a sense in which they must become at least partially responsible for their own work ethic. It is similar to the adult who suddenly realizes that he or she has been brainwashed as a child. Even though it is very difficult to reject the brain washing, it really becomse the responsibility of the adult to work on it.
So back to the question about the unemployed and laziness. It is very difficult for another person to say if someone else is lazy or not, since it goes to the question of human will and deepest motivation. I am the only one who can peer into my own heart and mind. We can make inferences based on another person’s behavior, but only the person themselves can really know for sure what motivates them. In any case, for those people who, themselves, can admit to being lazy (I have personally met several of them), I think that a part of their spirit is crying out for help. Is it based on a sickness of the belief system? I think so.
Thanks for your response Tim.
At the time I wrote my post I had heard or read (I forget anymore) a number of comments along the lines of “The only reason someone is unemployed is because they’re lazy.” To me, that’s absurd and that’s the point I was addressing in my blog – looking at people’s paradigms as to why they might say that. Not sure if it’s a paradigm about laziness or a paradigm about unemployment and the “ease” of getting a job.
I also think people define good work ethic differently. To someone who regularly works 12+ hours a day on their job, they could consider the person who leaves his/her job after “only” 8 hours as not having a good work ethic.
I enjoyed reading your thoughts on the issue. THanks, Cherry
BTW, I guess my post was more geared toward the topic of “how to cure laziness” rather than to address the question that you originally raised of “are unemployed people lazy.” Sorry. :-p
About the question of whether or not the unemployed are lazy, I would say: No, Yes and Somewhat. I think it really depends on the individual (14 million unemployed individuals) in question. In your case, Cherry, it sounds like you alluded to having directly observed laziness in someone else when you were a child. So, at least it sounds like you would agree that, for some people, it does sometimes happen that they are both unemployed and lazy. Of course, in many cases the unemployed are not lazy at all, and you are right to point out that a person who is being judgmental of another is quite often looking at things in a distorted way.