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Tuesday, Jan 31, 2012 12:45 PM UTC

F**ked: Fighting the stigma of joblessness

In the second episode of our new video series, unemployed Americans battle shame and speak out about their plight VIDEO

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Topics: F**ked, Editor's Picks,

F**ked: Fighting the stigma of joblessness

Tens of millions of Americans are involuntarily jobless, but being unemployed still carries a stigma.

“Many people hadn’t told their families or friends, because they were ashamed,” explains Sam Talbot, an unemployed cook, in the second installment of our new video series “F**ked: The United States of Unemployment.” “Some people didn’t want to be on camera or mentioned by name because they were ashamed or afraid they would be discriminated against by employers.”

Watch the video below to see what happens when the 99ers decide to confront the unemployment stigma head-on by traveling to Washington, D.C., for the One Nation Working Together Rally:

Also, last week we posted a call on Open Salon looking for stories about how your experiences contradicted common myths about unemployment. The responses so far range from an Atlanta PR director’s unexpected plunge into joblessness during her golden years to a former auto plant supervisor’s nightmarish firing to the musings of a Fresno woman contemplating the nickels she needs to find to buy another burrito. These clever and brave essays provide a compelling challenge to the misunderstandings that continue to reinforce the painful stigma of unemployment.

Immy Humes, a NYC documentary filmmaker, has produced stories for PBS, NBC News, and Michael Moore. Her short film, "A Little Vicious," was nominated for an Oscar. Her latest feature, "Doc," is a saga of the post-war generation of New York writers and of madness. Her web site is http://www.thedoctank.com/ More Immy Humes.

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“F**ked: The United States of Unemployment” is Salon’s new video documentary series exploring the lives of the long-term unemployed and their struggle to survive and fight back. In “F**ked,” Academy Award-Nominated director Immy Humes follows a diverse group of New York City-area residents from food pantries to marches to tense

confrontations at Occupy Wall Street. Salon’s goal with this series is not only to show the human impact of our nation’s deteriorating social safety net, but to also share the inspiring story of those who are organizing to fight for better living conditions on behalf of all Americans who continue to suffer through “the Great Recession.”

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