Letters

Satire? Or the unvarnished truth? Readers respond to Joyce McGreevy's "Unemployment: Is It for You?"

Published May 20, 2003 7:30PM (EDT)

[Read the story.]

I hate to seem obtuse, but why did you slug Joyce McGreevy's report "Unemployment: Is It for You?" as "satire"? Am I missing something, or do the editors of Salon consider such straight-faced factual reporting as some kind of ironic comment?

-- Paul Sampson

Very funny article, until you get to the part where my 20-year technology career vanished two years ago and I'm two months from losing my home and everything in it.

Try reporting this shame from a serious point of view, perhaps. In my state, Maine, for every one technology job advertised, there are literally hundreds of applicants. We know because we accidentally "met" when an H.R. rep cc'd all of us in our rejection letters.

Fast food? I wish. Who's going to hire some 40-year-old when you can get fresh, sullen teens to take your guff. There is no alternative for people like me.

People are dying out here. There's no help from anyone. Government has abandoned us. Business just keeps giving us the finger. It isn't funny.

-- Oswald Neimon

I loved this article! Come July my husband will have been unemployed for two years! He is an engineer -- designs computer networking hardware -- and he can't even find a retail job at Fry's! I was downsized just before he was; I'm a technical writer. Make that was! I'm now an admin and make one-third of what I was making.

We've used up our savings and are now afraid we'll lose our house. If we do, we have, literally, nowhere to go. We'll be living under a bridge.

Still, bad as it is, it helps to laugh about it. At least we know we aren't alone.

-- Fran Spragens

Not since the time of Swift has satire flourished so abundantly, nourished by the compost heap of modern culture, American politics and the Internet. I enjoyed the article by Joyce McGreevy and hope to read more humor and satire published by Salon.

-- Kelley Dan Burt Jr.

What a charming and interesting way to comment on a problem that is obviously only going to get worse. Ms. McGreevy is a refreshing voice -- please publish more of her work.

-- Cindy Fee


By Salon Staff

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