Tuesday, February 24, 2009

A sobering fat Tuesday

At the moment there is an almost manic intensity to go out and celebrate Mardi Gras tonight. Each $5 beer (yup, it’s New York), $8 wine, or $10 mixed drink I buy might keep one more person in his or her job for a little longer.

I just do not feel like celebrating tonight, as many of my friends were laid off this week and it feels wrong to feast during their famine. For those that have not seen it first hand there is a sobering reflective quality during a time when you know that friends of yours will need to find a new job. When it comes down to it, there are few things in life scarier.

There is definitely a consensus of the mentality that “it will never happen to me, I have produced and am good at what I do.” For you reading this who has not yet seen a friend lose their job, I know you are thinking this very thought. To have such bliss ripped from you is somewhat hard to manage.

I will be ok, the axe man missed my head this time. But when you know that it is not your performance that determines your fate, instead it is some other intangible economic factor; it changes your perspective of the business world.

I will listen to the President this evening with guarded hope and skeptical optimism. I will judge his words, not by my own experiences, but that of those friends of mine whose lives just got a lot harder.

It sucks to lose your innocent bliss.

I would love to hear your thoughts, your stories, your situation in the comments below.
Posted by Rob Bralow at 8:17:00 PM
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Courtney · 839 weeks ago

Agreed, situations like this one totally suck and the fact that our country is in this situation, where companies are forced to fire great, hand-working employees not because they aren't performing, but because they simply can't afford to pay them anymore is scary. You're lucky that you weren't affected, and I truly hope that you won't be at all. Your post is sobering, and no amount of $5 New York City beer on Fat Tuesday can change that.
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Sara Collison · 839 weeks ago

I just wanted to comment to say that I have still retained my innocent bliss, and that my grandparents and I have celebrated Mardi Gras for 4 days straight now.
2 replies · active 839 weeks ago
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RobBralow 61p · 839 weeks ago

Thanks for commenting Sara. It is good to hear that some people remain ignorant of the pressures of the current economy. However, I believe that when you leave your grandparents or finish going to school and find yourself in a world where you have to support yourself, you will find a new perspective, especially if it so happens that you lose your source of income for reasons you cannot fathom.
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Sara Collison · 839 weeks ago

I'm counting on it. I'm way overdue for a wake-up call.
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Victoria · 839 weeks ago

Agreed. Personally I know I have a relatively stable job but as it's at a VC-funded startup, we all know the date of our mortality via a carefully laid out budget. So are we out partying tonight, in celebration of Fat Tuesday and a huge launch for the site today? No. We may be having beers, but we're in the office at 8pm making sure that funding lasts a little longer because we know there will be no more. What is happening is unlike anything anyone has seen, and that in itself is frightening.
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Matt D. · 839 weeks ago

I was impressed with almost everything I heard from Obama tonight. Take stock in the fact that we will recover from this -- all of us.

P.S. You need a new (better) blog theme. I'll hook it up.
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Kris · 839 weeks ago

I work in the non-profit world. We are all worried. My job is safe because my current funding is secure. But like other charities and non-profits, we are seeing an increasing need for our services but a decrease in donations. Foundations, businesses and individuals don't have the same amount of money to spare, but we see more and more people in need of our help. It is a worrisome situation for everyone - no matter what industry you are in.
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Shelby · 839 weeks ago

It was crazy having to see it first hand. My step-mom lost her job while my dad was in the hospital recovering. All the bills were going to have to make them put the house under foreclosure because they weren't receiving any income. Lucky, she found a job about two weeks later but my dad works in the carpentry business and they aren't getting many jobs in this economy. Watching them trying to make ends meet makes me feel terrible when I complain about not getting my pay check in time. I don't have to pay for much except gas and a few other expenses. I as well didn't lose my job but I know friends of mine who have who needed to have a job to help support their family. I am as fortunate to have a mother who has been working at the same place for nineteen years and gets a substantial income and is able to support me. I feel awful that places around here aren't hiring and my friends miss school because they have to stay home and help out. It takes a toll on their grades and other things.
That's my story.
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RobBralow 61p · 839 weeks ago

Shelby, that's a really hard story, and yours is not the only one. Thank you so much for sharing it. I sincerely hope that things get better and I truly believe it will.

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