One Black Viewpoint

It occurs to me to talk about my own unique perspective on unemployment. I am a black male who grew up in Georgia, USA, literally next to a farm. My parents as I've mentioned before in posts were Jehovah's Witnesses, which shifts things a bit. But then again, that is simply a Fundamentalist Christian sect.

For me talking more here is an aspect of a potentially more public life, so it's kind of getting some of that story out ahead of time while I can quietly think about it. And also I think it is relevant to current issues as I am unemployed now.

I have been unemployed since late last year when I was laid off from a data entry job at a large insurance company. And I looked for a job for a couple of weeks, and drew unemployment, and then decided I had a great opportunity to do some thinking, so got off unemployment. Couldn't take the check when I wasn't looking for work. And I needed to not look for work for a while so I could think.

So yes, I quit taking the check, quite a few months ago. Since that time I've spent a lot of time thinking, wondering about what my next move will be, but I have lots of options, which is why I could simply walk away from thousands of dollars.

When I was a kid I carefully concluded that my family was lower middle-class. Both my parents worked, but my mother eventually went into sales, first with cosmetics and then with encyclopedias, long before the Internet wiped away that business. She did well, and eventually matched my father's salary. He worked a blue-collar job.

Their marriage collapsed when I was in my early teens. They had a bitter divorce, and my mother eventually descended into poverty with us in custody. I got my first job at 15. A summer program for disadvantaged youth. And later worked as a bag-boy when I was 16. My mother took my entire check. I got to keep the tips.

Both my parents eventually remarried but my mother remained in poverty. My father is middle-class.

By the time I went to college, my mother who had pushed education so eloquently when I was growing up, was so lost I had to beg her to sign my financial aid form for college. I filled it out for her. But also I had a full tuition scholarship to Vanderbilt University.

I went and graduated in 1991, so yup, my twenty year anniversary is this year. And in fact this month, but I'm unemployed. Not terribly motivated about going, but I could. Could just get a ticket and go, but I'm busy, doing things like typing up this blog post.

Ok. So I have a unique perspective on black unemployment where I've tried to make it clear that my situation is unique. I feel confident that I can get a job when I wish but right now I need to figure things out, like why my mother has such a difficult time.

I have tried to help my mother. I think I learned a lot of middle-class lessons in college and since, which I try to share with family, and have faced endless frustration. It's like I can teach them nothing about being a middle-class person. I have watched them toss away money in simple amazement and incredulity. They live in a different world. I don't know how to bring them into mine. And that includes my father who thankfully at least is middle-class. But I know he could also live better.

Why did my parents go from a lower middle-class life to a rather wrecked, in my opinion, post-divorce life, shattering their lives, except for my father who mostly did ok, but still, and forcing their kids to struggle that much harder than they might have otherwise?

Can't blame American racism.

In my opinion, they both have beliefs and habits that come from growing up in this country, but then again, they both have had lots of opportunities to move beyond them, right?

I find my family puzzling. I find many issues of the black community in the United States in general to be puzzling. Behaviors that make no sense leave shattered lives and communities. People who do much worse than they should when it can be difficult to figure out why, at least for me.

Soon enough I'll need to see if I can get a job. Maybe I'll end up a very scared and disappointed person who wishes he'd been more sensible about things when it might have been easier, but I'm sure I'll be fine.

The Black Community is an oddity. As long as it fails to see itself as being bizarre it cannot see where it acts really, really weird. Will not pay attention to endless waste and wasted opportunity. Will fail to see when it simply throws money away. When it simply throws people away.

I've discussed my own unique opinion of American racism on this blog.

Every thing I write is, of course, my opinion which I emphasize so that it is clear I am talking about one black viewpoint.

Now then, going to go back to thinking.

Soon enough, I'll need to make money again. Maybe I should think on that issue?


James Harris