Dealing with unemployment - anyone else?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

well, you know, your generation probably had much more conservative attitudes then my own. For you, this type of thing is probably considered an extremity of some sort, a youthful and unrealistic phase in life that one will eventually "snap out of".

I just have to respond to these things you wrote. Call it, to paraphrase your words, another exercise in objectivity.

First, there is more than one generation responding to your posts here, so let's keep that in mind- we are of all ages here.
Then, please don't assume that any of these other generations had 'more conservative attitudes' than you when they were your age. Speaking for myself at least, we took risks, we paved the way in terms of rebellious extremes and revolution against the Establishment. I feel fairly safe in saying that many of us were just as wild, creative, and free thinking as you. Many of the women here still are! Without going into detail, I consider myself lucky to even be alive after somehow making it through my first 25 years.

You have to understand that as time goes on, things that were previously considered exotic quickly become socially acceptable.

Um, we already learned this a long time ago. We invented 'the exotic' too, you know. So did our mothers and grandmothers. We were all 'socially unacceptable' and radical in turn. As will your children likely be if you have any.

You remind me so much of my mother, with the idea that that it's just a childish rebellious attitude to grow out of. 10 years later it's still 'just a phase'...

Now that's funny! It is more than probable that in 15 years or so, you will suddenly realize with a shock that you remind yourself of your mother. Most of us have already experienced that little treat. Later still, we start to realize that maybe our mothers were not quite as clueless and conservative as we thought they were.

Yet many of our radical/rebellious thoughts and our fierce individualism we still carry with us as adults, just in an evolved form. Sometimes you won't see it so obviously on the outside....but believe me, it's in there! Oooh...the stories we could tell. Most of us former young rebels have slowly evolved methods of using the passion and individualism in our lives in creative or productive ways to build a life for ourselves. This is a very useful skill, this harnessing of the Wild Forces of Nature within us all, and it comes only with experience and from a lifetime of learning from our mistakes. Do not confuse this experience with 'conservativism'.

Not everyone looks at the world through the same lens. Imagine even having this discussion in the 50's... It would have been impercievable. I see a little bit of that leftover in your ideas. (BTW the 50's was the best decade ever in my opinion and I wish I lived back then...except for the whole civil rights issue, but the rest was great-ironic, right?) I am in no way saying you were around back then, but many of those ideas stuck into the following generations.

You mean 'unimaginable'?
Every generation carries influences and is a product to some extent of the several generations before it, even yours.
Actually, despite the hype, the '50's was a decade of repression- McCarthyism spreading its ugly icy fingers of fear across the country, hateful segregation and brutal race riots, monumental social disdain for anything rebellious or non-conforming...the decade of cookie cutter suburbia, vulgar materialism, environmental destruction, gluttony, and waste, blind corporate loyalty, and the promotion of sameness as being somehow patriotic. Women were still expected to get married, have children, and stay home vacuuming and cooking. And let's not forget the really bad food. For most people, Happy Days it wasn't. Yet, despite all that, you'd be surprised to learn that yes indeed, there were discussions just like this one back then too!

Anyways I don't think that's really the issue here, why are we still talking about hair color? As I previously stated, it's pretty acceptable in this part of California and really that's not a serious issue at interviews thus far at all. Everyone's said their fine with it. I went to that interview that I was worried might have issues with it this morning, and it turns out the guy had no problem with it whatsoever.
it's funny you call it a "problem". I call it a solution!

I think she was referring to the 'problem' you brought up in this thread- that of not having a job and being in your current difficult situation.

I think it's natural for someone young to feel that older people don't understand them, their values, or the issues. In reality, most of us women have not forgotten our beginnings, or the difficult lessons we had to learn along the way. We are on your side. We've been there.

I agree with you, we've all discussed your hair long enough. It's about far more than hair, and the problem you face is a serious one effecting far too many people in our country today. But because the problem is so widespread, any little thing can either work against you or give you an edge on the competition.
Many women have now given you their valuable input based on their own experiences. Put together, that's a lot of experience. Lots of good, varied, and/or interesting suggestions to think about! Consider it all carefully before dismissing it, keep your mind receptive. The rest is up to you.