“No Other Choice”: What not to do when you lose your job

Of all the disturbing trends I’ve been made unwitting witness to in the hyper-technological age, cheering for someone’s unemployment stands out as one of the most grotesquely cruel. In journalism, I see it all the time. Layoffs and corporate redundancies have long been a common occurrence in this industry’s modern era, and it seems everyone I know has one eye on the ax that swings around us like a boomerang at all times. And because most journalists don’t have the privilege of having their work read without a digital footprint, they’re often required to post about losing their jobs online, if only to attract potential new employers and curious editors. These posts always attract the worst kinds of bottom-feeders, usually ready to celebrate someone’s layoff because that journalist worked fo