I have pretty much no tolerance for whining, and therefore have zero tolerance for this guy named Dave Dickerson who sometimes appears on NPR. He writes, from the 47% camp:
Dear Mitt—
You may have heard me on public radio a few times, and thought, “I bet that man’s doing all right.” Actually, I was homeless for most of last year. Not on-the-street homeless, but staying in a series of fold-out beds and couches in different cities, trying to work out how the hell I was going to get enough money for a car. (I asked around, but my family and friends have no connections in the automotive industry.) I had risked everything on a book that didn’t sell, and then I wrote another, and that didn’t sell either, and by the time I realized I was in trouble, I was out of money and my problem was deeper than I thought. It’s a risk of the job. I guess you’d call it a bad year.
…
I had actual job offers this time–low-paying jobs that I knew I would hate, but could eventually get me a car if I took the bus to work, never ate out, and socked away $8-an-hour paychecks for 8 months. But—whoops!—they were all off the bus lines, or were on weekends when the buses didn’t run. Half the time I couldn’t even get to the interviews. (You might ask, “But Dave, why didn’t you just start two hours earlier and walk to the interview?” You got me: I’m lazy.) And by the way, if you’re traveling by bus, you can only hold one job at a time because the commutes take 90 minutes each way. It’s exhausting. If you can borrow thousands of dollars to start your own business, Mitt, I highly recommend that route instead.
I liked my starving artists when their trials and tribulations were acknowledged to be a part of the overall package of artistic freedom. The struggle was the journey, and this fueled their endeavor. I don’t consider myself an artist and I’ve never uttered the words “I’m a writer” out loud because I think it would sound weird. But I blog and I try my hand at journalism, and it would be cool to make a career out of it.
I’ve spent the last several years blogging and also waiting tables. I’ve achieved a nice little balance in my life, but my blogging infringes on my ability to get a career and make good money. But a career would definitely hinder my writing. But I know all of this and accept it. I know that I’m taking a huge risk and that every day that I don’t drop the dream and develop valuable work skills that I might wake up at the age of 40 and find it’s too late. I also know that one day I might wake up at the age of 60 and discover that I don’t have a dime in retirement and that Social Security has been gutted and that I won’t have a very luxurious life for myself. I am accepting immediate happiness and freedom at the expense of possible struggle later in life. I know all of this just as Dickerson had to know what he signed up for back when he decided he wanted to live a life away from the corporate grind.
Lots of people are struggling. But most writers are intelligent, and it’s therefore a gross affront to the people who really don’t have the skills to get by even if they wanted to. If they had applied themselves differently, they could have earned a better living for themselves. But for writers and bloggers, their currency is attention. They want to be important and respected and have an impact on the thoughts of others. But the market is saturated. Everyone wants attention for their thoughts.
I mean, this guy is a poor example of Romney’s hard-heartedness towards the 47%. He actually reinforces Romney’s point because he is not a sympathetic character.
Like this:
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Choices have consequenses. That’s what liberals want to prevent.
Dear Dave,
Lick it, stamp it, and send it to someone who gives a shit.
Sincerely,
Mitt Romney
This guy isn’t the victim he claims to be. Just another leech who doesn’t want to deal with the consequences of his own freely chosen lifestyle choices. The difference between you, GL, and Baby Davy here, is that you understand a little thing called responsibility. A guy like you will make it, because you don’t make excuses for yourself or blame others. Best to you in your endeavors. Your blog is one of the ones I check at least once or twice a day. You got so much content I think you should make an extra effort to get something in a place like The American Conservative or Reason mag. They are both libertarian, in the sense TAC is highly paleocon. The editor is a friend from way back and I’ve sent your blogs to him before and he said he liked you’re stuff. Let me know if you want me to set up an intro email. You’re one of the guys who could make a living writing. No reason a lot of dipshits like Yglesias should be able to cover expenses doing it while you can’t.
Choices have consequences.
That’s got to be racist, or classist, or something-ist. You evil, uncaring people, you. /s
Yeah, it’s true. Most writers ought to be doing something more productive. Some of us are just stubborn that way, I suppose. I mean, shouldn’t we be entitled to jobs working for Forbes, TIME, or the NYT?
Well, that’s where the saturation is, so I say run away from these jobs fast if you want to have any relevance.
I think this is a time of opportunity for truly interesting and original writers. Sure, we’re not usually that good at profiting from it (although guys like Roosh, who have a good business sense, definitely can), but we’ve got a great opportunity to contribute something original and independent.
I’m glad you’re sticking with it, Chuck. Keep your financial obligations under control (i.e. don’t have kids with the wrong woman), keep working hard at it, and keep being your own man.
It will pay dividends for you and for the rest of us. I’m pretty damn proud of you, and delighted to see your star rising.
Chuck, I think you’re fantastic. If anyone deserves a writing career, it’s you. I mean that.
With that said, do you really think it’s a realistic dream? I don’t know the answer; it’s a serious question. Do you really think that in five years you’ll be making a decent living writing professionally? It’s sort of that pipe dream that everyone has, but then they realize their parents can’t support them and don’t have an in at Newsweek so they just quit and get a job in PR or what have you.
well i dont have skills nor abilities
that is why i support Obama
i need the safety net
Anti-Racist plays white boys for fools and bitch ass faggot racists fall for it. Your skills Anti-Racist include Vision Intelligence Vigor in your manly Loins and hindquarters and Leadership.
His book gets a lot of unfavourable reviews on Amazon. A couple from people who know him commenting on his narcissism and arrogance.
He did go through a pretty rough patch. No idea what it has to do with Romney – he never really makes the connection in his screed. Romney was juts apparently a hook to make his suffering relevant.
There is no money in writing today – just too much supply. Chuck – you definitely deserve a paying gig – but the odds are tough. Keep on keeping on and don’t quit your day job.
“…most writers are intelligent…”
LOL
I see no evidence on the InterWebz or anywhere else for that matter to support this statement.
There is no money in writing today – just too much supply.
It’s true. However, the internet has been a game-changer. Before, makng it as a writer required you to be part of an Ivy League alumni and cockail party circuit network. Nearly impossible for anyone to break into form the outside, regardless of his talent and work ethinc.
Today, quality bloggers can get themselves noticed and connected.
It would be one thing if he was bitching about Romney because Romney was in office when all this happened, and he thought Obama could have done a better job. It would still have been stupid and whiny, but at least it would have made some sense. But as it is, he knows for a fact that Obama wouldn’t have made things any better for him, but he still supports him. Why, just because of some comment Romney made?
It’s also a pretty sad sign of the times that he considers not eating out to be some great hardship. My parents went to a restaurant maybe once a month when they were raising a family. I doubt my grandparents ever would have eaten out unless it was someone’s birthday. This guy wouldn’t have lasted five minutes at any other point in history.
I’m not even sure I believe his story entirely anyway. He was living with his dad when he got all those job offers, but his dad couldn’t give him a ride to his interviews? Or has this asshole perhaps heard of a bicycle, which can make a two-hour walk less than a half-hour ride?
I could go on and on. But everyone else is right. You definitely need to write a book. You could do it, and I’m sure you will when you think the time is right.
I don’t see how this guy’s travails have anything to do with Romney.
He should instead be railing against a society that favors automobile drivers so totally that in most of the USA you’re more un-hireable without a car than you are without a high school degree. All he can think about is getting himself an automobile so that he’s no longer an untermensch, when he should be moving to a major city where non-drivers can live on an equal footing with the rest of the population.
This state of affairs, in which being car-less puts you at a bigger disadvantage than being non-white or non-male or non-heterosexual or not being a member of other, more recognized social majorities adored by the left, isn’t something that Obama is going to solve, or even attempt to solve.
As Hammerhead suggests, the first order of business should be to get a $50 bicycle so that you can at least get yourself to interviews and then to work. (Hammerhead, if I may address one of your points, it’s possible that the employer asked him before the interview if he had “reliable transportation” to get him to work every day, which basically means ‘do you have a car?’, and when he answered in the negative, his resume got binned.)
Dave, I hope you never sustain an untreatable (even with ObamaCare ™) eye injury that permanently lowers your vision. Your entire worldview will be turned upside down, and no, it will not be Romney’s fault.
Totally agree PA. Best thing that’s happened to the news business in years. The insiders are being burnt (knowing this brings a smile to my face every time I think of it – I hope they end up living in their cars) and outsiders like Chuck get a chance. I don’t think it’s a great chance but at least it’s something.
I don’t think kids these days can imagine what a closed shop the current affairs commentary business was. I went from the age of about 20 to about 30 quite literally never reading anything I 100 % agreed with.