Unemployment Opportunities

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Unemployment Opportunities
(CBS News, 2009)
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=5042795n
Well, with unemployment right now, a lot of people out of work, what if I were to say that unemployment is
good? Oh, I would be an insensitive jerk! It’s not a good thing, it doesn’t feel good to be unemployed, it sucks!
Ah, but it can strangely be good for society. Recessions and entrepreneurs go together in strange ways and
entrepreneurship is big right now. Today on the Fast Draw we are not talking about job opportunities, (we are)
talking about unemployment opportunities!
So it sounds strange, unemployment equals opportunity, but here’s why it makes sense. If you’ve got no job,
you’ve got less to lose and you’re more likely to take a risk on something like starting a business. We are also
in the middle of a cultural shift. This recession has a lot of people spooked. The crash on Wall Street had
destroyed retirement plans. 401(k)s have been cut in half and pensions - they’re pretty much a thing of the past.
Now teenagers are learning these lessons before they even enter the workforce and a lot of them are getting into
the spirit of things. There’s a lot of organizations out here. One’s called “the Network for Teaching
Entrepreneurship,” which has helped more than 230,000 young people embrace this spirit of starting their own
business.
And there’s also another angle about concerning the demise of the finance industry -- that some people think is
a good thing, and here’s the idea: that for years the best and the brightest of college students were hired away
from all kind of industries because nobody could compete with the paycheck that came from finance. Now that
there are fewer jobs there and less money, these kids, these bright kids, might be drawn to other lines of work.
And small-time recession-era startups have hit the big time. Let’s go back to the 1920’s. Thousands of
businesses (were) destroyed, but who was starting out, bucking the trend? -- Walt Disney! Back in the 1970’s
(there was) big time unemployment and we saw a college dropout selling his first computer programming
language and making history. That was -- you’ve guessed it, Bill Gates!
Some other recession year start-ups – Hyatt Hotels, Federal Express, Sports Illustrated. You know, if I was
without a job thinking to myself, “What could I do to make money?” I might say, “What I am good at?” I could
start a kick decorating business -- which I’m good at, by the way! I’m not going to do that right now because I
have a job and not going to take a big risk and I think a lot of people are that way. When you are unemployed,
maybe you are more willing to take big risks, and today it’s even easier technologically-speaking to start a
business; you’ve got your cheap computers, you’ve got your free software, you’ve got your Internet to find
your customers and the way that Google uses advertising lets the little guy makes the big bucks! (It) makes me
wonder, you know, in the future when my children and grand-robots are looking back at this recession, what
big successes are gonna come from right now. Right now the money is on green technology and alternative
energy.
In the past the software and bio-tech industries did really well coming out of the recession where they were
founded. So if you can figure out today what companies are going to do well tomorrow, you (can) get in on the
ground floor either as an employee or as in investor. So while it sucks being laid off, nobody wants to be out of
work and it’s terrible not to have a paycheck, there is something to this involuntary entrepreneurship that seems
to be sweeping around right now. It can lead to big and good changes into society whether you like it or not.
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a lot of unemployment right now
an insensitive jerk
it sucks!
it can be strangely good
to go together in strange ways
entrepreneurship is big
The Fast Draw
it makes sense
you’re more likely to take a risk
in the middle of a cultural shift
to spook
a 401(k)
They’re pretty much a thing of the past
to get into the spirit of things
out there
to embrace this spirit
another angle
the demise
to hire away from all kinds of industries
the paychecks
to be drawn to other lines of work
small-time recession-era start-ups
to hit the big time
to start out
to buck the trend
Back in the 1970’s
big-time unemployment
a college dropout
a Kick decorating business
which I’m good at by the way
a lot of people are that way
to be more willing to take risks
to let the little guy make big bucks (=dollars)
grand-robots
to come from right now
the money is on green technology
écologiques
to figure out
you can get in on the ground floor
while it sucks being laid off
there is something to this involuntary
voulu
entrepreneurship
to be sweeping around
whether you like it or not!
beaucoup de chômage en ce moment
(péj.) Un idiot/abruti insensible
(fam.) Cest nul / Ca craint!
cela peut être bénéfique d’une façon étrange
vont bien ensemble de manière bizarre
l’entreprenariat est très courant, populaire
c’est le nom du reportage = “Un Aperçu Rapide »
c’est logique, cela a du sens
il y a plus de chance que vous preniez un risque
en plein changement culturel
effrayer
PER américain
elles sont plus ou moins dépassées
se mettre dans l’ambiance
dans le monde
accepter volontiers cet état d’esprit
une autre façon de voir les choses
la mort, le déclin
débaucher de toutes sortes d’industries
les salaires
être attiré par d’autres métiers
des petits start-ups datant de la récession de 1929
devenir de grands succès
démarrer (une entreprise)
aller à contre-courant
dans les années 1970
un chômage important
un étudiant abandonnant ses études
Kick = société de décoration intérieure
pour lequel je suis bon, d’ailleurs
beaucoup de gens sont comme ça
être plus prêt à prendre des risques
permettre à la personne lambda de gagner $$$$
petits-enfants qui seront peut-être des robots !
provenir de l’ère actuel
l’argent est investi dans des technologies
deviner
vous pouvez avoir un pied dans la place
alors que cela craint d’être licencié
il y a quelque chose de valeur à ce chômage non-
faire rage
que cela vous plaise ou non!