Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Social Comment

The Overworked and Underpaid
Here is the end result of being overworked, underpaid, and underemployed.  My goal initially for this photo was to be funny and a joke.  But as I examined the picture of my brother sleeping late into the morning (he arose from his slumber shortly after this photo was taken) after working most of the night at Burger King, I realized this stood for more than just a joke.  To understand fully what is meant by this photo, you'll need a little background information.  My brother, Neal, has a Associates Degree in Computer Networking.  He has held several positions with local companies Bresnan Communications and more recently Global Crossings as a technical support representative.  Although these jobs pay well, he was let go by both companies shortly before his benefits package was about to fully kick in.  And since, he has unsuccessfully tried to gain full-time employment in the same field.  Resorting to desparation, he joined Burger King late last year and has risen to the position of shift supervisor in a short period of time.  Whew, with that out of the way, Neal arrived at the house for Thanksgiving Day at 2:30 A.M. Thursday morning.  His shift was scheduled to end at 11:00 P.M.  Mountain Dew in hand, he drove home from downtown Billings to Laurel and went straight to bed.  Still snoring peacefully, I took this photo capturing the essence of what it is to be overworked, underpaid, and underemployed.  All he looks forward too anymore is returning home and sleeping until his next shift.  What happened to the fun, energetic, and rebellious little brother that I once had?  It joined Burger King and all the problems this type of living brings with it.
Camera: Canon EOS Rebel T1i
Exposure Program: Manual

Shutter Speed: 1/10 sec.
Aperature: f/5.6
ISO: 200
Focal Length: 55 mm
Lens: EF-18-55mm f 3.5-5.6 IS
Flash: No
Tripod: No

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