If you doo-wopped your way through the late 1950s, as I did, you
certainly remember the genre classic
”
Get a job
”
by The Silhouettes. Finding a job in the 1950s was as important
as it is today because for many Americans a steady job is a lot
more than a place to work
– it’s our society’s framework for independence, self-respect
and a badge of responsibility.
If you doo-wopped your way through the late 1950s, as I did, you certainly remember the genre classic “Get a job” by The Silhouettes. Finding a job in the 1950s was as important as it is today because for many Americans a steady job is a lot more than a place to work – it’s our society’s framework for independence, self-respect and a badge of responsibility. Likewise, the lack of jobs is not only damaging the nation economically but also culturally, academically and socially; worst of all it has weakened the self-respect among the unemployed.
“Get a job” was typical of its era, it started with noises, not words – “Sha na na na, sha na na na na,” repeated four full times followed by a series of eight yips, six mums and eventually, “Get a job.” Then there is a final round of double sha na na nas for good measure. They don’t write them like that anymore to which some people will say, thank goodness.
The second verse is the best, it documents the search for work (singing); “And when I get the paper, I read it through and through, And my girl never fails to say, If there is any work for me” (hold that last note).
Those lyrics clearly indicate that getting a job is often as much about community and family as individual needs. I’ve often heard a breadwinner say, “I could live on a can of beans and rack out anywhere, but I have to work, my family needs the money.”Â
Accordingly, the lack of a job frequently produces extreme stress. News reports of rage and domestic violence often include the word “unemployed.” The song did not leave that part out either (singing again); “And when I go back to the house, I hear the woman’s mouth, Preaching and a crying, Tell me that I’m lying ’bout a job, That I never could find. Get a job Sha na na na, sha na na na na.”
A job is, obviously, a provider of some degree of financial freedom, but it is also a status symbol. Many people still take pride in having and doing a good job. If you believe you’re underpaid or over-taxed, you may be upset at your shrunken take-home pay, but you’ve certainly earned it and that instills pride.
Jobs will not solve every societal ill, but they will solve many. Younger people, typically, have fewer financial assets, need a higher percentage of income for non-discretionary expenses if they have a family and make less money. They need full-time jobs. The lack of jobs has too many young people just hanging around and that eventually creates and feeds serious crime and abuse problems.
The elderly need jobs too. I believe that having a part-time job is better for most people than total retirement. The idea that retirees can just do whatever they want – open a bed and breakfast or travel the world – is just a fantasy for most. Yes, retirement can be less stressful than work, but I’d argue is also less productive, besides running a bed and breakfast is real work. The right answer is to have a program that allows older workers to phase out by reducing their schedules rather than just packing up and leaving.
Not all jobs are created equal. Large-scale government jobs are just not sustainable because they are too expensive and have limited value-added. The immediate imperative is to make it easier for the private sector to create jobs and that means giving the Social Security tax break to the employers for each employee added – not replaced – for some period.
If employment is available most people will be happy to get a job – Sha na na na, sha na na na na.
Marty Richman is a Hollister resident.
