Yesterday, March 17, between 8 and 9 am, I handed out JOBs at both entrances of the Dupont Metro Station in Washington, DC, and at one point also near the fountain.
The responses of passersby were interesting, and in some respects, expected.
At 8:00 in the morning, anyone headed to work is in iPod Land, even those without earbuds plugging their external auditory canals. iPod Land is easily identified by the haze that only one cup of coffee alone cannot cure. It's like a hangover, only without the alcohol. Essentially, it is an aura, projected by the passerby that sighs, "leave me the f--- alone."
I stood at the Q-Street entrance saying, "JOBs?"
I got the following responses:
ignoring downward glance
the polite no thank you wave
the second glance
the hesitant grab
the oooo free stuff grab (sorry. no coupon. enjoy the button!)
and the get-out-of-my-way or I am going to run you over while I clutch onto my rolling briefcase and triple-shot-tall-soy-mocha-no-whip.
Conversations I had with people include:
"What is this?"
It's a JOB.
"You gave me two."
Give the second to someone else.
"Can I have one?"
Yes.
"You gave me two. Now I am over worked."
Laughter (this was from the woman handing out free copies of contemporary Irish literature... I regret not grabbing one)
"What are you doing?"
Handing out JOBs.
"Damn right!"
When I got bored, I moved locations.
One of the people handing out Washington Examiners looked a little irritated by my action.
Two (illegal?) immigrants thought about getting JOBs, until they realized they were JOBs and not jobs.
Some people received the JOBs with a smile. A couple people gave thumbs up, or said "all right!" Some people laughed out loud after reading a quote on the card clipped to the safety pin. Those who were awake, and paying attention, seemed to embrace the spirit of the project: a mildly intelligent critique wrapped in dumb irony.
What is missing is the pitch. That comes with the next action.
In other news, Congress just sent an $18B Jobs bill to President Obama, and it has been signed in the Rose Garden. One Republican lawmaker is quoted as saying it is "an $18B debt bill, adding debt, debt, and debt." "And the beat goes on," as Sonny and Cher once sang.
To learn more about the JOBs Creation Project, and to see images from the actions (as they become available), go to www.jobcreationproject.info The FAQ seems to be popular.
Why (dot)info? Because the utility of my money spent on a (dot)com is better spent elsewhere.
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