Tis Friday at last
A week’s worth of working late
Ends with me in bed
TGIF.
The letters above stand for Thank God It’s Friday. It is more than just a restaurant chain’s logo and caption. It’s a prayer of millions of office drones, blue collar ants and scholarly creatures the world over. It is a sigh of relief for people who managed to survive another week of dodge office politics, the occasional backstabbing, the bruising of already weak egos and mindless routine tasks that would rival a nearby bee hive.
Although one couldn’t complain much because of the global economic crisis adding the official coming out of the economy from the recession closet. So, with looming lay offs and bankruptcy filings, the regular Joe Six-Pack who still earns a living should be thankful. However, are the still employed any better off than the depressed unemployed?
Unlike the depressing reality of the unemployed facing starvation, eviction and humiliation (wow, they rhyme..), the survivors face far bleaker future in their current position. Some survivors experience Post Traumatic Stress Disorder from the stress of waiting for the dreaded “pink” slip (are they still Pink?) and the pain of watching fellow co-workers pack up their personal belongings. After PTSD, the drones switch to Paranoia. They fear that one false step would be the death of their professional career. Although some of their fears are exaggerated, the current trend the past couple of decades have given these worker bees enough basis and precedence for their fears.
Given these possibilities, one could imagine the state of mind of the person who coined TGIF (who did?). Did the person experience a jobless? Did he/she survive downsizing? Was he/she forced to closed down his/her business? God only knows.
So the next time you stop by the local TGIF on Friday night (Which should be their Happy hour/night right?), be thankful that you a job/biz that stresses you out to say: TGIF.
Filed under: Haiku, Opinion, Bee, blue collar, closet, Disorder, Drone, economy, Friday, God, Joe Six-Pack, pink slip. recession, Post, PTSD, Stress, TGIF, Traumatic, unemployed
