Unemployed Douchebag Seeks Personality

Have you ever had that terrible feeling that without your six-figure income you would have a hard time dating girls? How you ever wondered you'd get by without your $700 per month dating budget? I haven't and I honestly would not have believed such people existed until I read this insightful piece from the Washington Post called Market for Romance Goes from Bullish to Sheepish. Apparently, this is a widespread problem among a certain set of jackasses who made way too much money in their mid-20's.

I'm going to pick on one guy in particular. Why? Because he sounds like a douchebag. He was making a lucrative salary at a financial firm until he got laid off last year. Now he laments that unemployment is hurting his relationship with his girlfriend. I doubt it. I think being a whiny momma's boy is hurting his relationship with his girlfriend.

1. Be very overpaid financial guy in Cleveland with girlfriend in NYC. Fly frequently to NYC to visit girlfriend and take her to expensive restaurants.
2. Get laid off.
3. Move in with your parents in Alexandria. Take the Chinatown bus to NYC.
4. Whine about it in the Washington Post.

Why are we supposed to feel bad for this guy? Grow up dude. You're 27. Why didn't you use unemployment as an excuse to move to NYC and job-hunt near your girlfriend? If you cared about someone other than yourself, that's what you'd do. But instead, since you're not the super-awesome rich guy you thought you were, your ego is crushed and you slinked home to mommy.

The article gets even better on the second page, where a number of 22- (since when does 22 count as young professional, you're barely post-college!) to 27-year-old women state that they are only willing to date men who have a lot of money to throw around. Presumably these women have their own careers, but think that thinly-disguised gold-digging to totally normal.

In the end, I think that we learned a lot more about the culturally-shallow, personality-devoid, young professionals that our Washington Post staff writer hangs out with than we did about what it's like to be unemployed in your mid-20's. I was really hoping to hear some interesting stories, I know a few people in that situation and it really sucks. But the people I know have been doing their level best not to let it get in the way of their personal relationships or what they love in life. I suppose that's because they are interesting, fun people.

Honestly though, if these people can't figure out how to make a personal connection without involving a lot of money, perhaps it's best that they aren't able to date - as a society we should do our best to lower the possibility that they will ever be responsible for children.