Ben Stein: Unemployed People are Lazy, Unpleasant and Unable to Add and Subtract

Poor Ben Stein. According to his latest column in the American Spectator, he and his wealthy friends are having a terrible time lately. It seems that the down economy has started to affect them in negative ways and — you're not going to believe this, folks — they don't like it. Aww! Someone give those rich people a hug.

Stein writes:

"Until now, I never had a friend who was truly in financial extremis from a recession. When recessions happened, they happened to people in Ohio or Illinois or Michigan. Now, they have hit hard in California and in the law field where so many of my friends work and in Washington, D.C. (yes, even in D.C.) where I am from. I never had a friend lose his house until this recession and now I am sad to say I have many pals who have either lost their homes or are in process of losing their homes."

Right, bad economic stuff is supposed to affect people who are poorer, and more Midwestern, than Stein. Folks in California and Washington don't lose their houses! (He might want to tell that to the 18.9 percent of Washingtonians who live in poverty every day.) Demand that the American Spectator retract Stein's ignorant and offensive column.

But that's only the beginning. The column gets really rich (pun intended) when Stein imparts the Lessons He Has Learned. Here's a good one about the unemployed — of which there are almost 15 million in the United States right now:

"The people who have been laid off and cannot find work are generally people with poor work habits and poor personalities. I say 'generally' because there are exceptions. But in general, as I survey the ranks of those who are unemployed, I see people who have overbearing and unpleasant personalities and/or who do not know how to do a day's work."

Here's another wise lesson:

"People who have meaningful savings, insured retirement plans, diversification of assets, people who do not buy what they cannot afford, people who do not simply assume the money will materialize out of thin air for their next purchase, people who add and subtract and see life plain, these people rarely get in desperate trouble."

Okay, look. I know there are plenty of financially irresponsible people in this world. But to suggest that most unemployed people are lazy and "unpleasant" and that people get into financial trouble because they can't "add and subtract and see life plain" — well, frankly, that's insane. Also, didn't he say earlier that his friends are now getting into financial trouble? His friends must not be very smart then, eh?

I'll stop there, because seriously, I could go on all day. However, I urge you to read the entire column for yourself so you too can learn about Stein's theory on how employees should take classes to learn how to smell good on the job. That Ben Stein, he's such a genius!

Tell the editor of the American Spectator that the 15 million unemployed aren't lazy or unpleasant.

Photo credit: Neshan Naltchayan