Dear Marina

Dear Marina:

Yes, I, like so many others, have seen your “I Quit” dance video. And I must say, you are an awesome dancer. Love the song. It made me wish I had done an “I’m Laid Off” video of my own. Alas, I have neither the dance nor technical skills. (Well, there's always next time...)

After my initial “atta girl” reaction, my second thought was, “Who would ever hire this person again?” That’s because the more I thought about your narcissistic display, the more I was disturbed by it on so many levels. Not the first of which is how you insulted all the millions of people out of work through no fault of their own and are desperately looking for a job…a job you so cavalierly threw away.  And you pull a stunt like this? Shameful. How many people have lost jobs, their homes, all the while you had a job that kept you housed and fed and in some nifty clothes?

I’m sure your job was demanding and that your boss treated you unfairly. That’s a given in today’s workplace. I’m sure there were times when your work interfered with your amazing social life, and you couldn’t meet your friends for whatever is the hip cocktail now (I don’t drink hard liquor so I wouldn’t know) and take endless selfies to post on your oh-so-humorous Facebook page.

But were conditions that awful? Was your boss a raging alcoholic like my former boss was? Were your co-workers nasty back-stabbers? Your job editing video overseas doesn’t sound like such a bad gig. How many people of your generation would kill for an opportunity like that?

You probably consider yourself a working-class heroine, a modern-day Norma Rae. If that were true, why didn't you go to your boss, or upper management to try to improve the working conditions you found so offensive? I know that's tricky, and HR departments are mere shills for the corporation, but if things were that bad, they may have listened. Seems to me your first priority was furthering your own agenda to become a viral YouTube sensation and comedian ("You probably remember me from a little video I did..."). Do you realize that since you left, your co-workers probably have to do double-work at least temporarily? Nice....

Oh, and I noticed you quit and moved back to the Brooklyn (where you will no doubt get much adoration from your self-regarding ilk) when the new health-care law went into effect. Hmmm….

Why not do what most normal, non-narcissistic people do when they are unhappy or burnt out in their present jobs: Re-write your resume, send it out, or contact people in the industry for any openings. You know, like I did when was I laid off and spent 16 months out of work. Oh, no, that would be beneath your awesomeness.

Marina, dear, you have every right to leave a job. Yet far from being a message of self-empowerment, this video is a calculated attempt to gain attention, aimed at getting as many YouTube views as possible (it worked!)  to further your career as a laughingstock...oh, I mean comedian. (Was it too boring to simply hand in a letter of resignation?) That you tap into a well of workplace resentment is to your credit. But let's not make it into something other than self-promotion based on a very inflated sense of your talents. You're a great marketer, nothing else. Have you hired a publicist yet?

And yes, if I had known my time at my former place of employment would end so badly, I would have taken control and found another job sooner. Lesson learned.

My gut feeling is that no job is worthy of what you consider your unique and special talents. Isn’t that what you’ve been told from the crib…that you are special and unique and fabulous? Unfortunately, you have never had to actually do anything of substance to prove you are special, unique or fabulous. Dare I point out that anyone with a bit of training could have made the same video?

Frankly, you just come off as just another privileged Millennial who cannot believe that he/she actually has to work for a living. After all, your entire life you’ve gotten trophies for just showing up. You’ve gotten accolades without any real accomplishments. So the fact that your boss expected you to meet some standards (fair or not) was probably a foreign concept to you. How could you possibly do anything wrong?

I’m sure you think you struck a blow for downtrodden workers everywhere. Nothing could be further from the truth. Rather, you denigrate all hard-working people everywhere with this video that pretty much says, "I'm too good to be one of you." All you did was confirm the thinking in many employers’ minds that Millennials are a bunch of spoiled brats with a me-first work ethic. 

No, this was all about bringing attention to your own fabulous self. And you did just that: Getting interviews on TV shows and – unbelievably – a job offer from Queen Latifah!!! I’m shocked that a smart-ass Jersey Girl like Latifah didn’t see through your blatant self-promotion.

And I’m sure your parents are just thrilled to have their formerly self-sustaining daughter living back home, and no doubt begging for monetary support.

From the comments I have read, opinion seems split between those who support you and those who think you are an immature, self-absorbed little twit. (Guess which camp I’m in.) But hey, if anyone dares criticize you, you can just say they are jealous and that you did what you felt was right for you. Spoken like a true narcissist.

So now what? You say you want to go into comedy or creative writing. OK, let’s hear your stand-up routine. Let’s see your writing. And how about a little self-reflection while you have so much free time now.

Because pretty soon your 15 minutes of fame will be over. Now get to work.

Sincerely,

Jerzey Girl