Why the Hell Is Everyone Pretending to Be Grateful They Got Laid Off? | Hacker News Reader

Why the Hell Is Everyone Pretending to Be Grateful They Got Laid Off?

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Is there an actual mystery here? People have an eye towards getting employment elsewhere, that's why.

It's always a bad look to have been seen as badmouthing a prior employer, even if they deserve the badmouthing. Being publicly gracious improves your employment prospects, or at least doesn't harm them.

True.

Also, many people seem simply incapable of quitting horrible jobs. So it's sorta like being grateful that the bartender cut you off, when you know that you have a serious drinking problem.

That too, yes. I'll never forget when I worked at a major tech firm and hated every minute of it. To the point where I was underperforming and was rightfully being called on the carpet about it. My manager said something like "if you want to continue to work here, then blah blah blah". The words "I don't want to continue to work here" spilled out of my mouth without me even thinking about it.

I was walking on air after that, like a cloud lifted from my entire life. My last day of work there was one of the most joyous workdays I've ever had.

But because my problem wasn't that the company was doing something wrong, but that I was a poor fit into the organization, I didn't have a solid reason to quit and my tendency to power through difficulties overrode everything else. If that meeting hadn't happened, I'd probably still work there and would be hating my life as a result.

The other possibility is that there truly is some freedom when you lose a toxic job. Sometimes a layoff opens people's eyes and they see just how bad the job was for them, resulting in being happy to have been forced to make a change and find a better space for their lives.

When my children cry after being told it's bedtime and we have to leave the party, I always tell them, "be grateful that it happened, not angry that it's over."

Sounds like these people got the same message as kids and successfully internalized it. You don't have to love the fact that your job is over, but getting mad about it doesn't make any sense. Just like life itself, every job is temporary. To think you ever had full control over when it ends would be the height of arrogance.

This reminds me of the tale of the search for a magical item that can make a sad man happy and a happy man sad:

http://folklore.usc.edu/this-too-shall-pass/

Amusingly, my browser word-wrapped the title just before the last word.

Which certainly made the answer to the question a resounding "duh!"

“Pretending”, though?

i don't pretend to understand the nuances of modern sexuality :shrug:.

Uh, are they? I just checked my LinkedIn feed a few seconds ago, and I didn't see a single person grateful they got laid off. Lots of complaints about the hiring process being broken and people giving meaningless platitudes as generic business 'advice', but no celebrations.

Eh, maybe it's a bubble thing. Or perhaps a generational thing in general; I wouldn't be surprised if it was gen Z and a few younger millennials trying to be optimistic about layoffs and the older folks panicking at the idea their life could be completely upturned on a whim. Seems like it'd be easier to be optimistic about this if you're living at home or renting with minimal possessions compared to if you own your own home or have a family to support...

This is what the cope meme is about. People are trying to come to terms with something which is otherwise unpleasant., or the unconvincing and unsuccessful attempt to put a positive spin on something which is unequivocally bad.

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