Occupation
Recently, a firm conducted a phone study of how people were coping with
unemployment in a certain region. What follows is part of an
interview conducted for the study:
RESEARCHER: Thanks for agreeing to speak with us.
PARTICIPANT: You're welcome. This is sort of exciting.
RESEARCHER: So, tell us what your job is, or was if you have become unemployed, and give us an idea of what your average day is like.
PARTICIPANT: Well, I don't have a paying job right now, but I stay busy while I search.
RESEARCHER: OK, so what do you do?
PARTICIPANT: Well, you could say my occupation is "Unpaid Midget".
RESEARCHER: Excuse me, did you say "Unpaid Midget?"
PARTICIPANT: Yes. That is what I do now that I'm unemployed.
RESEARCHER: Am I correct to assume that you are not paid for this?
PARTICIPANT: Yes, the "Unpaid" part of "Unpaid Midget" is literal.
RESEARCHER: I see. So, what is your day as an "Unpaid Midget" like?
PARTICIPANT: Well, it depends on what the customers of the agency want. Some days I'm a birthday party clown, other days I'm a wet T-shirt contest judge. It's really luck of the draw, although I seem to get sent out to be in a dunk tank a lot.
RESEARCHER: You operate a dunk tank? Like at a fair?
PARTICIPANT: No, I'm the target.
RESEARCHER: I see.
PARTICIPANT: Yeah.
RESEARCHER: So, what you have described sounds very much like work that you should be paid for. How is it that you came to be an "Unpaid Midget?"
PARTICIPANT: Well, the thing is, I don't exactly qualify for proper midget work, I'm nearly six feet tall.