Have you noticed the increasingly popular trend of paying people to stand on the side of the road and hold a sign? I have.
The sign usually has information about a warehouse sale or special clearance. Sometimes it’s for furniture, restaurants, cars or even clothes. The signs are printed on neon paper to catch the attention of passersby. And more than catch my attention, it breaks my heart.
To me, it almost seems dehumanizing. It’s like saying to someone, “Your only contribution to this planet is holding a sign. You’re as valuable as a pole. And I want you to stand out in public while people drive by so the whole world knows it.”
When I drive by, I see the light in that person holding the sign. It’s the same light that I see in myself, you – and everyone else. It’s a beautiful light. It’s perfect, infinite and radiant. I know that each of those sign holders is so much more. It’s like seeing a caged spirit. It breaks my heart.
Maybe I’m reading into it too much. On one hand, I’m sure many of these sign holders are thankful to have a job. Maybe they don’t care and don’t feel belittled. Maybe it’s a paycheck to help feed a family, or get someone back on their feet. Maybe getting that sign holding job is one of the best things that’s happened to that person in a long time – and it’s something that they celebrate and enjoy. Maybe I’ve officially lost my mind.
What do you think? Let me know in the comments below.
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June 7, 2011 at 6:35 pm
What’s Daveys email? I want to email him!
June 7, 2011 at 7:37 pm
I hope employers arent considering a person to being nothing more than a pole, but on the other hand, my employer’s havent ever let me feel like anything more than a machine!!! Bottem line is jobs and life can suck! Im so glad we have Davey Wavey!!!
June 7, 2011 at 8:36 pm
I totally get what you mean by the dehumanizing aspect of it, but the whole concept deals with the simple fact that people need money. They could be heads of households to simple teens, jobs in our economy have become VERY scarce, thus people try and do anything kind of job to get some type of income.
June 7, 2011 at 8:55 pm
I agree with every single word that Gary said about our toxically unjust economic system.
June 7, 2011 at 10:02 pm
I think it’s all what you make of it. David, the guy in this news story has a good time with it and uses it to make people smile. I’ve met him and he really does enjoy what he does.
http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/2010-05-30/story/dancing-street
June 7, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I have to agree. I see a statue of liberty guy sometimes too dancing and waving. I always honk to let him know he’s doing a good job. People who who do that job either are very enthusiastic about it, like mascots, or have to looking for other jobs. I actually envy people who can put themselves out onto the world for all to see. Like Davey!
June 7, 2011 at 10:52 pm
Its always nice to get both ends of the story.
June 7, 2011 at 10:58 pm
It saddens me that people would assume so much from what they see. I went to a Jesuit high school and some of my class mates and best friends were blessed with a great high school education, lowering their tuition by helping the three or four janitorial staff we had before and after school. The way I see it is, if I don’t need a scholarship even when I know I can get it, then why be greedy. Let someone else that may need it more than I do. have it.
June 7, 2011 at 11:05 pm
As I said in an earlier reply. Could we not just think of them as mascots to what ever store they are directing attention to? DW, you like football right, maybe not so much the cheer leaders but what about other sports. Or just schools. They have mascots. Everybody loves mascots. It takes a special personality to be the guys in those suits and pull off the job they do. I sure couldn’t be a mascot. Too shy. lol
June 7, 2011 at 11:07 pm
I forgot something. Share/spread the love. If you see one honk and wave and let’m know they’re awesome!
June 7, 2011 at 11:09 pm
i think maybe this view has been shared. But it is merely based on a perception. While you made the comment of their usefulness in life to only hold a sign sound somewhat belittling, how would it differ from an array of other jobs, as mentioned janitors, store clerks, just about any job in the food industry? They all have a different appeal depending on the person. Of course something with more intellect and the ability to share and experience things as a writer/blogger is more rewarding. Others question the point of it. I see a sign holder and I admire them for the same reason it breaks your heart. They are doing something some people look down on but it’s so much better to be doing something, than nothing at all. therefore i’m sure you can see I think you may be looking into a little too much.
Jesse .
June 7, 2011 at 11:12 pm
I am moved by your compassion, but I think you are reading too much into it. Look at legal immigrants that came here decades ago. These people worked hard, struggled, and made great honorable lives for themselves. In almost every case they improved their situation with hard work and love of family. They made a good life for their kids so their kids could make even better lives in America. “Real” successful people started at the bottom and worked their way up. “Phoney” successful people inherited it or were given handouts in some form or another.
While I am moved by your compassion and wanting to improve everybody, I am disappointed you look at these people negatively and think they are demeaned. As an employer, I would hire one of these individuals well before I would hire someone that has lived off the gov’t handouts for extended period of time. I have seen these sign holders step up their game to a position called sign twirlers. They dance with the sign, engage the public, and really help the business they are advertising for either stay in business and keep people employed, or improve the business so they can hire more.
Also, keep in mind that this form of advertising is caused by Big Government, at least in my area around Cleveland, Ohio. Laws make sticking a sign in the ground illegal, so hiring someone to hold a sign is a way to get around this.
My business actually hires a local guy to do just this. He loves it, and thanks us all the time. He will not take handouts, from individuals, or steal taxpayer money through welfare. The town loves him, everyone waves to him, and he knows he is doing good and feels proud of it. I thought about showing him your view of him, but thought it would be insulting to him. In an American Idol world with spoiled kids with iPhones, xBox, flatscreen TV;s and a mountain of debt, it is a shame someone actually working to support themselves is thought of negatively instead of being raised on a pedestal.
June 8, 2011 at 5:24 am
I think it’s got to be a horrible job for sure but heartbreaking….. no. Actually I feel the opposite. I think in current American culture we look down on people doing jobs like that, or gardening or collecting trash but really these people should be applauded for get up and doing some of the more undesirable jobs in the world. Instead we tend to applaud and admire people who have reality shows where all they promote is going to the Jersey Shore, fornicating, consuming mass amounts of alcohol, fighting, and showing up later for work and blowing it off.
The guys hold signs in the heat is not much different to me then a pair of kids in the sun with a lemonade stand. Honest work for an honest wage.
I grew up middle class in a wealthy area. My mother really did a good job of teaching me that no job below a person if it’s honest. I’m glad she did. Later on while in college when I needed more money I would clean houses of adults I knew. Some of them were reluctant to hire me because of my upbringing but I made sure they knew that the work was not beneath me and that I took it seriously.
June 8, 2011 at 7:59 am
Im one of those people, and your right,there is no recocnition for doing a lowly job.Thankyou!!!
June 8, 2011 at 8:46 am
unemployment is near ten percent.but its really-15-20 percent.plus were headed for economic meltdown in the coming months.
June 8, 2011 at 8:48 am
holding signs-its a sick indication of a sick society.
June 8, 2011 at 9:56 am
I applaud them for working. It might not be ideal for you, but for them it might be. They might feel lucky where they have a job where they get to stand in the sun and work on their tan while talking on their phone to their friends while holding a sign. How many people can say that they can get paid to get a sun tan and talk on their cell phone all day? Not many. Not all of us can have a job like yours where we get to sit around all day in our underwear, play with our dog, live in fancy condos, move from one exotic place to another, hang out with cute boys and work out all on somebody else’s tab. It seems like just about the next best thing compared to whatever it is that you actually do. Leave them alone and save your pity and compassion for yourself.
June 8, 2011 at 10:19 am
It breaks my heart as well; but not because I see the light in them, but because I see no light in them. It breaks my heart because for the grace of God – it would be me standing there being a pole holding a sign; because they have been beaten down to that station in life. So, I say a prayer that they use this job as a temporary step to a better life. Thanks for all the love you give to the world – and to me.
June 8, 2011 at 2:17 pm
Even though I usually see your point, I think you’re a little off base here Davey. Your face would probably look the same if you weren’t doing something you loved and making the most out of your job. It just wouldn’t be as public. All jobs have people who are unhappy, but others that own it and have a great time doing it. We miss the sign holder for our local Quizno’s when he’s not out having fun and adding a bit of joy to the evening commute. Check out his story (it’s not a sad one at all). http://jacksonville.com/entertainment/2010-05-30/story/dancing-street
June 8, 2011 at 7:54 pm
I have a couple friends that have done this and I think it depends on the individual that’s holding the sign up. I’ve driven by some that I didn’t want to stop watching! One in particular stands out in my mind. It was a person dressed in a dog suit and he or she was break dancing with the sign. It happened to be at a stop light. When the light turned green, I didn’t want to go. I was too entertained!
I asked my friend about doing it and he says he loves it! He tries to do the most ridiculous things out on the side of the street just to see what he can come up with. If it doesn’t work, he tries something else. It CAN be fun for them… In some cases, getting to listen to your iPod for $10 per hour instead of flipping burgers is a good trade off.
I think what I understand from your statements that does make me sad is that in some ways, they’re not using their full potential but I’d have to say, for that dancing dog, they certainly made a difference in my day, and I look forward to that street light every time he’s out there.
June 8, 2011 at 8:33 pm
I see nothing wrong with human signs. Human sandwiches, however, are pathetic. And hot furry farm animals costumes in 90-degree weather are inhumane.
June 8, 2011 at 8:53 pm
Your [true] worth is not measured by what you drive, where you live or the size of your paycheck but rather instead, buy the size of your “heart” and the kindness/empathy you show toward others. Thanks for doing what you do, Michael and for giving “exceptional customer service.”
Namaste,
Michael (another one)
June 8, 2011 at 8:54 pm
“buy” = “by”
LOL
June 8, 2011 at 8:58 pm
While I understand the comparison you are making (person to pole) and I applaud you for feeling empathy toward others whose circumstances may be more dire than most, many GOOD points have been made here. One which I resonate with most is something Marcel said. “Holding the sign is what [is] good for them at this moment. The awareness of how it makes you feel to see it … is what’s good for you at this moment.” We each have a journey to draw upon in this lifetime and we are each connected, one to the other. How we relate with one another is a part of our growth experience and quite honestly, you are actually saying more about yourself in this moment than those holding the signs are saying about themselves. You see the job they are doing as “less than” when in truth, as long as each of us is putting our best into our respective jobs we really have NOTHING at all to be ashamed of. The accountant, attorney, ditch-digger and janitor… They each have a job to do and are making a contribution to this world. My job, working in the title insurance industry, can be debilitating and (at best) frustrating beyond measure but my clients keep coming back because I do my best (most days, LOL). Just because I wear a suit and tie to work, does that make me any better than the man who empties my trashcan or mops the floor of our break-room at the end of the day? Nope! In fact, there are days when I’d LOVE to trade places and dig ditches or hold a sign! (FWIW, I imagine this is only a temporary job for the majority of these folks; something they can do to bring in a little bit of money till they find something that pays better. With THAT in mind, it is probably more of a reflection on our economy and given that many people are now talking about the economy taking yet another nose-dive [dip], I think those folk are very, very thankful for having the opportunity to help a business advertise and get paid for doing so in the process.)
Namaste,
Michael
June 9, 2011 at 1:47 am
I also find it kind of sad. I’m sure to a lot of people a job is a job, but I find it odd that any business would use a person in this manner. I almost never notice the sign itself, but only the person holding it. So, the business doing this as an advertising means, at least for me, is kind of a waste.
June 9, 2011 at 10:24 am
When we live in a throw-away society, we eventually include people in that category. When most real jobs have been sent overseas by those who profess to dislike “Big Government”, we wind up with an economy in shambles. Now that they have stuffed their pockets on the backs of the poor, they put a sign on their backs to show just how much they have demeaned the workers. Ted Kennedy once ranted while still alive and on the Senate floor, “Just how much more do you want?”, referring to those who have ripped-off the working class. We are headed for the same conditions that have brought about the so-called “Arab Spring”. The natives are getting more and more restless.
The answer is not pity, which is false compassion, rather it is in organizing and fighting for workers rights, civil rights, fare-share taxes for the super rich, and keeping what is left of the real jobs here. But then we’d have to watch less “Reality TV” and get up off our asses.
Be well,
June 10, 2011 at 4:52 am
Oh Davey, no ,you have not lost your mind, the Guys holding the signs are not forced into it. A few dollars more is all they are looking for. Basic economics.We all have to do lots of things we dont particularly choose to do. So what? It aint going to be our profession. If it helps pay the rent or helps with school fees, we dont have any right to critisize what may well be a fun part time occupation for those guys. Heart in the right place mate, perhaps we should ask them on your next blog. Happiness.
June 10, 2011 at 4:09 pm
I did this for a few months when I started uni and without it I probs would have had to drop out of uni due to not being able to afford housing etc, so they are good, easy jobs that serve a purpose
June 12, 2011 at 10:31 pm
I think it is sad, but it depends on how old the person is. In HS and college, I worked a lot of meaningless jobs, but no matter how boring they all served a purpose. It helped pay my way to get me to a better place, and it served its purpose. However, if the people are older and it is all hey can get, I do feel sorry for them and it is a sad thing to see. I always feel bad driving past them BC I am embarrassed for them.
June 12, 2011 at 10:33 pm
I wish this was facebook so I could “like” this. Well said sir, well said.
June 16, 2011 at 9:36 pm
I’m surprised by your take on this. These kinds of sign holder jobs are often a result of municipalities that outlaw stake signs. Most cities don’t want their towns littered with signs that eventually fall over and are left for trash. The result is that businesses now get around the limits by putting the signs in the hands of humans. Perhaps if seen from the perspective that this is somehow seen by most of society as lowly labor, your perspective has merit. But, look, part of the problem is that some forms of labor aren’t honored or respected. I’m surprised by your response Davey (and I have to tell you that I generally adore your positivity). I think you may see the light in the person but you are missing the light in their labor. Respect the person… respect their job too. MANY of the sign twirlers bring great pride to their work and AREN’T ashamed or embarrassed as you suggest they likely are. I AM NOT arguing that everyone doesn’t deserve a GREAT job. OF COURSE they do! But I will tell you I have had jobs or second jobs that weren’t respected and I’ve had to face the same attitude you’ve got about this. IF you sincerely respect the person, then you MUST respect their job I APPLAUD anyone who works to earn an honest and fair living for themselves or their family! LABOR IS HONORABLE… please don’t perpetuate the stereotypes….