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It probably comes as no great surprise to anyone, but Nevada now has the second highest jobless rate in the nation, trailing only Michigan … a state which seems to perpetually hold the top spot.

The 1-2 ranking does lend credence to the notion of Las Vegas being the new Detroit, but that’s a different conversation.

As Nevada’s unemployment rate continues to increase, a new phenomenon has taken hold in the Valley.

Actually, it’s not so much a “new” phenomenon (they’ve always been here) as it is a common tactic which appears to be enjoying a surge in popularity.

As each recessionary month passes, and as more people lack jobs to report to, it has become a regular sight to see “Shame on You” campaigns in front of every type of business imaginable.

Hotels, retail stores, hospitals, casinos, hell … a couple of weeks ago there was a “shame campaign” in front of the Church of Scientology on East Sahara.  Coincidentally or not, that very church has since shut its doors and is no longer in business.

You know times are tough in this town when even God (or Xenu) gets fired.

In theory, I wholeheartedly support these activities.

Complacency is the enemy of intellect, and when you get down to brass tacks, it’s probably the cause of 90% of the nation’s problems.  If people quit voting for the lessor of two evils because cold beer and Monday Night Football was “good enough”, the USA would be a better place.

The majority of people accept things around them because “that’s just the way things are”, and this just means that conditions will get worse, thus establishing a new baseline of crappiness that people will except until yet another low bar is set … rinse and repeat.

“Sure, I’m sick of NV Energy and the Public Utilities Commission raising my rates, but I’m not going to participate in a ratepayer revolt.  They’ve been screwing us since we moved here and I’ve just gotten used to it.”

In my opinion, we are witnessing the fall of the Roman Empire Part II, Attack of the Clones.

I’m starting to believe that the movie “Idiocracy” was a documentary film somehow sent back in time by President Not Sure as a warning to us all.  Hell, in most sections of Las Vegas, the movie is a goddamn live news report.  (I hate most movies and have never recommended one, but this is an exception.)

As a staunch supporter of the people’s right to protest, I’ve stopped to talk to the picketers on several occasions.  Unlike most of the passersby who could not care less about the small groups of people holding the signs, I genuinely wanted to listen to the people’s complaints.

Even if it’s against my own self interests, I actually can and do alter my own consumer patterns based on legitimate grievances.  I mostly ceased playing table games in Wynn for a year after “Tipgate”.  After being told that it could be mildly injurious to the dealers themselves, I gave up a complete boycott, but my overall level of enthusiasm for table gaming in the establishment has remained far lower than it was when the property first opened.  I’ve never quite seen the place, nor Steve in the same light since.

While some of the “shamers” have been able to articulate their grievances well, other times I have gotten people who were unsure of why they were holding a sign and seemed to just be killing time.

I’ve gotten the feeling that picketing was a job in and of itself assigned to laid off employees by their unions in order to receive benefits, or that some picketers were outright hired as a part time job.  I’ve no proof to support this other than the fact that the people standing with signs seemed to be largely indifferent to the cause.

Of course, many unions are nothing more than pseudo-corporate entities themselves, and the needs of the union bosses are often placed above the needs of those with whom they are entrusted to protect.  They are another level of government with another level of taxation (called “dues”), and given sufficient time and size, often become no less corrupt than any other hierarchical entity.  As such, sometimes it can be difficult to choose sides unless you know their very specific complaints.

As for the signs themselves, unfortunately “Shame on You” and “Labor Dispute” verbiage is far too non-specific and generic to be of any use to an average person driving by, and are thus often quite ineffective.

All of the signs look more or less the same.  I don’t know if every union buys their banners from the same boycott supply store, but they absolutely need to vary it up a bit to help combat “shame burnout”.

The first time you see a “shame” sign, it catches your eye.  The 20th time, it becomes “oh, it’s that again”.  They quickly lose their shock value (for lack of a better term), and as the number of shamings increase, it can quickly cause the consumer to become jaded.

Instead of “Shame on XYZ” banners, creative signs crafted by the individual employee would be far more effective.

“The Vice President of Marriott Cornholed Me While I Was Bent Over a Copy Machine” means far more to me than “Labor Dispute”.

As Las Vegas reaches the hyped “bottom”, one can hope that some of the discontent will wane in the coming years, but until that happens, don’t be surprised to see at least one or two of these campaigns on your next trip to town.  Especially if you wander off of The Strip.

I would like to show solidarity with people with legitimate complaints, but it would be a hell of a lot easier to do if I knew what it was that I was supposed to be angry about.

Now if you will excuse me, I’m off to the boycott supply store.

I’m getting 20 “Shame on Steve, Free Jamie!” banners printed, and I need to get the word out before the air runs out in whatever desert hole she’s been placed in.

I’m getting worried.

Seriously.

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