I replied to WhyOhWhy in a separate email – since WhyOhWhy has been so active on our site I thought I would respect that with a detailed reply. I will paste a part of it below in the essence of not rewriting my own response:

I have had a number of people make a great many assumptions about my life and my situation. Not something folks should get in the habit of doing – I think you would agree. I do not know the conditions of your life any more than you know mine. I did not choose to be unemployed no matter how much you want to try to believe that. The day I was laid off came as a shock as I was just starting to feel that the company was stabilizing.

There are MILLIONS of us out of work – I don’t know why that is not clear to you. That has an effect on the job market – there are 6 applicants to every job. Even those service jobs you think are the solution. The service industry is one of the first to get hit in any crisis – the first thing people cut back on are service luxuries – like hotels, restaurants (fast food included), etc. They for whatever reason still go to movies, still watch their televisions and still listen to their radios. You do right? I do as well. Now – they stopped buying DVD’s but that is only one area of our diverse industry.

First a bit about unemployment insurance – in order to qualify for benefits you have to have been laid off through no fault of your own and look for full time work every week. Which I was and I do. Unemployment Insurance is paid by companies with full and part time workers and is considered part of an employees benefit package. The extended benefits are paid by the federal government – some of it included in the Stimulus bill – and before you say that you don’t want your taxes paying for my UI remember – I paid taxes too (and still do by the way – UI is not free). So I have personally already paid to have this insurance.

Second a summary of what it’s like here in California. We have 12%+ unemployment – even higher underemployment. We have a hiring freeze by school districts with teachers all over the state receiving pink slips – this would have been worse had the federal government not stepped in with Stimulus funds. My wife is one of the many in the education field who is herself unemployed and can not get work again until the freeze is lifted. We were hit with two strikes (one full, one partial) just before the economic collapse that cost the state BILLIONS in lost revenue and upset the balance in the entire entertainment industry – a mainstay of our national economy. (consider how much media you consume (radio counts) and how you know about the products you buy) We also have a huge immigrant population both legal and illegal that adds to the labor pool.

As for your comments – one thing stands out that consistently frustrates me and I fear it is my industry’s failure to communicate clearly as to what we do out here. We are an industry filled with professionals who have spent their entire lives learning their crafts. These are real people, with real jobs who can not simply transplant to another industry over night. Just like a Doctor may not be able to become a car mechanic over night. Those who do hit a wall often go back to school to train in another field. I can not afford financially to do that – it’s not in the cards. So I have spent a chunk of my time training myself and increasing my skills so that I can find a job in the industry outside of my prior vocation (DVD). I took matters into my own hands – I had to.

Please though feel free to send a link to your stats – you wrote: “Others such as healthcare, educations, govt. service – job prospects are actually UP or stable. “ Now I don’t believe this is true – certainly not across the board. Like I said education jobs in this state are way down, healthcare is also struggling. I have relatives in both fields and know this first hand. And I would have to go back to school to work in the either of those industry’s full time. Which like I said – not possible financially.

I did not CHOOSE to live in California. I was moved here my father in high school and since have felt at times trapped. After my time in the Amazon I lived for many years in Texas and know the state well – I attended elementary and junior high and part of high school in the Dallas area. And I have no problem with conservatives on a personal level (first I used to be one and second most of my family considers themselves conservative) and I have many friends in Texas – most conservative. (By the way I voted for W. in 2000.) No matter – it costs money to move and a job has to be there for me when we get there. I do not have money. I am not rich. Heck our television is from the 1990′s!

As for your home movie and website comments. First – you are here leaving comments, thank you for that, your comments move us one step closer to being able to monetize the site. We have bloggers from all around the country and world and consider the site not quite a business yet but with the potential of turning into one down the line. Most of our bloggers have full time jobs just like I did when I started the site in 2008 with a conservative friend of mine.

As for my home movies – first you’re attempting to insult me – that’s just immature. They are not home movies. My web series is a SAG sanctioned project with professional actors – many of which you may recognize and have enjoyed in their other efforts – our third season which premieres March 15th features actors from “Heroes” and even “Avatar”. My commentary bits on CNN range from short documentary subjects to simple web-cam commentaries. I did most of them while fully employed during the election and have over 1 million hits on CNN alone. It is through this work that I have found yet another area that I am passionate about as a film maker – the field of journalism. Both sets of projects I would do no matter where I was and no matter where I worked. I design them all so that I can do them even if fully employed.

I’m deeply sorry you are unable to understand the scope of this crisis for it is people like you who may allow it to continue by not helping those who are in fact the victims of the crisis. Just because the word “victim” is over used does not mean it lacks meaning. There are many people who do not have safety nets and UI who are unemployed right now. I fear for them – for they are in a horrible position – and if I can help defend them I will. I believe neighbors need to help each other – no matter where they live.

All the best in the world
David P. Kronmiller
Editor in Chief – The Avocado Jungle

PS – I really don’t like being called Dave I do prefer David.

Victimization and blame (GOP aren’t the sole owners of this mess, everyone had a hand in the current crisis – we’ve been kicking the can down the road on the hard problems for decades) seem to be the MO. Not super inspiring or positive.

“it that you feel David has reassigned responsibility for things that in his own power?”

Yep, that about covers it.

In direct response to your numbered points, (1) I’m certain David knows that and has known that all along, and I wonder if you’re saying no one should ever choose this career; (2) as I explained before, in pursuing this particular career your odds are immensely better in L.A., where there are dozens or even hundreds of opportunities for each one you find in another city; and (3) I don’t know where the CEO comment came from, but it appears David has given this thought, and I imagine he knows that at some point he will absolutely need a job no matter what, and at that point this career will be at least partially put on hold while he does what it takes to “keep the lights on.”

1) His choice of career is one that is largely dependant on discretionary spending by consumer. When the chips are down, and economy is down his industry will be squeezed. Others such as healthcare, educations, govt. service – job prospects are actually UP or stable.

2) He chooses to live in one of the most expensive areas in the country. Ever try living in more modest, less inflated areas of the country like San Antonio, TX or others? Yes, I’m sure you loathe the conservative people that live there (the ones that may actually watch TV/ads etc), but it’s gotta easier than LA. You can actually make a living, have a simple life, and work in the service industry – there’s literally millions in the US. Maybe you won’t have time to put up a nice website, produce home movies, and do cnn reports but it beats feeling like a victim of a political ideology.

3) There have been no jobs until the past 3 months in LA? LA if I recall correctly has millions of people and economic output rivaling most US towns/cities. I can’t believe that there were NO jobs, just ones that again choices were made not to pursue because “they paid so little”. Also, sorry you’re friends are there for you while they rail at CEO’s. What does that have to do with YOUR personal choices?

I’m sorry David you’re precisely the type that counfounds me. You’re clearly intelligent, talented and educated yet so hopefully mired in blame and victimhood.

(1) His choice of career, toward which his college degree, training, and work experience have all been focused, is such that Los Angeles is THE place to be to have the greatest hope of success.
(2) California is one of the most expensive places in the country to live. I think he realizes that staying here as long as he possibly can is his best chance for success in his chosen career.
(3) David is working his tail off, as evidenced by his many videos for iReport, the increasing quality and scope of The Avocado Jungle, and his webseries AndBoris. Each provides him with new experiences and materials for his resume. I understand this can be hard to grasp for someone in a more conventional industry, but in Hollywood they say you’re only as good as your last project; and as most of the industry works freelance from project to project, periods of unemployment are the norm and are expected.

I think for David, everything he writes, directs, iReports, or otherwise puts his name on is a job interview of sorts.

I, like thousands, am a professional in the entertainment industry. An industry filled with hard working Americans with real professions. I have however attempted to improve my own skills, as as editor, camera operator, graphic designer and yes as a producer/writer/director by staying busy despite my unemployment. I now am qualified and competitive for jobs I would gave had difficulty trying to get a year ago. I had to reinvent and retrain.

Also for the record there were no jobs the first 6 to 7 months of my unemployment on 2009. It is only in the last 3 months that jobs have started to appear and like millions in this country I am in line for these new jobs and yes, that means applying fir them. Sone conservatives for some reason refuse to believe this and are attempting to depict the unemployed negatively rather then as the victims of this crisis. These same people rail against the big CEO’s and their bonuses but refuse to help or sympathize with thier neighbor. It is a sad state of affairs for the GOP.