Do you have something nice to say?

We had dinner at a Thai restaurant tonight on Jones Street. We first tried Shalimar and then Chutney (both are Indian places). They both were packed and there weren't any tables to sit at. So instead we sat at the counter of the Thai restaurant that's right next to Chutney and had some grub. It was good, I'd recommend the place and link you to their site, or at least their address. But they're small, three people working there, and I don't even think they're in the phone book yet.

So we're eating and this Latino guy walks in and asks to speak to the manager. Uh oh. Drama. But instead he asked the woman who was cooking the food right in front of us (the "manager") if she needed any help. This guy was looking for a job, "anything," he said. "I could wash the dishes and clean up," but with the same smile you give to a homeless dude asking for money, the manager said, "No, sorry, we're all full." So he turned around, walked out, and went to the next store looking for a job.

As soon as he walked out, I immediately wanted to follow after him and give him my card. I wanted to try to hook him up with a job anywhere, give him some leads. I think the most important thing a social worker can do is link someone who's looking for work, and willing to work, to a decent paying job.

As I was about to get up, my wife brought me back to reality. "So you're just going to give some guy off the street, some guy you've never met before, your card, and have him call you looking for a job?!?"

When she put it that way, the whole thing sounded kinda crazy. But still, I think I was really considering it. So I sat back down and decided that I'll use this energy to go the extra step with kids at my job. When they come into the branch looking for a job, I'm not only going to give them phone numbers of people to call, I'm also going to offer a pair of clothes to wear for an interview. I'm even going to offer to help them practice interviewing. I also decided that I'm going to take their numbers down so I can call them and follow up with their job hunting. This is sort of case management work, but since I'm not a MSW recipient, my actions are just considered nice.

Here are some people who are not nice. You should not be like these jerks. (Warning, this article describes some really fucked up shit some people are doing in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.)