F**ked: Fighting the stigma of joblessness In the second episode of our new video series, unemployed Americans battle shame and speak out about their plight

Tens of millions of Americans are involuntarily jobless, but being unemployed still carries a stigma.

“Many people hadn’t told their families or friends, because they were ashamed,” explains Sam Talbot, an unemployed cook, in the second installment of our new video series “F**ked: The United States of Unemployment.” “Some people didn’t want to be on camera or mentioned by name because they were ashamed or afraid they would be discriminated against by employers.”

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Watch the video below to see what happens when the 99ers decide to confront the unemployment stigma head-on by traveling to Washington, D.C., for the One Nation Working Together Rally:

Also, last week we posted a call on Open Salon looking for stories about how your experiences contradicted common myths about unemployment. The responses so far range from an Atlanta PR director’s unexpected plunge into joblessness during her golden years to a former auto plant supervisor’s nightmarish firing to the musings of a Fresno woman contemplating the nickels she needs to find to buy another burrito. These clever and brave essays provide a compelling challenge to the misunderstandings that continue to reinforce the painful stigma of unemployment.