#105 Unpaid Internships
July 20, 2008 by clander
In most of the world when a person works long hours without pay, it is referred to as “slavery” or “forced labor.” For white people this process is referred to as an internship and is considered an essential stage in white development.
The concept of working for little or no money underneath a superior has been around for centuries in the form of apprenticeship programs. Young people eager to learn a trade would spend time working under a master craftsman to learn a skill that would eventually lead to an increase in material wealth.
Using this logic you would assume that the most sought after internships would be in areas that lead to the greatest financial reward. Young White people, however, prefer internships that put them on the path for careers that will generally result in a DECREASE of the material wealth accumulated by their parents.
For example, if you were to present a white 19 year old with the choice of spending the summer earning $15 an hour as a plumber’s apprentice or making $0 answering phones at Production Company, they will always choose the latter. In fact, the only way to get the white person to choose the plumbing option would be to convince them that it was leading towards an end-of-summer pipe art installation.
White people view the internship as their foot into the door to such high-profile low-paying career fields as journalism, film, politics, art, non-profits, and anything associated with a museum. Any white person who takes an internship outside of these industries is either the wrong type of white person or a law student. There are no exceptions.
If all goes according to plan, an internship will end with an offer of a job that pays $24,000 per year and will consist entirely of the same tasks they were recently doing for free. In fact, the transition to full time status results in the addition of only one new responsibility: feeling superior to the new interns.
When all is said and done, the internship process serves the white community in many ways. First, it helps to train the next generation of freelance writers, museum curators, and director’s assistants. But more importantly, internships teach white children how to complain about being poor.
So when a white person tells you about their unpaid internship at the New Yorker, it’s not a good idea to point out how the cost of rent and food will essentially mean that they are PAYING their employer for the right to make photocopies. Instead it’s best to say: “you earned it.” They will not get the joke.
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The thing that makes unpaid internships a more upper middle class white or black thing is that you have to have money to do them.
When I was in college I had interships but they were all paid my university rarely promoted unpaid interships. Although many of them are great opportunities low income people do not have them means to not work for an entire summer. I work in non-profits now but I started out volunteering in the evenings and on weekends to get into the field.
Honestly an unpaid internship never crossed my mind because my single parent could not support me while I went and worked for a non-profit or politician in New York City or DC.
Also I think the unpaid internship is like the street cred for upper middle class people. It is the their struggle story. I grew up poor that is my story and now I am not, but if you grew up priveleged or well off you have to have something to put in your bio or awards acceptance speech or memoirs. These people can say I remember when I was making photocopies for the senator and now I am a senator myself with someone making copies for me. Its a great story.
I am black and think this is the funniest website ever. For those who think this is a racist site do not act like you don’t laugh when black comedians make fun of other black people. Come on now admit it. I am black and some of these things even apply to me. But for those who are soooo sensitive about being picked on by your own kind go to Things Educated Black People like and laugh at educated black people like myself it will make you feel better… promise.
Props, you’re completely right. On so many levels.
even these employers realize the unpaid internships are just a fancy way to save money on work none of the paid employees want to do .
it’s why they don’t hire you after the internship is over.
had a real bad unpaid internship….like rrrreeal bad? review it at ultimateintern.com and have chance to win an ipod touch.
I remember my hell from last summer! My boss was tiny but with full-blown bitch consuming her. It was worse than hell, because the place was small and squeezed. The number of times I fell asleep on my desk, is a true testimony of what a complete and utter waste of my time, it was. I should have stayed at home or volunteered to breastfeed an orphaned bunny or something.
Arghh!
You earned it! HAHA!
I intern in a cardiac rehab facility. I can’t graduate in May without doing it. I even had to pay tuition because it’s considered 6 credit hours. I get to work with 80 year olds that had bypasses and heart attacks. It’s actually really fun…unpaid…but fun
But you are getting college credits for it… you missed the point.
sorry if I work I get paid
I opened up a valet parking business in college and had a bunch of high schoolers work for me. non-paid internships are for suckers.
Aww, I’m applying for an internship at an art museum as we speak. Hahaha, and…I’ve also have done an unpaid internship at an art gallery AND at an ESL class for Spanish-speaking adults (to aid in my goal of learning another language). I love it…so white
“It’s funny because it’s true” – Homer Simpson
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