Many of us might have seen the photograph of actor Geoffrey Owens, working in a Trader Joe’s. He was an actor on the famous Cosby show as Elvin Tibideaux. When the post appeared first on Daily Mail, there were a lot of comments. Most of them were shock from past fans and others who could not believe this was the job he ended up doing. Rather than focus on the negative comments, Owens advises us to raise children who love work.
Owens Responds
With re-runs of the show no longer on the air, royalty checks for the comedian’s former co-stars suddenly dried up. ‘Yes, it impacted me financially,’ Owens told People. ‘At the time that the show was pulled, that did make a difference in our income.
This was one of the elements that led him to say, ”I have to do something” and thinking ”What can I do?’. The answer ended up being Trader Joe’s”.
Owens appeared on “Good Morning America” and responded to all the comments. He shared that he has held different types of jobs including teaching at Yale, where he was teaching undergraduate acting, retail and running a theatre company. However, when seen as a clerk in Trader Joe’s, customers felt they had to “shame” him for “stooping so low”.
He went on further to say that “No job is beneath another one. One might pay better or have better benefits or look better on a resume, but all work has dignity.”
Other Reactions
Nicki Minaj even went as far as to send him $25,000 after seeing his pictures of him working at Trader Joes. Owens decided to donate all the money to charity.
Tyler Perry, the creator and director of The Haves and the Haves Nots offered Owens a role on his show. Owens has accepted the job offer from Tyler Perry to appear on 10 episode run on The Haves and the Have Nots.
He also landed a second acting job with NCIS: New Orleans and has been cast in a new film, thriller “Fatale,” opposite Michael Ealy and Hilary Swank.
All these, along with all the comments on this, show that people see his role at Trader Joe’s was beneath him.
Owens shares that he was devastated when he came across the photo all over social media and he was baffled as well by the sudden interest. ‘It was really overwhelming. It came out of nowhere. I feel like I’m more of a celebrity now than I ever have been. I’m more of a celebrity now than when I actually was a celebrity!’ he joked. Through it all, Owens advises us to have conversations and to love work.
Karma Lawrence, who took the photo says she never meant to hurt actor Geoffrey Owens; when she photographed him bagging groceries at the store and shared the pictures with several media outlets.
The 50-year-old told NJ.com she did it ‘on impulse’. She says she doesn’t know what possessed her, she just did it and she didn’t even think about it.’
Lawrence said she actually wanted to approach Owens in the store and tell him she was a fan but had worried it might embarrass him.
This is a reminder that when people take pictures of people and share online, it does have an impact on the people. We need to be sensitive to others feelings.
What It Means For Generation Z – Love Work
Tim Elmore of Growing Leaders, talks about how rather than job shaming we should be highlighting dignity in labour. He shares that many employers have noticed that Generation Z applicants are not ready for a career. Taking a test does not equal taking on a task. While more Generation Z teens today want to start working earlier, too many are prevented from working by their parents.
When we work, and receive payment, something satisfying and clarifying happens inside of us. We become sharper because we recognize that excellence actually leads to better remuneration.
Owens, shares that he hopes this whole experience stirs up conversation about the honor in work. Rather than job shaming, we should be discussing that it is a good thing to work and be proud of your job; there is dignity in work. No job is better than any other job, every job is worthwhile and valuable.
[Tweet “There is honor and dignity in honest work”]
[Read: How to Prepare Gen Z for Employment]
We could do with more excellence on the job each person has, rather than a sense of entitlement.
