A Photo, a Pack of Cigarettes and Compromised Sympathy

Regarding the June 6 front-page article "Stuck at Unemployed: When a Layoff Becomes a Lifestyle":

The photograph used to document the plight of those who have been unemployed for extended periods was interesting. The young woman who lost her administrative job in November and is being supported by her mother was shown shopping for food with a pack of Newport cigarettes in her purse. This does not engender much sympathy from this reader. Why not show her burning a handful of dollar bills?

I was laid off from my job in February, and I sympathize with the frustration of unemployment and the economic impact that joblessness has on one's lifestyle. But you may want to select photos more carefully to avoid the mixed message you have sent with this article: Feel sorry for those who have run out of unemployment benefits, but maybe they were not as frugal as they should have been and do not deserve our concern.

-- Karel Robertson

Bethesda