Sometime last year, I started seeing videos from a site called Xtranormal pop up on blogs and YouTube. They contained talking robots, animals and even historical figures carrying on monotonous-sounding conversations about anything the (amateur or professional) filmmaker desired.
While a majority of the content illustrated a bunch of real-life scenarios of all sorts, lots of job venting videos started getting attention. Check out this one called "So You Want to Be a Journalist?" — I think fellow workers in the news world can relate to it.
The L.A. Times reports that people are now using these videos — filled to the brim with wit and dry humor — to relieve the stress of the everyday grind.
Posting videos like these may be a good way to let off some steam and can serve a positive purpose, says David Ballard, head of the American Psychological Assn.'s Psychologically Healthy Workplace Program — as long as it's done with the right intentions.
"If you do it to remove the barriers so people can see the absurdity of the situation, and if it's not overly hostile or aggressive, then it can open up a conversation," he said.
But, he added, "When humor is used to berate another individual, it serves to further divide people — and creates additional problems and conflicts, especially when it promotes discrimination or stereotypes."
I'm sure there are some people out there saying that the people making the videos should be thankful for their jobs to begin with. Yet I do sincerely feel bad for salesmen who try and coax fussy customers to realize there are more smart phones out there than the iPhone.
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