The Discarded

The Discarded's mission is to put a face to every worker who has been affected by the recession. 6.7 million people have lost their jobs in the past year or so and they want to humanize this statistic by putting a name to each person. Their intention is simple - to identify all 6.7 million people affected - leaning towards an artistic execution. Please visit their soft-launched site to learn more.
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Q: I don't get it, what is The Discarded?
The Discarded is a web-based visual archive of the now useless business cards unemployed people have inherited from their old jobs. We figured that instead of throwing the stack of business cards away or allowing them to collect dust, you could contribute them to this project. We are going to assemble all collected business cards into a larger piece. Each card represents every person that has been affected by this recession. The Discarded hopes to humanize the cold unemployment statistics and memorialize this point in history.

Q: What are you going to do with all of the cards?

The cards will be part of a visual collage shown online. So each card will help form the bigger picture. We have other ideas to take this project offline but, as of now, we're not quite sure yet.

Q: Who is behind the project?

The Discarded was founded by Michelle Cheung and Mike Bodge, two people who have both been directly affected by the recession but on the opposite ends of the spectrum. More on that later.

Q: I was laid off in this recession but found a new job, can I still join The Discarded?

Yes, please send us your business card. We want to hear your story, too!

Q: I'm nervous about submitting my information. Are you guys going to do something bad with it?

Absolutely not! We won't sell your information to anyone and won't display your e-mail address either. If you have any other specific concerns, e-mail us.