Wall Street Journal, The New Dream Job for Young Men: Stay-at-Home Son:
You’ve mocked them as mooches and mom’s basement dwellers. They prefer the term “stay-at-home sons,” and have a new hero in “Jeopardy” champion Brendan Liaw.
Liaw, 27, has a master’s degree in political science and, judging by his quiz-show performances, an expansive knowledge of everything from the Middle Ages to pop music. He won $59,398 in three contests that aired last week.
He is also unemployed and lives with his parents. At his request, “Jeopardy” host Ken Jennings introduced him at the beginning of each episode as a “recent graduate and stay-at-home son.”
“I figured even if I lost my first game, at least I could make people laugh,” he says.
It worked. Liaw’s self-deprecating humor made him an overnight legend on social media, where people say he is, like, pretty much living their dream, lol.
The phrase “stay-at-home son” was added to the Urban Dictionary in 2007 as an insult to be hurled at an unmotivated man-child. Lately, though, members of the generation that brought us “quiet quitting” and “lazy-girl jobs” have embraced the label as an ironic badge of honor. …
I asked Liaw about his career prospects, trivia skills and living arrangement after his run on “Jeopardy.”
On the Clock: How did you decide on the “stay-at-home son” moniker? You just finished grad school and were studying for the LSAT when you got the call for “Jeopardy,” so you don’t fit the stereotype of a grown man playing videogames in his childhood bedroom.
It’s tongue-in-cheek, and it sounds better than “unemployed.” It’s tough times right now, so let’s try and get some laughter out there. …
What’s next? Law school?
I don’t know what’s going to happen with all this “Jeopardy” stuff and newfound publicity. If something better comes along, I’m not opposed to shelving law school for a bit. In the long run, government work or politics. I wrote my master’s thesis on the House of Representatives, and I really want to work on the Hill. Working in the Senate as a staffer would be my dream job, basically. …
I appreciate your making time to talk.
I’m still a stay-at-home son. I have all the time in the world.
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