Note that you don't have to read the assignments in Nickel and Dimed to blog. Just reflect on the prompt questions. There's no need to write a formal draft here. Reflect on the topic as randomly and gently as you want but in as much detail and complexity as you can.
In fact, you are NOT writing a draft, and you shouldn't think of it as one. The prompts are meant to spur your thinking, not produce an organized set of thoughts.
Note also that your answers to the prompts might reveal the kind of research and thinking you need to do to proceed to the drafting stage. They will tell you as much about what you don't know as they do about what you know. Your responses might reveal an organization, as well, but they might also reveal holes in that organization that you need to fill.
Option 1-
ReplyDeletePersonally, I think that Barbara is being hypocritical in her defense about not hiring a maid and not wanting to have that type of relationship with someone. Throughout the book, she shows respect for the working poor, especially maids and waiters. So why would hiring someone to do that change her respect? I can understand feeling embarrassed hiring seemingly unnecessary service like that especially after you know what it is like working a job like that. However, I cannot imagine why she states that, “this is just not the kind of relationship I want to have with another human being” (90-91). When I go to restaurants or to grocery stores, I try to be very polite with people and extra nice because I can understand how it would be awful to have to serve someone who is completely rude about it. But I do not think that there should be embarrassment about hiring someone to do something. That is the whole point because that person knows how to do the job better than you do and has experience that you do not. If you treat that person poorly then you will get poor service and if you treat them like a human and respect them then you will get good service, in theory. I don’t see why Barbara feels that regardless of this it is awkward and embarrassing to hire help. Especially because I am sure that she gets her oil changed or gets dry-cleaning done so why should that kind of service be different from having a maid. Sure, there are histories and sexual innuendoes about maids but any type of relationship can be twisted like that. I also find that she is being hypocritical because she mentions that at one point in time she could have used a maid and it would have been helpful. So my question to her would be why then, if the service would have been helpful, would the relationship be awkward. It wouldn’t be frivolous spending of money. I think that that is really why she feels that the relationship would be awkward, because she has the money and they don’t. That seems to be a trend and I almost feel that some people are almost ashamed sometimes that they have money. I went to a private, catholic high school and there were a lot of rich families. Some of the kids were very frivolous with their spending of money and other kids tried to disguise the fact that they had a lot of money, or at least they wouldn’t flaunt it. I don’t really understand why but it was ‘cool’ to be poorer than the next guy. Maybe it was that your life was too boring and uneventful so saying that you were so poor added drama to your life or gave you something to complain about. Either way, it would fit into this embarrassment of asking for help even if you do need it. Not that I condone flaunting money around, but there are some things in life that should be paid for and are nice to have- if you have worked hard for your paychecks. I would think that Barb would want to hire a cleaning person maybe to put more money in their pockets if she feels for their plight so much. But I don’t know too much about economics.
-Megan M.
Option 3
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to think about how much blame and how little credit low wage workers get. In larger industries, it is acceptable to assume that they need a drug test, they need to be monitored, and they need to constantly be reminded that they are only there because their employer is letting them be. In some cases, this could be true; however, it seems presumptuous to make this the standard. Getting back to the excessive blame with little credit, picture this: you go out to eat and the food you get is undercooked. Obviously, the only person who has control over the cooking of the food is the cook. However, I have witnessed people being extremely rude to waitperson's when this happens. My natural reaction is to walk up to this person and tell them why this reaction is absurd, and maybe in not a very nice way. It seems so ridiculous to me that just because this person is not making as much money as the disgruntled customer probably is, said customer thinks he/she has the right to treat the waitperson in this way.
This may not necessarily answer any of the questions in the prompt, but it is just another example of how hard it would be to feel proud of the job you are doing when people are constantly judging and criticizing you.
For me, I guess I feel that drug testing is going too far. Now, if the employee is exhibiting sings of using, then I can see the appeal of testing them. However, as a preliminary screening tool, I believe that this is just too much. I would feel so degraded if I walked into a job interview and had to "pee in a cup." What does that say about the other employees in my position? Not much. Additionally, surveilling employees seems a bit excessive. I feel that in today's society there is little to none employee/ employer relationship.
Reasonable standards for me include dress code, behavioral code, and questionnaires. A dress code or uniform and behavior guidelines are both important as a negative image would repel customers. And while a questionnaire could go either way, I feel that when administered in the right way, it could be an effective way of getting to know your prospective employees.
OPTION ONE
ReplyDeleteThere is seemingly no real benefit to society that comes from Ehrenreich not hiring a cleaning lady, in fact one could argue that this is bad for the cleaning lady who could have had that job. She is withholding a job that could be in the labor market from a laborer who could possibly use the job and the money that comes with it. Ehrenreich is trying to make an argument for this job being degrading it seemed and that she would have no part in the oppression of the working class. Ehrenreich is presenting the political and social leaning left views of the oppressed working class. I tend to disagree with the left in this regard. The prices and jobs exist for important reasons.
There are many people in this world without jobs. Many need work but do not have the credentials to get any sort of high paying job. They may need experience in the work force to better their chances of a high paying job, they may need money. Logically speaking a worker without the skills and knowledge to have a higher paying job is going to have to resort to a menial labor job. I would not want a worker with the skills of a McDonalds fry cook running a fortune 500 company, running my investments, or writing articles for newspapers. We need the menial labor jobs because they are the jobs that keep the world in order. As bad as it may sound, we need someone to clean public restrooms, flip patties, and the like. Since unskilled laborers, ones with a lesser education than others cannot necessarily work in high paying jobs they need the low paying jobs to survive. Often times they have opportunity to work their way up to managerial positions, which they can use to get higher paying jobs. Most importantly, we need these menial jobs, and the workers need them to.
PERSONAL EXPERIENCE. I worked at a local McDonalds for half of my high school years. There the laborers were unskilled workers. High school students, college kids from the local community college, and elderly people who probably need the jobs to keep up expenses were common. Not too many immigrants, like are often seen at lower paying jobs. Few Eastern European women were managers. Probably due to the area I lived in. One man even had served 2 years for a high speed car chase with police. The work there may have been tiring, but it was by no means difficult. The most trouble I had was with tediousness of the work.
Option One:
ReplyDeleteI do not feel that Ehrenreich is being fair in her judgements to hiring a maid. Personally, I feel that this would not harm society in any way, in fact it would create more jobs in a sense, helping our economy today. We had a maid when my brother and I were younger, to help out my parents. Although, we did not treat our maid with disrespect; we actually helped her out by picking up the night before and leaving her thank- you's around the house. I feel that Ehrenreich is only looking at one side of the picture, about how the job is not the ideal job and how it can be an embarassment to hold this type of job. Also, I think that Ehrenreich would feel the relationship would be similar to that of the person who cleans her office or changes her oil, in the sense that they are doing her a service and she may feel guilty that she has the money to do so, and they have low-paying jobs and can barely get by. Although, I bet she doesn't make the decision to not get her oil changed or have a dirty office because of this reason, so why would hiring a maid be any different? I think she feels this is a degrading relationship because she has been in that position and that is how she thought others felt towards her: that she was looked down upon for this reason; but I feel she is incorrect with these theories.
Option 3
ReplyDeleteI feel that dress codes, behavioral guidelines, questionnaires and norms for speaking to customers or clients are all acceptable for employers to demand of their employees. I think that surveillance in a store or business is alright if it covers the public areas of the business, because this can help in the event of a robbery, or if something suspicious has been reported. I feel that putting surveillance in the private areas of the employees is going to far. I feel that an employee should know that the employer has the right to request a drug test if they think it is in their businesses best interest, but I don't think that everyone applying for the job should be subject to it. I think that dress codes, behavioral guidelines, and norms for speaking to clients are all very reasonable to ask of people. This makes sure they know what is expected of them, and helps people new to the workforce understand how to handle certain situations. Having a dress code helps the customers determine who are employees and makes it makes the company look more professional. While I feel that these can all be viewed positively, I feel that the employers can also take some of these too far. For example, discouraging employees from talking with each other seems ridiculous to me. Also the employers should make the dress code affordable for the working class.
Option 1
ReplyDeleteI think that Ehrenreich is expressing this idea about the relationship with people who hold jobs that seem to pay service to those in higher paying positions because she feels that it may be demeaning and awkward. Everyday people interact with workers with occupations having job details requiring work that may pay service to those in higher positions. Jobs like maid services were created for a specific reason, to assist those who need it and are willing to pay for the service. The service, although seemingly trivial, requires a set of skills and a certain perfomance that is needed just like any other paying job in our country. Just like any other job, the individuals chose to work this position and are working it for a reason. The reason may be an individual one or economical/financial but regardless, there is a reason why people work the jobs they do. Understanding the job description for occupancies such as these is what makes the job necessary and is what makes our economy function. Jobs such as these rely on the need for assistance of those in potentially higher paying positions, who also understand the job and therefore should respect the workers. Whenever I come across the people who clean the dorms everyday I try to be polite and courteous, because I know that the job may not be a desirable one, cleaning up after college aged kids for maybe not so respectable wages. Still though, just because I understand that the job may not be desirable and that it may be somewhat demeaning for the worker, I still desire someone to be doing the job other than myself, and I respect the fact that my parents tuition costs may go towards this somewhat. I think that jobs such as these are what make our economy function, and that people should be open to hiring services or paying for the extra help when they truly need it, and respectfully so. Ehrenreich is expressing the idea that it is not necessary to pay for a service that you can do yourself, to someone in a lesser position potentially. I think that it may indeed be demeaning to some people, but there are those who may need the help and that is why jobs like these exist.
-Will Lawlor
option 3
ReplyDeleteI think that employers are a little to picky with some of their control measures. Ya I think that dress codes, drug tests, and surveillance are all good thiings for the business because they definately help better it. However I think dress codes can be taken to far sometimes. For example when I used to work at a Subway store we were expected to wear a set uniform. However sometimes your uniforms get ruined, and if you wear a ripped shirt or an apron witha hole it you are considered out of uniform or unpresentable basically. I agree with this but the thing was my boss didn't have any more uniforms so I continued to get in trouble for looking unpresentable.
I think that drug tests are a good way to keep the businesses in better quality. Drug tests are not a bad thing in my eyes because personally I don't want someone who is all strung out on something waiting on me whether its for my food or cleaning something for me. Its just not the type of environment I like to surround myself with. Also video surveillance is good for businesses because it helps make sure employees are doing the right things and helps in cases of robberies or other emergencies. However I think that if an employer is using the system to spy on his employees that that indeed does violate the employee rights.
I think society is better off if members of the upper-middle class do not personally hire maids. There are certain jobs that many people do not have control over such as the person who changes oil, or the person who cuts meat at the grocery store. Someone like Barbara Ehrenreich has control over hiring a cleaning person while she may not have control over who cuts her meat or changes her oil. Ehrenreich may not be to blame for having someone changer her oil, however, society in general is. Any homeowner can easily clean a house. Society has become lazy and holds different values now than in previous centuries. In previous centuries, only mainly the upper class had maids or servants, however, today many people in the middle-class are hiring people to serve as maids. Ehrenreich is saying that she finds the job of a maid degrading and unnecessary. I agree with Ehrenreich’s views as I also find hiring a maid unnecessary.
ReplyDelete-Molly