Serving in Michigan
In class this week, we discussed Serving in Florida, by Barbara Ehrenreich. I found it a very interesting piece, because personally, I haven't worked a job, let alone a minimum wage job. While reading the piece, it was readily apparent that Ehrenreich went out of her way to focus on the negative aspects of the job she worked at Jerry's and Hearthside.
For example, just the opening paragraph makes me feel disgusted: "a stomach leading to the lower intestine that is the garbage and dishwashing area, from which issue bizarre smells combining the edible and the offal: creamy carrion and pizza barf". While there are the occasional positive moments like Ehrenreich's time with George, Ehrenreich's takeaway is largely a negative one.
To me, it seems like Ehrenreich went out of her way to find the worst possible minimum-wage jobs as possible, just to further the dramatic aspect of her piece. First, she took a job at Jerry's, which we can infer is a poorly-run, local restaurant in a disadvantaged area. While it is definitely necessary to take a look at the worst possible conditions of a certain criteria, the situation she describes is not at all applicable to the minimum-wage restaurant industry throughout the United States. If Ehrenreich worked at McDonald's or any other standardized chain restaurant, I am sure she would find better working conditions.
Furthermore, only taking Florida as representative of all minimum-wage occupations contributes to the outlook that all minimum-wage jobs are as bad as the ones Ehrenreich describes. If the story was Serving in Michigan, or Serving in California, I don't think the story would have played out the same. Finally, someone who has grown up in a happy, financially stable environment and received their PhD in a science(Ehrenreich) will naturally have a terrible outlook on minimum wage careers.
For example, just the opening paragraph makes me feel disgusted: "a stomach leading to the lower intestine that is the garbage and dishwashing area, from which issue bizarre smells combining the edible and the offal: creamy carrion and pizza barf". While there are the occasional positive moments like Ehrenreich's time with George, Ehrenreich's takeaway is largely a negative one.
To me, it seems like Ehrenreich went out of her way to find the worst possible minimum-wage jobs as possible, just to further the dramatic aspect of her piece. First, she took a job at Jerry's, which we can infer is a poorly-run, local restaurant in a disadvantaged area. While it is definitely necessary to take a look at the worst possible conditions of a certain criteria, the situation she describes is not at all applicable to the minimum-wage restaurant industry throughout the United States. If Ehrenreich worked at McDonald's or any other standardized chain restaurant, I am sure she would find better working conditions.
Furthermore, only taking Florida as representative of all minimum-wage occupations contributes to the outlook that all minimum-wage jobs are as bad as the ones Ehrenreich describes. If the story was Serving in Michigan, or Serving in California, I don't think the story would have played out the same. Finally, someone who has grown up in a happy, financially stable environment and received their PhD in a science(Ehrenreich) will naturally have a terrible outlook on minimum wage careers.
I like your reasoning regarding how the author emphasized the bad working conditions using the worst possible example. It was good that you brought up McDonald's and showed that some minimum wage jobs are not as bad. Also, I agree with your statement that said the story would not have been the same if the title was different. Good Job!
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your take. I agree that the impact could not have been as great with a less dramatic example. I wonder how different the piece would have been if told from the point of view of someone who has worked many minumum wage jobs.
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