How do people do it?

[yobarman]

How do people live the day to day struggle for survival working menial jobs and not asking for more? Why do people not push themselves? I just don't get it. I recently got a job at Dennys as a cook. This is probably the worst job i've ever had. I do this for money to pay some bills here and there while I attend college. There's a couple people there who are middle-aged and still do this, working retail and food service with a sub $10 per hour paycheck. And it seems like there's no shortage of labor here either... just moving from job to job taking what they can get.

This got me wondering... are people really satisfied doing sh¡t menial jobs like this. Do they not realize the world is for the taking? Why settle for minimum wage crap. Or is it because the system is keeping them down? Apparently we are all created equal... but this isn't the case because we'd all be CEOs. I just don't know what to think of people who've been working at K-mart for 15 years working the cash register just where they started. Can they not get further in life because they don't want to ... they aren't smart enough to... or is it just not possible for them based on their appearance, age, race, religon etc..

Or is it simply capitalism at work? The rich get richer and the poor get poorer...Simple analogy would be a question from a test i recently took... "In Russia everyone could purchase a loaf of bread for 10cents, but they'd have to wait in line for 6 hours to get it, and Americans would say how terrible. In America, anyone can purchase bread for a dollar, but 10% of the population could not afford it, and the Russians would say how terrible." Who was/is right?

I don't even know where to go with this anymore. Who do we blame poverty on... the people or the system? Can it be fixed? Do you really care if you're living the high life?

Don't get me wrong. I love America. My parents came here with nothing and made something of themselves. Was it because they were white? Was it because they started making money by hiring people to do work for them and taking in a share of the profit(house cleaning)? Is it possible to start at the bottom and make your way up top? How true is the American Dream if people bust their ass and make it nowhere while others hardly lift a finger and become Yale graduates. I believe in the American Dream, but for some reason only a few are ever able to attain it.

Gah! so many questions so few answers...

 

[iwearnosox]

Bunny, please.

 

[yobarman]

haha... i swear I'm sober right now.

 

[HappyFace]

<Insert Bunny w/ Pancake on its head here>

 

[MistaTastyCakes]

People's measure of happiness and success differ. If someone is happy working at K-Mart for 9 bucks an hour, then more power to em, ya know? It doesn't have to be lazy...they may simply be content.

It's hard to place the blame on poverty. People have so little compassion for the less fortunate, and the less fortunate seem to have little care or compassion for themselves, much of the time. IMO, the American dream is BS. Everyone's American dream is different. I don't want to go to Yale, I don't want to have a house and three kids and a wife.. I want to get by, and I want to have fun living. I am, in no way, in poverty though.

It seems callous, but in a capitalistic society such as ours, the bigger people tend to use the smaller people as stepping stones. I think it's just how it works. SOMEONE has to clean the dishes or mop the floors, ya know? Why those people do what they do.. I think it's hard to generalize.

 

[tweakmm]

I think it's partial apathy and partially the system.

 

[rudeguy]

here is an honest answer...sometimes things happen....most poor people dont plan on being poor...they catch a bad break and cant recover from it....my mom is a good example of this...she got hurt at work when I was really young, and couldnt work after that...the laws sucked at that time so she had to make ends meet with very little money...however, growing up poor, I know how to budget and plan, which means that hopefully I will never end up poor

 

[Ryan]

I agree, I'm a college student and I work so I can have some money on the side. I just started working at Papa John's as a driver, and you'd be amazed at the number of older people who work there coupled with another minimum wage job. It pisses me off - why would you want to work your ass off for such a little amount of money (PPJs is Part Time). It just bothers me when people force themselves to struggle when there are so many opportunities out there.,

 

[Pepsi90919]

In Russia everyone could purchase a loaf of bread for 10cents, but they'd have to wait in line for 6 hours to get it, and Americans would say how terrible.

in soviet russia, bread purchases loaves of YOU for 10 cents, waits in line for YOU for 6 hours and says how terrible to the americans!

 

[pennylane]

the bunny has arrived

 

[Kadarin]

The bunny with the pancake would be a copout here, as this is a valid question. Personally, I believe the answers are varied, and really depend on the person. For example, you are working a poopy job, but strive to better yourself. Someone else may enjoy that job, or at the very least may get a sense of personal satisfaction out of it. Others may lack the intelligence or motivation to strive and excel. Still others look to point blame elsewhere, like the fruitloop on O'Reilly tonight talking about "post traumatic slavery disorder"...

 

[vi edit]

Some people just don't have that part in them that tells themselves "I can do better", "I'm not happy settling for what I've got", "I want to better myself", ect. They just don't have it. I don't think it has anything to do with upbringing, it's just something that some people have, and some don't.

It shows in my family, it shows in my wifes family, it shows in our aunt's and uncle's. Kids may have the same parents, with the same things being provided to them, but for some reason, some of of the children have that desire to succeed, others just choose to float along in life and settle for what they have.

I don't know if it's just an inborn personality trait, or if it's something that they develop later on in life, but from what I can tell, it's largely individual based, and not really anything to do with how they were raised.

 

[Yossarian]

At this Burger King near my house there's this 70 year old woman working, it is the saddest goddam thing I've ever seen.

 

[SoylentGreen]

The garbage needs to be picked up correct?
Some garbagemen make more than many college graduates.
Put that in your pipe and smoke it.

 

[yobarman]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Some people just don't have that part in them that tells themselves "I can do better", "I'm not happy settling for what I've got", "I want to better myself", ect. They just don't have it. I don't think it has anything to do with upbringing, it's just something that some people have, and some don't.

It shows in my family, it shows in my wifes family, it shows in our aunt's and uncle's. Kids may have the same parents, with the same things being provided to them, but for some reason, some of of the children have that desire to succeed, others just choose to float along in life and settle for what they have.

I don't know if it's just an inborn personality trait, or if it's something that they develop later on in life, but from what I can tell, it's largely individual based, and not really anything to do with how they were raised.

I think I agree.. some people just do not realize the opportunities availible to them, so they go to work thinking this is it. Nothing more.

It pisses me off too to see people with so much potential rot away in dead end menial jobs...

 

[yobarman]

Im also very suprised that the "People are lazy" option voted more than all the other ones combined.

 

[Shawn]

How do people do it?

when two people fall in love, they express that love by...

 

[Staples]

My mom is huge on Socialism and of course she will hate the US until we turn Socialist (which will never happen). Anyway, I argue with her at least once a day over this issue and as I have always said, poor people are content with their situation so they keep from working more and stay that way. Also, she has a totally different definition of poor than I do. To her, you can have a car and a house and afford fast food every day and medical visits but not a thing more. Being poor to me is barely being able to afford food so there are far fewer 'poor' people than she believes. Most the poor homeless people have psychological problems of sorts or they are addicted to a substance.

Edit: And people who work at McDonalds for the rest of their life work there because they chose to do so. No one likes school but most know you need to go to get anywhere. Unfortunately these people didn't think that the 4 years of hard school work to get a Bachlor's degree was worth what $20K more a year could bring them.

 

[Cyberian]

Originally posted by: vi_edit
Some people just don't have that part in them that tells themselves "I can do better", "I'm not happy settling for what I've got", "I want to better myself", ect. They just don't have it. I don't think it has anything to do with upbringing, it's just something that some people have, and some don't.

It shows in my family, it shows in my wifes family, it shows in our aunt's and uncle's. Kids may have the same parents, with the same things being provided to them, but for some reason, some of of the children have that desire to succeed, others just choose to float along in life and settle for what they have.

I don't know if it's just an inborn personality trait, or if it's something that they develop later on in life, but from what I can tell, it's largely individual based, and not really anything to do with how they were raised.

This sounds about right to me.
Look at some magnates in our country's history (Ford, Astor, Carnegie, Rockefeller, Gates) who continued to work their asses off after they were already richer than 99.99% of the population.

 

[CTrain]

This is a good question that can be thought and debate over and over.

I, myself have brothers and sisters who are very successful in their career but I chose to be lazy and not do anything with my life. Sure I graduted college with an accounting degree but I never once applied for a job in that field. I chose to be a part-time server for for about 5 yrs.

WHY? Probably laziness but my best reasoning is that "I'm YOUNG and I have plenty of time to make something out of myself". This is probably alot of people's reasoning too and before you know it, you hitting 50 yr old.

As for a job in the service industry, I probably considered it the laziest job a person can job making a confortable living. This is the routing.......work 5-11, make ~$100-$200, go out and drink with your buddies, go home, get plenty of sleep, and still have plenty of time to get ready for work again.
This is why you see so people with a serving job even after graduating....
Its easy money with the least work. JUst learn to kiss @ss and you're set.

Anyway, back to subject.....all my friends would tell me the same thing....why are you settling for so little when you can be doing so much. So hard for me to come up with a good answer as with alot others who are settling.

I would still be doing the same thing now if it wasn't for 9/11.
Tourism went down and that force me to get a real job.
My "real job" now is I'm a store manager at a McDonalds.(don't laugh as I make decent money).

Working at McDonalds, I see all these people you describe all day.
Some are terrible workers and I can see why they're at McDonalds but some are pretty hard working and smart and I can't see why they are "settling".

Not everyone in this world are CEO types but I do see alot of people who are settling including myself.

Last comment......whenever I put up a sign "Now Hiring", I get like 20 applicants in a week.

 

[yobarman]

My roommate is a firm believe in Socialism.. but i dont think it would ever work. How is it possible for people to be whatever they want to be while still living in a successful society such as the US?

 

[vi edit]

My "real job" now is I'm a store manager at a McDonalds.(don't laugh as I make decent money).

I'm not laughing. But I used to. Before I took my position for a company that owns quite a few fast food places I thought it was a pretty unimportant and low paying job. But, now that I actually know what they do, and how much I get paid, I'm whistling a different tune. GM's for fast food stores bust their assess and put up with terrible workers, and more importantly god aweful, idiotic customers day in, and day out. And they are paid QUITE well for their efforts. Much, more than your typical 4 year non-engineering or IT degree will get you.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: PipBoy
At this Burger King near my house there's this 70 year old woman working, it is the saddest goddam thing I've ever seen.

My Mom is 72 years old and still HAS to work part-time. She works in a Docs office as the "office manager." She's kind of in charge of the book keeping and the two other PTimers that work there. She works 3 or 4 days a week.

She could barely eek by on Social Security, but she doesn't want to just eek by. It's sad; I wish I was doing better so I could send her some money every month. I'm getting there though; slowly climbing up the ladder. Slowly, but at least I can say I'm going UP.

I'll be set AFA retirement goes. Not "set" as in "travel the world and buy a home in every city I visit", but "set" as in comfortable.

I am driven to have better than I had growing up. My Father was one of the people yobarman descrbied above. He worked menial jobs for sh1t pay b/c he had a family to support. His back gave out and his temper gave out at 62. He took early retirement. At 63, Parkinson's grabbed him, and so did Alzheimers. A double whammy.

He's now an immobile vegetable that can't speak or move. He doesn't recognize anyone. Not even his wife or kids. He lived a miserable life b/c he never tried to better himself. I'll be damned if I go down that road. I deserve better and I'm busting my butt to get it.

*climbs off soapbox, throws soapbox into furnace*

 

[NuclearFusi0n]

It's just money. Some people find their satisfaction and happiness outside of material things, status and all that jazz. If somebody is truely happy doing what they do, why not?

 

[Geekbabe]

Many of those middle aged people you see are divorced,struggling to rear kids or to care for aged parents.They have little to nothing in terms of social or family supports.

Those menial jobs are usually ass breaking but they do not require a ton of emotional dedication.Also,if a family emergency arises and you can't get to work,end up getting fired you can usually replace that job quickly.