Comments on: The importance of being employed http://www.myworldinshambles.com/the-importance-of-being-employed Just another WordPress weblog Sat, 19 May 2012 22:39:10 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 By: Sheila http://www.myworldinshambles.com/the-importance-of-being-employed#comment-3967 Sheila Thu, 02 Apr 2009 17:55:51 +0000 http://www.myworldinshambles.com/the-importance-of-being-employed#comment-3967 Allow me to shoot off on tangential line: The other night the Large Hardware Retailer where I work had a store meeting. These meetings take place at 7pm on Sunday evenings, an hour when the store is normally closed and none of the before- or after-hours stock crews are working. A few of the employees brought an infant or young child to the meeting. Though I think one woman wanted to show her baby off to the many of us wanting to fawn over the child, the others just didn't have childcare arrangements for 7pm on a Sunday. As we were leaving, one of the employees who is, like me, childless and college educated asked me snarkily when the Large Hardware Retailer became a daycare. I was thankful the night concealed my rising dander, as I needed to borrow this employee's jumper cables. Plus, I like her. But I hate that society (1) demands so fucking much of poor mothers, as illustrated by your above post, and (2) won't give them a fucking break when they do land that up-by-the-bootstraps job ringing up wrenches and drywall. The Large Hardware Retailer is unlike most cashier gigs in that there is a chance to move up into some kind of useful wage or salary, and there are less-unaffordable-than-most-retailers benefits and 401k opportunities in the meantime. So the cashier mothers are well on their way to gripping those goddamn bootstraps with which Americans are obsessed. Do we congratulate them, or cut them some fucking slack? No, we bitch about them having the audacity to bring the kiddo to the meeting. Also, I overheard someone's surprise when a mother explained that the live-in father was off at his (also shittily-paying) job. The employee clearly assumed the woman was raising the baby alone. Because being an unmarried man of color automatically means you don't support your daughter, right? Fuck people. Allow me to shoot off on tangential line:

The other night the Large Hardware Retailer where I work had a store meeting. These meetings take place at 7pm on Sunday evenings, an hour when the store is normally closed and none of the before- or after-hours stock crews are working.

A few of the employees brought an infant or young child to the meeting. Though I think one woman wanted to show her baby off to the many of us wanting to fawn over the child, the others just didn’t have childcare arrangements for 7pm on a Sunday.

As we were leaving, one of the employees who is, like me, childless and college educated asked me snarkily when the Large Hardware Retailer became a daycare. I was thankful the night concealed my rising dander, as I needed to borrow this employee’s jumper cables. Plus, I like her. But I hate that society (1) demands so fucking much of poor mothers, as illustrated by your above post, and (2) won’t give them a fucking break when they do land that up-by-the-bootstraps job ringing up wrenches and drywall.

The Large Hardware Retailer is unlike most cashier gigs in that there is a chance to move up into some kind of useful wage or salary, and there are less-unaffordable-than-most-retailers benefits and 401k opportunities in the meantime. So the cashier mothers are well on their way to gripping those goddamn bootstraps with which Americans are obsessed. Do we congratulate them, or cut them some fucking slack? No, we bitch about them having the audacity to bring the kiddo to the meeting.

Also, I overheard someone’s surprise when a mother explained that the live-in father was off at his (also shittily-paying) job. The employee clearly assumed the woman was raising the baby alone. Because being an unmarried man of color automatically means you don’t support your daughter, right? Fuck people.

]]> By: Anna http://www.myworldinshambles.com/the-importance-of-being-employed#comment-3808 Anna Thu, 19 Feb 2009 02:55:43 +0000 http://www.myworldinshambles.com/the-importance-of-being-employed#comment-3808 Let's not forget the attitude that people have towards those who fall under many of the "categories" you've just mentioned--and I'm talking food stamps. Once I was in a supermarket and a woman paid with food stamps for her groceries and the check-out clerk gave her this deathly stare and made some sort of comment, like "oh THOSE again". I was so pissed I found the manager and told him (of course it's a him) about the clerk. Five minutes later I felt guilty for possibly costing the clerk her job. :( Let’s not forget the attitude that people have towards those who fall under many of the “categories” you’ve just mentioned–and I’m talking food stamps. Once I was in a supermarket and a woman paid with food stamps for her groceries and the check-out clerk gave her this deathly stare and made some sort of comment, like “oh THOSE again”. I was so pissed I found the manager and told him (of course it’s a him) about the clerk.

Five minutes later I felt guilty for possibly costing the clerk her job. :(

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