Nickle and Dimed

[wrightwilliams]

Barbara Ehrenreich's book "Nickle and Dimed" gave insight into a world unseen by those working well above minimum wage. Before reading the book a person would assume that a minimum wage job is at least enough to get by in the United States. However, the truth is that with all of the surprise expenses and basic living requirements, minimum wage as anything but enough to get by.

One major reason it's difficult to live off of an unskilled job, is that those jobs are difficult to find in the first place. Due to the natural attrition that comes with low paying jobs, businesses often run help wanted ads when they aren't even looking to employ new workers. The tactic makes the job market seem more open than it is. Distance also plays a major part in the availability of jobs. Low wage earners often don't have cars due to the expensive upkeep and the price of gasoline. Public transportation is lacking in many parts of the US and the ability to live within a reasonable distance of your job is vital. However, finding affordable housing is an issue in and of itself.

Once the issue of getting a job and finding a place to live nearby is achieved, people often approach another hurdle. The low-wages paid for their jobs. The author's inability to survive more more than a few months really opened my eyes to the difficulty of being an unskilled worker and the inability to live for long periods of time on one minimum wage. Throughout the book some female workers put up with abusive relationships for the extra paycheck. For those who didn't obtain spouses finding two jobs was the only alternative. Working those long hours was often impossible to maintain mentally or physically. The physical ware of the jobs could lead to sickness or injury. With a person's physical condition their only means of work, and a low-wage company's blantant disregard for their workers healthcare, the worker could be fired and out of work.

The author's experience at Wal-Mart taught me the constant tension between the workers and the executives of the company. Barbara mentioned one company that fired all of their veteran workers because they had been there too long and their wages had gone up too high. The workers could then re-apply, but only recieve entry level wages for their efforts. The difficulties of living on a low-wage lifestyle were apparent, and seemingly impossible to mantain. The jobs were often more physically demanding than they appeared, and weren't enough to live on.

Barbara Ehrenreich's novel "Nickle and Dimed" was eye-opening and fully demonstrated the difficulties of low-wage earners. The book effectively conveyed the feeling of hopelessness and dispair felt by the lower-class. The experience was insightful and allowed a short glimpse into the life of a minimum wage worker.

[dowellharmon]

I agree totally with your thought that minimum wage was enough to get by. Before reading the book, I thought it would be more than enough, but I was shocked to find, like you, that it wasn’t anywhere near enough money. I had also never realized that business would run help wanted ads constantly, I hadn’t seen to many other people notice that, but that definitely stuck out in my mind. The paradox seen in the ability to get a job requiring an address, and transportation to get there, while you need a job to have an address and transportation, which you somewhat mention is just baffling to me as well. Like you, I took a special hit from the wal-mart section, and it made me hate wal-mart even more than I already did. It is awful that the veterans were fired just because their pay was too high. The fact that it was just a short gllimps into their lives is what makes it so scary to me, and makes their lives seem even worse, because of all the back-up she had, she still struggled, and she was only at each job for a little over a month, so that was definitely eye-opening. I think your response was very well written and insightful!

[rachelnewcomb]

I really enjoyed this post. I thought it was an excellent summary of Barbara Ehrenreich's experiences in Nickel and Dimed. I had no idea that employers had help wanted signs when really they did not want help. It's tactical, but it's a pretty jerk move on the employers part, just like firing older workers. I also like how you mentioned issues with transportation. That was a problem prior to reading the novel I had not considered. I think that more public transportation could really benefit cities. It would help people keep jobs and put our natural resources to more efficient use. It's really sad to think about people who have stayed in abusive relationships because they had no financial exit and also the physical strains of daily work. All in all, the book really shed light on a lot of consequences and problems I had not ever considered. I thought being poor meant maybe you don't have money to go to the movies, you wear second-hand clothes, etc., but no it's this terrible vicious cycle where you can't even get necessities. The work definitely communicated a sense of hopelessness and despair associated with poverity. I feel a little despaired just thinking and writing about it now and I'm not even living it.

[johnthompson]

This book was also a realization for me. The purpose of this book was to bring attention to the difficulty exhibited by lower class Americans every day. Many of us who are not a part of this class are completely oblivious to their struggles. The class gap, in this country and in most places around the world for that matter, is enormous. There is little knowledge on either side of wealth that knows much about the other. Barbra does a good job of bringing attention of how there is not a way for minimum wage worker to make it by in the United States with a healthy standard of living. The point Wright makes is a fantastic one. The poor are invisible to the rest of the country. Through “Nickel and Dimed” we realize that there is in fact a horrible standard of living in our country. That one in five people in the United States live in poverty. One in five children in this country goes hungry on any given night. And they are trapped in that spot. Those same children are not taught motivation, they are never taught to excel and the rest of the country calls them lazy.