Nickel and Dimed

[zaidsiddiqui]

Nickel and Dimed was a book about struggling to survive in America. On the cover it correctly says, “on not getting by in America.” In my opinion, the book doesn’t reflect the life of an average American because Mrs. Ehrenreich always went into jobs that paid more than the minimum wage of 2001. She always managed to find jobs where started above minimum wage and that isn’t true for most Americans. Rarely does anyone enter the workforce at Wal-mart or at a diner, which pays a few dollars an hour above minimum wage. The minimum wage in 2001 was $5.15 and Mrs. Ehrenreich goes into jobs that paid her 6 or 7 dollars an hour. I’ve worked at an oil change place for an entire summer and even a few days this summer. I met people who only make minimum wage because that’s all the place can afford to give them. Their hours are cut and they struggle to live. Mrs. Ehrenreich always managed to find decent jobs and suitable places to live. Another flaw in her method was that most people have spouses or someone else who they work with, but Mrs. Ehrenreich made it harder on herself by working alone. She also had an emergency fund that no one has. Another theme of the book was cleanliness. Mrs. Ehrenreich always found a job in cleaning: a hotel maid in Florida, a maids service in Maine and taking care of the Elderly in Minnesota. I agree with Mrs. Ehrenreich when she said that cleaning jobs were the most disgusting type of job there was. She also focused on how all the jobs she went to required skill and hard work even though the jobs were classified as unskilled labor. She stated, “But no job is as easy as it looks to the uninitiated,” illustrating that unskilled labor isn’t really unskilled (page 155, fist line). Mrs. Ehrenreich also gives a great deal of insight on how working at a diner and at Wal-mart is especially tough. I’ve heard that workers at places like Wal-mart are often mistreated and after reading Nickel and Dimed, I discovered that the rumors I had heard were true. I also learned a lot from Nickel and Dimed. I learned that many of the jobs that I considered t be easy require a great deal more of patience and also require a lot of sympathy and empathy. I’ve learned that “unskilled” laborers are the driving force of the American economy. I also believe that the minimum wage must be increased in order to better the quality of life of Americans and to possibly strengthen the American economy. Another important fact that Mrs. Ehrenreich mentions is how difficult it is for the poorer people to receive any kind of aid. She calls four five places before she finally receives aid and when she receives it, she can only get vouchers for items that barely fill her up. Mrs. Ehrenreich proves that it is almost impossible to live on close to minimum wage in America by oneself.

[megancoleman]

Zaid, you make a completely wonderful point about Mrs. Ehrenreich's journey of the low wage working, she always had a job that was above minimum wage and had her ATM card as a backup. The situation has seemingly become less and less realistic, because many people struggle to make ends meet, and they make minimum wage. But it does point out that even when people do make a little more than minimum wage they still struggle to make ends meet. It becomes even harder when the money is less than what they need it to be to get the necessities to support the people in their lives, which may only be them, or others, minimum wage is almost impossible to live on.
The jobs they do to earn minimum wage are tough jobs, and that is also a good point, the jobs aren't easy for what they do or how the workers themselves are treated. Thus, I agree that minimum wage needs to be increased for the better of America because people need to be able to live and support their family or them as a single person, minimum wage does not seem to be enough to live on, in our changing world the money also has to change because people are not able to support themselves.

[duff]

That's a perspective I hadn't considered yet and now thinking about I understand where your coming from so I'm feeling a little conflicted on the authenticity of her report as a whole. Although she wasn't trying to convey the perspective of one in extreme poverty but someone that has to cope with the struggles of a more average and common poverty lifestyle at the time. Also referring to the start up money she used to get started may have been unfair, but even though someone is dealing with poverty doesn't mean they had to adapt in their late 40's instantaneously and simply get thrown into it after enjoying the luxuries many take for granted when being financially successful.