Post by rachelnewcomb on Aug 7, 2011 22:58:22 GMT -5
Few novels I can honestly say have changed my life, have altered my perspective in such a way that my daily actions are reevaluated or redirected. Barbara Ehrenreich’s book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America is one of the few books that did. I wouldn’t describe myself as entirely unsympathetic to America’s working poor before reading the novel, but I definitely did not understand the complex cycle of poverty or the daily struggle of individuals living on a low income. I now know it’s the easy way out to blame poor people for being poor; to say they should work harder, save their money, get an education. Blaming the poor people for being poor helps the fortunate feel justified in their own abundance and absolved of any responsibility toward those less fortunate.
While I found the novel eye-opening, at times I found myself annoyed with Ehrenreich. Often times I found Ehrenreich’s tone to be mildly condescending to the working poor around her. It’s one thing to describe how hard they have to work and the conditions they must settle for, but I thought she gave unnecessary, embarrassing details about appearance and personal hygiene. I also thought her outrage over drug tests was unreasonable. I view being drug-free as a qualification an employer seeks. The employer has every right test for that qualification. Instead of throwing a fit about how much of a “personal invasion” it is to be tested, I would’ve liked if she had admitted from the beginning that she’d smoked marijuana recently. She tried to make it seem like she fought the idea merely on the principle of it, but she didn’t want to take a drug test because she’d fail. The overall experiment was unrealistic. There were too many back-up resources for Ehrenreich. Though it’s clear she still struggled, the project seemed like a halfhearted attempt at living as the working poor. Then again, it would be impossible for her to fully assume the role of a poor person given the privilege she’d already experienced in her life.
Regardless, prior to reading the novel I didn’t understand how hard it could be to make ends meet. I wasn’t unaware of the imbalance between low wages and the cost of rent. I hadn’t seriously considered the physical and psychological effects of nearly constant manual labor low wage jobs. One of Barbara’s colleagues Colleen said, “I don’t mind, really, because I guess I’m a simple person, and I don’t want what they have. I mean, it’s nothing to me. But what I would like is to be able to take a day off now and then...if I had to...and still be able to buy groceries the next day.” It’s depressing what low wage workers have to settle for. It was easy for me to overlook people who stocked the shelves at Wal-Mart, cleaned hotel bathrooms, and worked in fast-food restaurants. However after reading Nickel and Dimed I find myself not only noticing these individuals more frequently, but taking the time to wonder what their lives are like. I remember Ehrenreich’s discussing how invisible she felt throughout her work. I try to be a little kinder and more generous, make sure the person knows I appreciate them as a person, not just as an objectified laborer. I never imagined that the only through the sacrifices of the working poor am I able to enjoy so many luxuries for such little monetary cost. As Ehreneich said, “When someone works for less pay than she can live on -- when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently -- than she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made of a gift of some part of her abilities, her health and her life.” Consequently, I look at the material items in my life differently. I take the time to consider the true value of the services I receive.
While I found the novel eye-opening, at times I found myself annoyed with Ehrenreich. Often times I found Ehrenreich’s tone to be mildly condescending to the working poor around her. It’s one thing to describe how hard they have to work and the conditions they must settle for, but I thought she gave unnecessary, embarrassing details about appearance and personal hygiene. I also thought her outrage over drug tests was unreasonable. I view being drug-free as a qualification an employer seeks. The employer has every right test for that qualification. Instead of throwing a fit about how much of a “personal invasion” it is to be tested, I would’ve liked if she had admitted from the beginning that she’d smoked marijuana recently. She tried to make it seem like she fought the idea merely on the principle of it, but she didn’t want to take a drug test because she’d fail. The overall experiment was unrealistic. There were too many back-up resources for Ehrenreich. Though it’s clear she still struggled, the project seemed like a halfhearted attempt at living as the working poor. Then again, it would be impossible for her to fully assume the role of a poor person given the privilege she’d already experienced in her life.
Regardless, prior to reading the novel I didn’t understand how hard it could be to make ends meet. I wasn’t unaware of the imbalance between low wages and the cost of rent. I hadn’t seriously considered the physical and psychological effects of nearly constant manual labor low wage jobs. One of Barbara’s colleagues Colleen said, “I don’t mind, really, because I guess I’m a simple person, and I don’t want what they have. I mean, it’s nothing to me. But what I would like is to be able to take a day off now and then...if I had to...and still be able to buy groceries the next day.” It’s depressing what low wage workers have to settle for. It was easy for me to overlook people who stocked the shelves at Wal-Mart, cleaned hotel bathrooms, and worked in fast-food restaurants. However after reading Nickel and Dimed I find myself not only noticing these individuals more frequently, but taking the time to wonder what their lives are like. I remember Ehrenreich’s discussing how invisible she felt throughout her work. I try to be a little kinder and more generous, make sure the person knows I appreciate them as a person, not just as an objectified laborer. I never imagined that the only through the sacrifices of the working poor am I able to enjoy so many luxuries for such little monetary cost. As Ehreneich said, “When someone works for less pay than she can live on -- when, for example, she goes hungry so that you can eat more cheaply and conveniently -- than she has made a great sacrifice for you, she has made of a gift of some part of her abilities, her health and her life.” Consequently, I look at the material items in my life differently. I take the time to consider the true value of the services I receive.