Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Inquiry 4
In Nickel and Dimed Ehrenreich discusses her experiences as a minimum-wage worker. She is correct about the rigorous work a lot of low income jobs require. However, in this piece she makes the assumption that all low income workers work this hard, and that higher income people do not. I disagree with this point of view. There are plenty of low income workers who work hard and care about their job, but there are also plenty that do not take pride in their work or care about the quality. Her point of view hints that higher income people were just born into it, and have never had to work hard for what they have. Many of these people have worked hard and taken great risks to achieve what they have. She also says the minimuim wage should be raised, when many economists have proven this only reduces the number of jobs available. I like Ehrenreich's blunt and to the point writing, but I don't think scrubbing toilets for a year gives you the insight to change federal policy.
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I think you're right about Ehenreich supporting a view that middle to upper class people were all born into their social standing. There are plenty of examples of people who've clawed their way up the social ladder, in America. Brent Staples is one of these.
You also represent Ehenreich's view as rather shaky, coming from someone who only spent a couple of years scrubbing toilets, and I agree with this to an extent. She feels like her job was so hard, but I kind've laughed at that part, and wanted to yell at her as a person who has done more strenuous jobs "Try construction working!" Whether or not her arguments hold, though, I think that was not the point of her writing. I think the point of Nickeled and Dimed was really just to share her experience, and let someone else decide on the policies and whatnot.
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