Serving in Florida By:Barbara Ehrenreich

I found this article interesting for several reasons.  I though it did an excellent job of illustrating the type of life style somebody can expect if they feel they don’t need to get an education.  I was impressed with the author’s desire to get an accurate picture of what life is like when you are trying to live on the wages paid by “mediocre” work.  When I was talking with my wife about this article, she asked me why somebody would do what the author had done.  The best explanation I could come up with was, “you can write about a subject like this utilizing two methods.  You can do research on the subject or you write from personal experience.”   I think we all know which method will produce the best results.  It is easier to write about what something tastes like after eating it our selves.  Barbara wanted to know for her self what issues a person faced when living on menial wages, working multiple lives.

She started this project as a science experiment, but it became a personal endeavor for her.  She developed a desire to succeed even though succeeding in the circumstances she was working under was nearly impossible.  She started by working at two different restaurants as a waitress.  I have found myself approaching the reality of having to work two jobs in much the same way.  Look at the two schedules, tell yourself “I can do this, it shouldn’t be that bad”, and then it is off to reality.  Barbara made it two days before the reality of the situation fully set in.

I think she does and excellent job at illustrating the environments in which she worked.  While reading this, I could feel the emotions she was experiencing.  She described the physical environment to the point you couldn’t help but become part of it in some way.  Her experience was only related to poor physical working conditions and low wages.  I don’t think she ever had anything really positive to say about any of her supervisors.  When people work these types of jobs most of the time I think they are viewed as just a temporary employee.  This is well illustrated when she quit her job at Hearthside and her boss was more concerned with the return of two polo shirts and aprons than he was about her.

This article does more than simply state the struggles of trying to live on a low wage.  I think it also illustrates one of the reasons so many people consider themselves a failure in life.  This author had a good life she knew she would be returning to.  She had a good job, a substantial income, and a good home to live in.  Despite all of this, when she walked out on her employer at “Jerry’s”, she felt she had failed.  The way she described this feeling was impressive.  I have had those times when the description she gives about her feeling of failure seemed to match mine exactly.  If somebody who has so much to return too feels this way, how do we expect somebody to feel when they don’t have anything better to return to?