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Vader

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To be completely frank, this isn't even an opinion. It's an actual fact for a significant number of citizens of the United States. I'm honestly flabbergasted that this is even up for debate.

Yes, I certainly agree. Unfortunately, this does seem to be the view of a lot of people and as hard as I work to change that, I realize that it's a lot easier for some people to not have to deal with the notion that we might not live in a meritocracy. I can't blame them because it's sort of a terrifying thing, actually.

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To be completely frank, this isn't even an opinion. It's an actual fact for a significant number of citizens of the United States. I'm honestly flabbergasted that this is even up for debate.

Significant? Have any info to back this up that it's that difficult to find unskilled jobs paying minimum wage? How many minimum wage unskilled jobs have you done? How hard was it for you to get hired? The fact that you think it's not up for debate tells me you have had limited life experience. If someone actually had to pay bills depending on making said minimum wage and they were barely making it, working at a place that is shorting you less than minimum wage and continuing to work there is a sillier concept.

 

The fact that you guys saying it's somehow advocating that it's not easy to find such bad jobs tells me you probably always were well enough off to never have to work these type of places to pay rent, or your parents paid for all of your room and board and expenses until you were out of college. Even the poorer friends I have with a bad track record of employment that jump from crappy job to crappy job have no issue finding the next bad paying job. Any general crap job is better than being paid less than minimum wage.

 

The problem isn't finding unskilled labor, it's that they pay SO low.

 

And to act like people don't have a choice in where they work is completely not a part of this reality. Sometimes the choices are slimmer, but I would venture to guess there are very little if any cases where there is only ONE JOB and you must work only that ONE JOB. And if it's below minimum wage and operating illegally, by golly you better stay there and we will weep for you because there is only one job! Just like high paying jobs, minimum wage jobs are very hard to come by, so please hold on for dear life and never leave that restaurant where you are making $4/hr.! There are no other jobs, there are no other restaurants in this town. In fact the only business in this town is the one restaurant that pays below minimum wage, for 100s of miles in any direction it is just desert!

 

Come on, in no way I'm advocating that the American Dream is real, I'm simply talking about the reality of the situation, of which many of you don't seem to grasp because you just haven't been there, so get off yer high horse.

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Dude just look at the way minorities are treated in this country.

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And what does that have to do with there only being one illegally paying job to select from? The actual issue with minorities is they are pretty much all stuck at minimum wage jobs, can't afford college, can't move up to higher paying jobs because of social factors, not that they are stuck working as shorted bartenders and waiters and can't find work at Target or Walmart or something.

 

Also if you are poor and stuck in a bad job, you probably don't have a car, and you probably aren't working a delivery job which requires a nice phone like Favor or Postmates or Uber. No one is stuck at these 1099 tech jobs.

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Come on, in no way I'm advocating that the American Dream is real, I'm simply talking about the reality of the situation, of which many of you don't seem to grasp because you just haven't been there, so get off yer high horse.

I'm sorry if we've struck a nerve, but this is a pretty bold assumption. Do you actually know where all of us are coming from, or is there some baggage you are bringing in here?

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"get off yer high horse" says the guy being extremely condescending

 

ticcy-gerbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbbb chill out, friend it'll be okay

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I'm sorry if we've struck a nerve, but this is a pretty bold assumption. Do you actually know where all of us are coming from, or is there some baggage you are bringing in here?

 

I can go over every low paying job I've ever taken and tell you not a single one was hard to get. Every time I've had to do this stuff in life I've applied to as many places as I could at once and try hard to chose which one sucked the least. If these shitty jobs want you, they will sometimes call the same day you put in your application and get you in an interview/online test ASAP. Things that most well off people don't want to do like janitorial work, working at a gas station, stocking shelves at a retailer, working at a call center all have high turnover and will get people in as soon as they can to fill gaps.

 

If you don't know this, I'm pretty sure you've never looked for this type of work. Unless you want to tell me a story on how hard it was to find a CVS or 7-11 that was hiring?

 

If you are in a small town, the available work gets slimmer, but small towns are a magnet for fast food places and Walmarts over restaurants where you have the potential to make under minimum wage due to illegal activity.

 

Hell, in the past two years of financial hardship, I've learned almost anyone can work at the IRS or the Post Office if they follow the rules and show up to group hiring processes. Those pay even nicer, are friendlier towards higher minorities and the elderly, but they are almost always full time.

 

Poorly paying jobs just aren't that difficult to find, it's when you want a good wage to live on or if you want to do the thing your college degree and student debt say you should do, that's what's hard in this country.

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Hi, guy here who has spent months looking for fast-food and dishwashing jobs in my area (since I can't afford a bus pass) and have come up empty. I've interviewed at Chipotle 4 times, actually, and this is with food prep experience.

 

Maybe that just means I'm the biggest most useless piece of shit in the world though!

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Maybe that just means I'm the biggest most useless piece of shit in the world though!

No you're not. This has just gotten remarkably personal in a way that is sort of upsetting.

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Hi, guy here who has spent months looking for fast-food and dishwashing jobs in my area (since I can't afford a bus pass) and have come up empty. I've interviewed at Chipotle 4 times, actually, and this is with food prep experience.

 

Maybe that just means I'm the biggest most useless piece of shit in the world though!

No that's not what that means, but why not try everything outside of fast food and dishwashing if it all pays generally the same? You still made the choice to only look in those categories. Someone who is getting paid under minimum wage probably would not be picky on getting out of that situation. What is your situation that you can go that long without any kind of job or income?

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Sorry I know I am posting a lot, but I feel like challenging people on their personal situations is not a great direction for this thread to go? Can we please either agree to not go ad hominem or just lock this one up, as sad as that would be?

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This thread has gotten almost aggressively unhealthy really quickly. There are lots of people here with firsthand personal experience striking out on finding jobs. There is no such thing as "just" or "only" when it comes to life and job situations.

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No that's not what that means, but why not try everything outside of fast food and dishwashing if it all pays generally the same? You still made the choice to only look in those categories. Someone who is getting paid under minimum wage probably would not be picky on getting out of that situation. What is your situation that you can go that long without any kind of job or income?

 

I am underemployed with one job and looking for a second. I make it stretch by running up my credit card and living with a partner who has a government job. As a social worker, actually, so they've been helping me apply when they can. I've also been applying to retail work but have never gotten as far as an interview there. You can say what you'd like about the ease of finding minimum wage work. That is your experience. This is mine.

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Dude, stop, you're lecturing someone else about how to live their life when you don't know their situation. Chill, man. Just chill.

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I'm dubious of the claim that there is a significant number of citizens in the US who are completely stuck in a less than minimum wage job and are completely unable to find another job. I grew up in poverty, got my first job at 14, and landed various other jobs throughout my teenage years and early 20's until I started making much more decent money as a server at Applebee's. I have honestly yet to meet this hypothetical person that is working a job where they make less than minimum wage and are completely unable to leave that job and search for another one. Even some of my least fortunate friends growing up had no problem getting hired at McDonald's or a call center or working at a stand in the mall selling cell phones.

 

I recognize these people do exist out there and it really sucks if you have somehow managed to get hired at the only job that will ever employ you and you are completely stuck. But I think it is false to assume that the number of people in that situation is so large that we just have to suck it up and participate in this system and make up the difference so they are making a living wage. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of people in a shitty job are perfectly capable of leaving that job to find a better one.

 

If there were data to suggest that this isn't the case and that there is this huge percentage of people that can't leave to find a better job, then I would definitely re-think my opinion on this and probably land where most of you are. As it stands now though, I've just never seen any indication that that is the case other than claims made by people here.

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I am underemployed with one job and looking for a second. I make it stretch by running up my credit card and living with a partner who has a government job. As a social worker, actually, so they've been helping me apply when they can. I've also been applying to retail work but have never gotten as far as an interview there. You can say what you'd like about the ease of finding minimum wage work. That is your experience. This is mine.

The only thing I can think of is you must have a degree and are overqualified or seem like you might jump ship. This is my experience with difficulties I have now.

 

I recognize these people do exist out there and it really sucks if you have somehow managed to get hired at the only job that will ever employ you and you are completely stuck. But I think it is false to assume that the number of people in that situation is so large that we just have to suck it up and participate in this system and make up the difference so they are making a living wage. I'm willing to bet that the vast majority of people in a shitty job are perfectly capable of leaving that job to find a better one.

This is exactly how I feel. Situations may suck and when it comes to being shorted, any bad job is better. Even welfare might be better.

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I'm not going to continue this game of 20 questions because I'm getting pretty depressed but no, I have no college degree of any kind.

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Damn, going against the group think on these forums can be rough. I wish we welcomed more diverse opinions without shouting down anybody who dares go against the majority consensus.

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Nothing to do with differences of opinion, this just has gotten extraordinary personal in a way that is unhealthy. 

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