Skaman
02-21-2005, 05:43 PM
This is a rough draft.
The context of this paper is relevant to both the USA and Canada.
Therefore, bearing this is mind; please provide insight, thoughts, and questions regarding:
-Class Inequality
-Ehrenreich's work
Contemporary Western America: the beating heart of the vice of Capitalism and the birth giver to the corporate world, furthermore, it is the architect of immense innumerable wealth, capital, and the profit that follows in its wake. Competition, big business, and the unequal distribution of wealth dominate western ideology, reinforced by self made wealth and individualism. The iron law of oligarchy rules supreme as those in power, the few financially dominant, secure their wealth and assert their dominance over the many. America’s late twentieth century saw a transmutation of its commercial and economic forefront as the small business sector and independent work force was overpowered by massive conglomerates securing their dominance in their respective markets.
Society has become enveloped in the larger realm of competitive America, operating as a new interdependent and functioning whole. However, this unequal distribution of wealth and dominance of big business has put a large percentage of entry level working Americans into a precarious position as they struggle to make bare subsistence, surviving on the meager wages of hourly working class occupations. The American eye has gone unflinching, unaffected by the status of poverty, wage, and employment that have collectively become a norm of the greater lower strata of the American class system; few look to the inequalities and desperation working class America is faced with, and the changing dynamics of housing availability and living wages which are increasingly rising, while wages suffer and grow only so slightly. This apparent inability of wages to coincide with living costs has come as an immense societal detriment, furthering the gap between those in possession of wealth, and those without.
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed has jumped headfirst into the realm of working class America through an in-depth participatory case study where she immerses herself in working class culture, gaining further insight into the nature of entry level employment, pertaining mostly to wages, skilled or unskilled labor, work ethic, management, living expenditures, and the ability to simply survive the grind of low paying occupational employment. Interestingly enough, working class employment dominates the greatest sector of the job market in America. Ehrenreich intends to reveal the status of entry level work, and the inability or immense difficulty in surviving on low wage employment. By partaking in various jobs in different areas of the country Barbara Ehrenreich can examine various low-wage occupational positions, rather than limit her findings to a single state, or method of work, which evidently would show her studies to be flawed. Therefore, by experimenting with a variety of housing situations, and dealing with a range of different coworkers, she can gather a more comprehensive set of data, both statistical, and experience related. Ultimately, Ehrenreich can expose her findings to the greater realm of the American populous, revealing the nature of her work, and acting as a testament to the necessity for increased wages, and more affordable housing which has clearly neglected a great proportion of the American people.
As mentioned prior, Ehrenreich partakes in various occupational positions of the undesirable American work place, where she here applies various quantitative and qualitative methods of study, which together provide the backbone for her argument regarding the insufficiencies of an entry level work place to accommodate working class, often uneducated individuals. Ehrenreich begins her study by securing a job in Key West Florida; mostly do the close proximity of her home, and her familiarity with the area. Here she takes up serving occupations at local family diners, the Hearthside and Jerry’s, offering barely just wages of over two dollar an hour, compensated and legitimized by the money made in tipping, shared amongst the staff. Issues regarding the nature of this pay are obvious as the pay can be inconsistent and is dependant on customer tipping behavior, and the frequency of traffic into the restaurant which can fluctuate between seasons. There appears to be both benefits and disadvantages to this method of pay, as it is not taxed, however, it cannot relied upon as a currency accumulated in annual tax returns, which evidently is a staple and necessity of working class survival.
Work at Hearthside is continuous and monotonous, affording no breaks to their employees except to relive oneself, as if not to hamper their ability to be an efficient worker, ignoring the exhaustion and hectic nature of work that is continuously reinforced by management and the desire of employers to find work for their staff despite times when the atmosphere may have slowed down to an easier pace due to fewer customers. The quality of work and the conditions are hardly ideal, subjecting their employees to an environment masked in smoke, sure to facilitate emphysema over an extended period of time. The employees are not afforded any opportunity to eat or to maintain some kind of energy throughout the day, and are strictly reminded of policy by Gail, their authoritarian manager. The restaurants employ an eclectic mix of various ethnic individuals, including recently landed emigrants from the former Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, and Haiti who demonstrate little grasp of the English language and are thus put into positions of little human interaction such as dish washing, or sanitary positions which consequently receive even less pay. The lack of linguistic skills comes as a detriment to these individuals, as evidence of one incident can be demonstrated when an Eastern European man working in the bowels of the restaurant was perceived to have been stealing food, despite the fact this was not proven, and was purely speculative. Additionally, the man knew little of the circumstances or perhaps formal operations due to a poor language grasp. Nonetheless, the collective whole of the employees thus suffer as a result and are subject to search of personal property, including purses and other such personal possessions. This breach of privacy and interest of ones personal being is reinforced with drug testing and rigorous questioning, exemplified through the hiring process at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota.
Ehrenreich lives in Key West on a barely sufficient wage of 1, 039 dollars a month using 517 dollars for essentials and 500 for her rent at a local trailer park. To survive on more than bare essentials it is evident that one must sacrifice sleep and any other “nonessential” activities by taking up a second job. Ehrenreich compensates for her lack of financial survivability by combining employment as Jerry’s with their partnership at a local hotel, where she takes a position as a maid. It is apparent that for jobs that one often pre-supposes to require little skill are in actuality immensely difficult and clearly foreign to the uninitiated. Low wage working class occupations are implicit in the enforcement for one to adapt to a new inward looking job mentality or culture, and the expectation for one to exhibit the qualities of punctuality, cleanliness, cheerfulness and obedience, irrespective of exhaustion or work related hardships including physical strain and stress. These factors can be attributed to the high rate of turnover as Ehrenreich stresses. The work place will emphasize “spirit” and “hard-work” yet provides little or no incentive, rather than the fear of losing ones jobs which can be easily replaced in a job market with mass hiring and mass firings. The resentment of ones employment often leads to cynicism and the development of idiosyncrasy, which show an indication of abhorrence and disregard for the work place. From the vulgar customers at he hearthside demanding a hot plate to the geriatrics at nursing homes in Maine spilling plates of hot food on you, and the physically and emotionally demanding housekeeping, this work is clearly not easy, and the wage rates to not balance out to the respective demands of these jobs. One could allude to this, as Ehrenreich examined the living conditions and position of employment for various coworkers. During her stint as a server in Maine it was revealed that the abject living conditions were quite serious, as her coworkers living arrangements ranged from a dry docked boat, trailer park residences, and day to day hotel living, or braving nights outside a shopping mall in a van where living expense ranged from four-hundred dollars a month to sixty dollars a night.
Similar trends are seen among the working class community; few have sufficient money to facilitate health, clothing and dental costs, which can be seen from the somewhat outward appearance of individuals quite predominant at places like Wal-Mart. Employees suffer from poor dental and tattered shoes, and can barely justify purchasing a stained seven dollar shirt in clearance due to an increasingly tightened financial belt. Ehrenreich herself struggles to accommodate her eating costs, resorting to scrounging for loose condiments from fast food diners and tea packers, which clearly would come at an expense of her health. She can rarely afford a nutritious meal, often turning to the readily available and exploitative fast food market. Interesting enough, from Ehrenreich’s work, it seems there is an internal support network among the working class community to look after one another. Melissa, a coworker of the Wal-Mart offers her a sandwich, aware of her dire eating situation, augmented by her lack of a fridge and ability to sustain raw or cold food. Additionally, Caroline offers her home when Barb is faced with a lack of housing options in Minneapolis, while many other across Maine, Florida, and Minnesota offer emotional support in the wake of managerial criticisms and customer discourtesy. Therefore, they turn to one another, offering positive reinforcement, biding their time with social interaction, gossip and stories, despite the reiteration of work policy concerning “time-theft”, “laziness” or lack of an apparent work ethic.
Ehrenreich’s post analysis of her work broke down the financial situation in each state, measured by living costs, necessities, toiletries and transport, subsequently coming to the conclusion that one must take up an additional job despite wage inabilities to match that of living costs. As the wealthy and the poor compete for housing, it is the poor who are abandonded, unable to offer competitive housing bids with their limited income. Statistics offered by Ehrenreich in her evaluation show that from 1960 there has been a shift of the family’s income expenditures to housing costs from twenty-nine percent to now thirty seven percent in 1999, while cutting back on the cost of food to balance a budget. Despite the general wage increase of $5.49 to $7.35, this proves to be rather inconsistent, bearing in mind wages at the Hearthside and Jerry’s namely. Additionally, according to the economic policy institute, thirty thousands dollars a years is needed to support one parent and a two child family, or fourteen dollars an hour, clearly less than the working wages offered to Ehrenreich for entry level work. An attempt to probe employers about higher rates of pay is often circumvented by the claim of offering advantageous hours, and free breakfasts as suggested by Ehrenreich’s employer in Maine as a maid. Support groups offer nothing but short term remedies including housing subsidies, food stamps, baskets, and housing shelters. It is clear that the inadequacy of wages needs to be compensated by effective public services, healthcare, available public transport, which are lacking in the continental United States as Ehrenreich argues.
Ehrenreich’s argument appears to be clearly rooted in aspects of macro sociological theory, demonstrating an acknowledgement of conflict theory where tension, conflict and change are bred by an inequality and the disagreement of power. This model can be applied to numerous work places and can be attributed to Barb’s influence of quitting, with a dichotomy revolving around worker and managerial perceptions of operation. While Ehrenreich hopes to remedy employee concerns with talk of a union in Wal-Mart this is clearly a topic of aggravation for employers who as a result fire their workers, of course legitimized under the mask of other work infractions. Additionally Ehrenreich seems to subconsciously acknowledge foundational sociological theory, including that of George Simmel who emphasized the multi relational aspects of society in constant interaction. An indication of this can be made with the clear relational network of skill, employment, wage, housing and white collar norms and behavior. Additionally, the author acknowledges Weber’s model of bureaucracy which concentrates on labor specialization and the formal rules and operational structure of hierarchical employment which is reinforced throughout Ehrenreich employment, including various criticisms, and work obligations. Wal-Mart for example follows a system where one must “punch-out” their time card when taking a pre determined fifteen minute break. Aspects of time theft, eating restrictions, and the necessity to work overtime without compensation all constitute the formal regulatory structure of hierarchical business that is reinforced and stressed through introductory seminars.
Ehrenreich does an effective analysis of working class environments and culture by approaching a variety of occupational positions throughout various states and cross referencing findings, engaging in a thorough series of personal interactive experiences which supplement her data and arguments. By complementing her work through investigative study of employee/employer relations she offers first hand insight into this wage and authority dynamic. Additionally, the author effectively is able to present herself as a member of the working class despite her pre-existing higher education. Her disposition to challenge authority, and ask questions may have perhaps created speculation to the nature of her employment and position, compromising the goal of her work leading to possible exposure. Nonetheless, Ehrenreich manages to effectively present herself as a working class member of society, presenting a resume that does not compromise her position or indicate her actual status. Ultimately, Ehrenreich manages to immerse herself in an interesting occupational environment, gathering evidence pertinent to her argument. One must be aware that Ehrenreich’s work cannot be taken as definitive or exact, and pending further study for comparative analysis by other who undertake a similar investigation we cannot be certain of the authors findings or arguments which have shown indication of bias, and a lack of commitment to replicating working class culture. For an individual who had hoped to partake in working class culture, she affords herself some unnecessary luxuries which under normal circumstances would be inadvisable, such as treating herself to a meal at Applebee’s. Additionally, in reference to bias, we can see working class mentality developing: a homeowner directs her too a marble bathroom fixture which is “bleeding”, which Barb sharply replies: “that’s not your marble bleeding; it’s the world wide working class.
Ultimately however, I see Ehrenreich’s work as an important read that takes into serious consideration the state of working class culture, and the inability of this stratum of America to makes ends meet. It would be ideal that pending further reading on this subject, individuals pay more significant attention to this issue, searching out an effective solution, rather than acknowledge it as a social norm, and inevitability. As one would expect, not all examinations of Ehrenreich’s work are viewed in the same light.
Scarping by, a Salon.com review of Ehrenreich’s work seems rather dismissive of the author’s work, critical of her tendencies to reveal the dark and bleak situation for America’s working class, yet offers little in the way of a solution. In response, I would argue in favor of Ehrenreich suggesting this was not her goal, or object of her case study, rather as suggested earlier, to immerse herself into the entry level working class of America, and reveal the indignities of the job place, not to offer the solution which would be clearly audacious and arrogant as it cannot be rectified through a study only covering three states. Additionally, the reviewer at Salon.com openly comments on the political tendencies of Barbara Ehrenreich which I see as hardly pertinent, and if anything, it is bias on the part of the reviewer, as if too discredit her work. However, I do see a comment regarding the “bull****” test for admission at Wal-Mart in the face of an employee as an overstep of ones ethical boundaries, isolating this individual, stripping her of dignity, clearly indicating a lack of professional objectivity. In that regard, Salon.com is fair in their assessment.
Steve Early who wrote a review of Nickel and Dimed seems somewhat torn between his appreciation for her writing style and recreation of working class occupations, and his discredit to her, justified only by his belief that her work is “half assed”, or a poor replication of working class Americans. What Early fails to recognize is despite the fact that she has no children to look after during her work, this takes little away from her argument; if anything, this adds to strength of argument which would suggest the increased difficulty in raising children given her wages, displayed by the hardship of a single women to make bare subsistence. Early takes Ehrenreich’s work as an interesting and revealing expose’ of working class jobs, yet not a piece of work that can be effectively measured as testament to the struggle of working class America. Given the nature of Ehrenreich’s work, even if it was not an accurate recreation or immersion, it was as she had hoped a book which would draw attention to the apparent dismal wage and employment situation, irregardless of her methodology.
Alternatively, “making ends meet” an editorial by the NYtimes looks to an Ehrenreich’s work as an excellent conveyance of the working poor or America, brining a concise and clear set of findings that expose the underbelly of corporate and capitalist America. While this editorial holds high praise of Nickel and Dimed, it does not provide any evidence, support, or explanation to its praise, therefore the weight of Gallagher's praise falls flat. Rather it is a reiteration of the book itself, not an effective review. However, I was pleased to come across a less critical review of a book that I also thoroughly enjoyed and would insist as an essential read to anyone wishing to know more about the pressing social and class dilemmas/inequalities that press the Western American Continent.
The context of this paper is relevant to both the USA and Canada.
Therefore, bearing this is mind; please provide insight, thoughts, and questions regarding:
-Class Inequality
-Ehrenreich's work
Contemporary Western America: the beating heart of the vice of Capitalism and the birth giver to the corporate world, furthermore, it is the architect of immense innumerable wealth, capital, and the profit that follows in its wake. Competition, big business, and the unequal distribution of wealth dominate western ideology, reinforced by self made wealth and individualism. The iron law of oligarchy rules supreme as those in power, the few financially dominant, secure their wealth and assert their dominance over the many. America’s late twentieth century saw a transmutation of its commercial and economic forefront as the small business sector and independent work force was overpowered by massive conglomerates securing their dominance in their respective markets.
Society has become enveloped in the larger realm of competitive America, operating as a new interdependent and functioning whole. However, this unequal distribution of wealth and dominance of big business has put a large percentage of entry level working Americans into a precarious position as they struggle to make bare subsistence, surviving on the meager wages of hourly working class occupations. The American eye has gone unflinching, unaffected by the status of poverty, wage, and employment that have collectively become a norm of the greater lower strata of the American class system; few look to the inequalities and desperation working class America is faced with, and the changing dynamics of housing availability and living wages which are increasingly rising, while wages suffer and grow only so slightly. This apparent inability of wages to coincide with living costs has come as an immense societal detriment, furthering the gap between those in possession of wealth, and those without.
Barbara Ehrenreich, author of Nickel and Dimed has jumped headfirst into the realm of working class America through an in-depth participatory case study where she immerses herself in working class culture, gaining further insight into the nature of entry level employment, pertaining mostly to wages, skilled or unskilled labor, work ethic, management, living expenditures, and the ability to simply survive the grind of low paying occupational employment. Interestingly enough, working class employment dominates the greatest sector of the job market in America. Ehrenreich intends to reveal the status of entry level work, and the inability or immense difficulty in surviving on low wage employment. By partaking in various jobs in different areas of the country Barbara Ehrenreich can examine various low-wage occupational positions, rather than limit her findings to a single state, or method of work, which evidently would show her studies to be flawed. Therefore, by experimenting with a variety of housing situations, and dealing with a range of different coworkers, she can gather a more comprehensive set of data, both statistical, and experience related. Ultimately, Ehrenreich can expose her findings to the greater realm of the American populous, revealing the nature of her work, and acting as a testament to the necessity for increased wages, and more affordable housing which has clearly neglected a great proportion of the American people.
As mentioned prior, Ehrenreich partakes in various occupational positions of the undesirable American work place, where she here applies various quantitative and qualitative methods of study, which together provide the backbone for her argument regarding the insufficiencies of an entry level work place to accommodate working class, often uneducated individuals. Ehrenreich begins her study by securing a job in Key West Florida; mostly do the close proximity of her home, and her familiarity with the area. Here she takes up serving occupations at local family diners, the Hearthside and Jerry’s, offering barely just wages of over two dollar an hour, compensated and legitimized by the money made in tipping, shared amongst the staff. Issues regarding the nature of this pay are obvious as the pay can be inconsistent and is dependant on customer tipping behavior, and the frequency of traffic into the restaurant which can fluctuate between seasons. There appears to be both benefits and disadvantages to this method of pay, as it is not taxed, however, it cannot relied upon as a currency accumulated in annual tax returns, which evidently is a staple and necessity of working class survival.
Work at Hearthside is continuous and monotonous, affording no breaks to their employees except to relive oneself, as if not to hamper their ability to be an efficient worker, ignoring the exhaustion and hectic nature of work that is continuously reinforced by management and the desire of employers to find work for their staff despite times when the atmosphere may have slowed down to an easier pace due to fewer customers. The quality of work and the conditions are hardly ideal, subjecting their employees to an environment masked in smoke, sure to facilitate emphysema over an extended period of time. The employees are not afforded any opportunity to eat or to maintain some kind of energy throughout the day, and are strictly reminded of policy by Gail, their authoritarian manager. The restaurants employ an eclectic mix of various ethnic individuals, including recently landed emigrants from the former Yugoslavia, Eastern Europe, and Haiti who demonstrate little grasp of the English language and are thus put into positions of little human interaction such as dish washing, or sanitary positions which consequently receive even less pay. The lack of linguistic skills comes as a detriment to these individuals, as evidence of one incident can be demonstrated when an Eastern European man working in the bowels of the restaurant was perceived to have been stealing food, despite the fact this was not proven, and was purely speculative. Additionally, the man knew little of the circumstances or perhaps formal operations due to a poor language grasp. Nonetheless, the collective whole of the employees thus suffer as a result and are subject to search of personal property, including purses and other such personal possessions. This breach of privacy and interest of ones personal being is reinforced with drug testing and rigorous questioning, exemplified through the hiring process at a Wal-Mart in Minnesota.
Ehrenreich lives in Key West on a barely sufficient wage of 1, 039 dollars a month using 517 dollars for essentials and 500 for her rent at a local trailer park. To survive on more than bare essentials it is evident that one must sacrifice sleep and any other “nonessential” activities by taking up a second job. Ehrenreich compensates for her lack of financial survivability by combining employment as Jerry’s with their partnership at a local hotel, where she takes a position as a maid. It is apparent that for jobs that one often pre-supposes to require little skill are in actuality immensely difficult and clearly foreign to the uninitiated. Low wage working class occupations are implicit in the enforcement for one to adapt to a new inward looking job mentality or culture, and the expectation for one to exhibit the qualities of punctuality, cleanliness, cheerfulness and obedience, irrespective of exhaustion or work related hardships including physical strain and stress. These factors can be attributed to the high rate of turnover as Ehrenreich stresses. The work place will emphasize “spirit” and “hard-work” yet provides little or no incentive, rather than the fear of losing ones jobs which can be easily replaced in a job market with mass hiring and mass firings. The resentment of ones employment often leads to cynicism and the development of idiosyncrasy, which show an indication of abhorrence and disregard for the work place. From the vulgar customers at he hearthside demanding a hot plate to the geriatrics at nursing homes in Maine spilling plates of hot food on you, and the physically and emotionally demanding housekeeping, this work is clearly not easy, and the wage rates to not balance out to the respective demands of these jobs. One could allude to this, as Ehrenreich examined the living conditions and position of employment for various coworkers. During her stint as a server in Maine it was revealed that the abject living conditions were quite serious, as her coworkers living arrangements ranged from a dry docked boat, trailer park residences, and day to day hotel living, or braving nights outside a shopping mall in a van where living expense ranged from four-hundred dollars a month to sixty dollars a night.
Similar trends are seen among the working class community; few have sufficient money to facilitate health, clothing and dental costs, which can be seen from the somewhat outward appearance of individuals quite predominant at places like Wal-Mart. Employees suffer from poor dental and tattered shoes, and can barely justify purchasing a stained seven dollar shirt in clearance due to an increasingly tightened financial belt. Ehrenreich herself struggles to accommodate her eating costs, resorting to scrounging for loose condiments from fast food diners and tea packers, which clearly would come at an expense of her health. She can rarely afford a nutritious meal, often turning to the readily available and exploitative fast food market. Interesting enough, from Ehrenreich’s work, it seems there is an internal support network among the working class community to look after one another. Melissa, a coworker of the Wal-Mart offers her a sandwich, aware of her dire eating situation, augmented by her lack of a fridge and ability to sustain raw or cold food. Additionally, Caroline offers her home when Barb is faced with a lack of housing options in Minneapolis, while many other across Maine, Florida, and Minnesota offer emotional support in the wake of managerial criticisms and customer discourtesy. Therefore, they turn to one another, offering positive reinforcement, biding their time with social interaction, gossip and stories, despite the reiteration of work policy concerning “time-theft”, “laziness” or lack of an apparent work ethic.
Ehrenreich’s post analysis of her work broke down the financial situation in each state, measured by living costs, necessities, toiletries and transport, subsequently coming to the conclusion that one must take up an additional job despite wage inabilities to match that of living costs. As the wealthy and the poor compete for housing, it is the poor who are abandonded, unable to offer competitive housing bids with their limited income. Statistics offered by Ehrenreich in her evaluation show that from 1960 there has been a shift of the family’s income expenditures to housing costs from twenty-nine percent to now thirty seven percent in 1999, while cutting back on the cost of food to balance a budget. Despite the general wage increase of $5.49 to $7.35, this proves to be rather inconsistent, bearing in mind wages at the Hearthside and Jerry’s namely. Additionally, according to the economic policy institute, thirty thousands dollars a years is needed to support one parent and a two child family, or fourteen dollars an hour, clearly less than the working wages offered to Ehrenreich for entry level work. An attempt to probe employers about higher rates of pay is often circumvented by the claim of offering advantageous hours, and free breakfasts as suggested by Ehrenreich’s employer in Maine as a maid. Support groups offer nothing but short term remedies including housing subsidies, food stamps, baskets, and housing shelters. It is clear that the inadequacy of wages needs to be compensated by effective public services, healthcare, available public transport, which are lacking in the continental United States as Ehrenreich argues.
Ehrenreich’s argument appears to be clearly rooted in aspects of macro sociological theory, demonstrating an acknowledgement of conflict theory where tension, conflict and change are bred by an inequality and the disagreement of power. This model can be applied to numerous work places and can be attributed to Barb’s influence of quitting, with a dichotomy revolving around worker and managerial perceptions of operation. While Ehrenreich hopes to remedy employee concerns with talk of a union in Wal-Mart this is clearly a topic of aggravation for employers who as a result fire their workers, of course legitimized under the mask of other work infractions. Additionally Ehrenreich seems to subconsciously acknowledge foundational sociological theory, including that of George Simmel who emphasized the multi relational aspects of society in constant interaction. An indication of this can be made with the clear relational network of skill, employment, wage, housing and white collar norms and behavior. Additionally, the author acknowledges Weber’s model of bureaucracy which concentrates on labor specialization and the formal rules and operational structure of hierarchical employment which is reinforced throughout Ehrenreich employment, including various criticisms, and work obligations. Wal-Mart for example follows a system where one must “punch-out” their time card when taking a pre determined fifteen minute break. Aspects of time theft, eating restrictions, and the necessity to work overtime without compensation all constitute the formal regulatory structure of hierarchical business that is reinforced and stressed through introductory seminars.
Ehrenreich does an effective analysis of working class environments and culture by approaching a variety of occupational positions throughout various states and cross referencing findings, engaging in a thorough series of personal interactive experiences which supplement her data and arguments. By complementing her work through investigative study of employee/employer relations she offers first hand insight into this wage and authority dynamic. Additionally, the author effectively is able to present herself as a member of the working class despite her pre-existing higher education. Her disposition to challenge authority, and ask questions may have perhaps created speculation to the nature of her employment and position, compromising the goal of her work leading to possible exposure. Nonetheless, Ehrenreich manages to effectively present herself as a working class member of society, presenting a resume that does not compromise her position or indicate her actual status. Ultimately, Ehrenreich manages to immerse herself in an interesting occupational environment, gathering evidence pertinent to her argument. One must be aware that Ehrenreich’s work cannot be taken as definitive or exact, and pending further study for comparative analysis by other who undertake a similar investigation we cannot be certain of the authors findings or arguments which have shown indication of bias, and a lack of commitment to replicating working class culture. For an individual who had hoped to partake in working class culture, she affords herself some unnecessary luxuries which under normal circumstances would be inadvisable, such as treating herself to a meal at Applebee’s. Additionally, in reference to bias, we can see working class mentality developing: a homeowner directs her too a marble bathroom fixture which is “bleeding”, which Barb sharply replies: “that’s not your marble bleeding; it’s the world wide working class.
Ultimately however, I see Ehrenreich’s work as an important read that takes into serious consideration the state of working class culture, and the inability of this stratum of America to makes ends meet. It would be ideal that pending further reading on this subject, individuals pay more significant attention to this issue, searching out an effective solution, rather than acknowledge it as a social norm, and inevitability. As one would expect, not all examinations of Ehrenreich’s work are viewed in the same light.
Scarping by, a Salon.com review of Ehrenreich’s work seems rather dismissive of the author’s work, critical of her tendencies to reveal the dark and bleak situation for America’s working class, yet offers little in the way of a solution. In response, I would argue in favor of Ehrenreich suggesting this was not her goal, or object of her case study, rather as suggested earlier, to immerse herself into the entry level working class of America, and reveal the indignities of the job place, not to offer the solution which would be clearly audacious and arrogant as it cannot be rectified through a study only covering three states. Additionally, the reviewer at Salon.com openly comments on the political tendencies of Barbara Ehrenreich which I see as hardly pertinent, and if anything, it is bias on the part of the reviewer, as if too discredit her work. However, I do see a comment regarding the “bull****” test for admission at Wal-Mart in the face of an employee as an overstep of ones ethical boundaries, isolating this individual, stripping her of dignity, clearly indicating a lack of professional objectivity. In that regard, Salon.com is fair in their assessment.
Steve Early who wrote a review of Nickel and Dimed seems somewhat torn between his appreciation for her writing style and recreation of working class occupations, and his discredit to her, justified only by his belief that her work is “half assed”, or a poor replication of working class Americans. What Early fails to recognize is despite the fact that she has no children to look after during her work, this takes little away from her argument; if anything, this adds to strength of argument which would suggest the increased difficulty in raising children given her wages, displayed by the hardship of a single women to make bare subsistence. Early takes Ehrenreich’s work as an interesting and revealing expose’ of working class jobs, yet not a piece of work that can be effectively measured as testament to the struggle of working class America. Given the nature of Ehrenreich’s work, even if it was not an accurate recreation or immersion, it was as she had hoped a book which would draw attention to the apparent dismal wage and employment situation, irregardless of her methodology.
Alternatively, “making ends meet” an editorial by the NYtimes looks to an Ehrenreich’s work as an excellent conveyance of the working poor or America, brining a concise and clear set of findings that expose the underbelly of corporate and capitalist America. While this editorial holds high praise of Nickel and Dimed, it does not provide any evidence, support, or explanation to its praise, therefore the weight of Gallagher's praise falls flat. Rather it is a reiteration of the book itself, not an effective review. However, I was pleased to come across a less critical review of a book that I also thoroughly enjoyed and would insist as an essential read to anyone wishing to know more about the pressing social and class dilemmas/inequalities that press the Western American Continent.