"I'd Rather" (tfcm)
"I'd rather stay on welfare than work here." the woman with the 'blingy' jewelry and shiny car said as I tied up the garbage from the can beside her pump, dodging the stream of soda coming out of the bottom corner of the bag. "They actually make you empty all these garbage cans everyday?"
I didn't process fast enough on that, I was still on the first sentence. It took me a second to catch up as I watched her husband Hang up the pump and walk around the car. She was hanging out the window, talking to him when I'd pushed the plundered Wal-Mart buggy full of trash to Pump 14 and started changing the bag. I'd smiled at them as I got to work, in order to be polite, and couldn't help but notice the three screaming fighting kids in the back seat, or the way the man had yelled at them to "Shut the F*** up or else" while I was still at pump 18. I'd not really thought anything of it, except to wonder what it'd be like to own a nice car, or that he shouldn't speak to the kids like that, as it was a hot day and they were cramped 3 across on the seat. But maybe they'd been misbehaving a lot that day, and he was at the end of his rope.
"Every shift is supposed to change them." I responded, dumbstruck.
"You couldn't pay me enough to do that crap. You must be really hard up girl." Her husband started the engine.
"We do what we must." I replied. He turned up the radio, blasting bass so loud my glasses about fell off my nose and lyrics about, I now find ironic and stereo-typical, "busting caps" in peoples rears and other such abhorrent behavior glamorized by the Urban Culture. They pulled off before the woman could respond, and I stood there, stunned for a moment, before moving up to pump 4.
I had just encountered, I realized, the reason so many people despise the welfare system. A woman with fancy jewelry, well kept and in a nice car, basically proclaiming she was too good for a job and would just stay on welfare instead. It didn't occur to me until later that I might should be offended, and even know I'm more flabbergasted than anything else.
Normally I'm the champion of social aide programs. When I had to apply for food stamps (and still haven't heard back) I saw the nice cars in the customer parking lot (as it is labeled to define it from the staff parking) and never wondered how people could need food-stamps when they had such nice cars. To me it was logical that they had bought it before hard times and were probably so upside down in car payments selling them wouldn't make a difference. When I was a cashier at Wal-Mart, I never judged on appearances the people who were on WIC or Food-stamps from the ones who weren't. I'd sometimes wonder why they'd keep the 12 jugs of soda and put back the chicken breasts when they were over their allotment, but since most of the management was on food-stamps, I didn't judge. Anyone can fall on hard times, and need help. That's why these programs exist.
But today, I could have cursed the system that aides so many. I realize there are kids, and they shouldn't suffer for their parents bad behavior, but why should their mother be able to get away with thinking she's too good for any job? Why does she think it's okay to ride the system? I know she's one of a minority, but she's a minority that makes EVERYONE who needs that help look bad. I'm not on welfare, never have been, and only applied for food-stamps because Jericho, my SO, is effectively jobless and until he finds another job we are having to make tough choices about weather to buy gas or groceries, and living on such unhealthy foods it's not even funny (Hamburger Helper will make you sick fast if you eat it 2 meals a day for a week, half the time with ground turkey in it, the rest none because you have none. My son always has healthy food, and plenty, even if his dad and I have to starve.)
Where did her parents go wrong? Where did society go wrong, when people don't want to get up and do for themselves when possible, and think they are too good for an honest days work? Truthfully, this is the easiest job I've ever had. I'm a clerk at a gas station. 90% of my day is dealing with nice customers, checking out their purchases, telling them where in the store to find what they are looking for, selling snacks, cigarettes, gasoline and lottery tickets, and the occasional beer. Every day I work I stock the cigarettes, soda, and coffee stands, change out the hot-dog cooker and condiments, clean the bathrooms, spot mop, and do one of two other items of side work, either stock the walk in drink cooler, or, as I did today, change all the garbage cans in and outside of the store. 21 cans total, sometimes they are all full, mostly only half need changing. It can be gross, but honestly, it's no big deal. I'd rather deal with half an hour of heat and garbage than not have a job or pay check at all.
I stand behind a counter all day and hit buttons for the most part, the standing can get to my back, and occasionally someone gets upset when I won't sell them a restricted item because they or their friends don't have ID. (If you're with someone who's buying cigarettes or beer, I'll ask for both your ID's unless it's obviously your parent. It's illegal to sell to someone you suspect is going to supply a minor is what I was taught in training.) Most days, I have at most 2 rude customers, out of hundreds. I get to smile and joke around, and have all the free coffee or fountain drinks or slushys I want (I get a cup of ice and hot water from the coffee machines.) We give out free coffee, fountain drinks, and car washes to uniformed police officers, so there are cops by every hour. It's a reasonably safe job. Most of my coworkers are cool. So I can't fathom why one little thing, garbage, would make that woman think she was too good for it. Doesn't she take out the garbage at home?
I'm just flummoxed by this situation, thinking of it still gobsmacks me. Where do people get the idea certain jobs are beneath them? Sure, certain jobs aren't as enjoyable for some as others, everyone has different strengths, but surely if you are in need, some job is better than none? Isn't that why I went back to work?
EDIT********* I'd like to thank everyone for their kind comments. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this. Also, as someone who dreams of being a novelist, the comments on my writing are very heart warming. I have nothing against people on public assistance, I'm on WIC and Medicaid myself until my insurance at work kicks in (Appendicitis costs 30 K without insurance or Government help, which is why I'm on Medicaid). I'd also like to clarify something else. A lot of people have commented that there is a racist undertone to this post. I want to clarify that I'm not racist, my best friend is biracial, as are many of my relatives. The woman in question was white. Her husband/BF/whatever appeared to be of Italian or Latin American descent. The kids didn't appear to all three be his, but I heard two of them call her Mom in my hearing. Blingy honestly was the best word to describe her jewelry, her male compatriots too for that matter. Their music was something that people of ALL Races listen to around here, and I have no use for it or the messages it imparts. It was stereo typical of the Urban Culture.
So once again, Thank you to everyone. Have a great day.
I didn't process fast enough on that, I was still on the first sentence. It took me a second to catch up as I watched her husband Hang up the pump and walk around the car. She was hanging out the window, talking to him when I'd pushed the plundered Wal-Mart buggy full of trash to Pump 14 and started changing the bag. I'd smiled at them as I got to work, in order to be polite, and couldn't help but notice the three screaming fighting kids in the back seat, or the way the man had yelled at them to "Shut the F*** up or else" while I was still at pump 18. I'd not really thought anything of it, except to wonder what it'd be like to own a nice car, or that he shouldn't speak to the kids like that, as it was a hot day and they were cramped 3 across on the seat. But maybe they'd been misbehaving a lot that day, and he was at the end of his rope.
"Every shift is supposed to change them." I responded, dumbstruck.
"You couldn't pay me enough to do that crap. You must be really hard up girl." Her husband started the engine.
"We do what we must." I replied. He turned up the radio, blasting bass so loud my glasses about fell off my nose and lyrics about, I now find ironic and stereo-typical, "busting caps" in peoples rears and other such abhorrent behavior glamorized by the Urban Culture. They pulled off before the woman could respond, and I stood there, stunned for a moment, before moving up to pump 4.
I had just encountered, I realized, the reason so many people despise the welfare system. A woman with fancy jewelry, well kept and in a nice car, basically proclaiming she was too good for a job and would just stay on welfare instead. It didn't occur to me until later that I might should be offended, and even know I'm more flabbergasted than anything else.
Normally I'm the champion of social aide programs. When I had to apply for food stamps (and still haven't heard back) I saw the nice cars in the customer parking lot (as it is labeled to define it from the staff parking) and never wondered how people could need food-stamps when they had such nice cars. To me it was logical that they had bought it before hard times and were probably so upside down in car payments selling them wouldn't make a difference. When I was a cashier at Wal-Mart, I never judged on appearances the people who were on WIC or Food-stamps from the ones who weren't. I'd sometimes wonder why they'd keep the 12 jugs of soda and put back the chicken breasts when they were over their allotment, but since most of the management was on food-stamps, I didn't judge. Anyone can fall on hard times, and need help. That's why these programs exist.
But today, I could have cursed the system that aides so many. I realize there are kids, and they shouldn't suffer for their parents bad behavior, but why should their mother be able to get away with thinking she's too good for any job? Why does she think it's okay to ride the system? I know she's one of a minority, but she's a minority that makes EVERYONE who needs that help look bad. I'm not on welfare, never have been, and only applied for food-stamps because Jericho, my SO, is effectively jobless and until he finds another job we are having to make tough choices about weather to buy gas or groceries, and living on such unhealthy foods it's not even funny (Hamburger Helper will make you sick fast if you eat it 2 meals a day for a week, half the time with ground turkey in it, the rest none because you have none. My son always has healthy food, and plenty, even if his dad and I have to starve.)
Where did her parents go wrong? Where did society go wrong, when people don't want to get up and do for themselves when possible, and think they are too good for an honest days work? Truthfully, this is the easiest job I've ever had. I'm a clerk at a gas station. 90% of my day is dealing with nice customers, checking out their purchases, telling them where in the store to find what they are looking for, selling snacks, cigarettes, gasoline and lottery tickets, and the occasional beer. Every day I work I stock the cigarettes, soda, and coffee stands, change out the hot-dog cooker and condiments, clean the bathrooms, spot mop, and do one of two other items of side work, either stock the walk in drink cooler, or, as I did today, change all the garbage cans in and outside of the store. 21 cans total, sometimes they are all full, mostly only half need changing. It can be gross, but honestly, it's no big deal. I'd rather deal with half an hour of heat and garbage than not have a job or pay check at all.
I stand behind a counter all day and hit buttons for the most part, the standing can get to my back, and occasionally someone gets upset when I won't sell them a restricted item because they or their friends don't have ID. (If you're with someone who's buying cigarettes or beer, I'll ask for both your ID's unless it's obviously your parent. It's illegal to sell to someone you suspect is going to supply a minor is what I was taught in training.) Most days, I have at most 2 rude customers, out of hundreds. I get to smile and joke around, and have all the free coffee or fountain drinks or slushys I want (I get a cup of ice and hot water from the coffee machines.) We give out free coffee, fountain drinks, and car washes to uniformed police officers, so there are cops by every hour. It's a reasonably safe job. Most of my coworkers are cool. So I can't fathom why one little thing, garbage, would make that woman think she was too good for it. Doesn't she take out the garbage at home?
I'm just flummoxed by this situation, thinking of it still gobsmacks me. Where do people get the idea certain jobs are beneath them? Sure, certain jobs aren't as enjoyable for some as others, everyone has different strengths, but surely if you are in need, some job is better than none? Isn't that why I went back to work?
EDIT********* I'd like to thank everyone for their kind comments. It's nice to know I'm not alone in this. Also, as someone who dreams of being a novelist, the comments on my writing are very heart warming. I have nothing against people on public assistance, I'm on WIC and Medicaid myself until my insurance at work kicks in (Appendicitis costs 30 K without insurance or Government help, which is why I'm on Medicaid). I'd also like to clarify something else. A lot of people have commented that there is a racist undertone to this post. I want to clarify that I'm not racist, my best friend is biracial, as are many of my relatives. The woman in question was white. Her husband/BF/whatever appeared to be of Italian or Latin American descent. The kids didn't appear to all three be his, but I heard two of them call her Mom in my hearing. Blingy honestly was the best word to describe her jewelry, her male compatriots too for that matter. Their music was something that people of ALL Races listen to around here, and I have no use for it or the messages it imparts. It was stereo typical of the Urban Culture.
So once again, Thank you to everyone. Have a great day.