I’ve never read one of Barbara Ehrenreich’s books but I might have to check one of them out after reading Nickeled and Dimed. I admired the argument, actually enjoyed reading for a change, and also learned a lot from every page. When I finished the book, I looked at it as what I only can call loathing. Writing up for the rich the results of an upper class essayist’s anthropological mission to see how the other half live is worthwhile. It is part of the task of affiliating the comfortable, which needs to be carried out much more strongly if we are ever to have a better society. The point of Ehrenreich’s rapiers of intellect, art, and wit are ever more prevalent when she points out that even so-called “unskilled” work—is demanding and challenging: the memory skills required of a waitress, the physical labor of a house cleaner with a vacuum on her back, and the patience of a wal-mart “zoner” hanging up the same blouse for the ninth time can push human capacities close to their limits—and for the truly lousy pay.
I feel that the focus or purpose of her writings were to remind her readers that every job is worth doing well, and that people who do it well deserve respect: “
Mrs. Ehrenreich chose not to examine statistics from the comfort of her own home or by interviewing unskilled laborers. She chose instead to engage in what she describes as “old fashioned journalism;” she went out and lived the life she wanted to examine. This gave her a first person analysis of what she saw and experienced in her work place among unskilled laborers. This first person approach was the best possible way for a journalist to write a book. She had her own insight and opinion of everything that went on. This first person approach also limited her by not allowing her to see everything from the boss’s standpoint. For the most part poor attitudes and sometimes sub-par efforts toward their work, which in turn reflects the efforts of the people above them.
To the best of my memory, I can distinguish no direct points between what I’ve just read and what I’ve read or discussed with the class. Although I have been absent a couple days with sickness and a death in my family. I know that its not your fault that I missed, but as far a I can remember there was nothing said about the unskilled labor force or for even that matter the people who find themselves on the lower-level of today’s current society.
I would recommend this book to the higher levels of society. I feel that after reading the book they might be a little more courteous to say their maids or their waitresses who didn’t get their order quite the way they wanted it. Of course not all people who read this book are going to go straight to
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