this post was submitted on 12 Mar 2024
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[–] thesporkeffect 125 points 8 months ago (12 children)

Legitimately curious what she is expecting. My kindest interpretation is she thinks students or teens should get work experience. Maybe she thinks people should have to work several jobs if it's too... Easy?

Not that students should have to work...

Customer service jobs are some of the worst outside of Malaysian ship breaker or Siberian lumberjack.

[–] Stovetop 101 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

In my experience dealing with these sorts of people trying to to justify this argument, it's a combination of:

  1. These are not supposed to be permanent jobs for anyone, i.e. only high school and college students should work them.

  2. These are jobs that should be worked by >!non-white!< people who are comfortable with lower standards of living.

  3. You should work a second job to supplement your income if you aren't earning enough.

For #1, they believe that because they (or people they know) treated lower paying jobs as a foot in the door/stepping stone at a time in their lives where they had a social safety net looking out for them, then everyone else can do that, too.

For #2, they believe that there are people who don't need to live well and are okay with that. Typically this comes down to racial distinctions and the idea that non-whites must love poverty because so many of them live in it.

For #3, they'll dig up some anecdote about some random family member in the past who used to work two jobs where they had to walk uphill both ways there and back and that's what a real work ethic looks like, then go off on a tangent about how people today are just too damn lazy.

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[–] circuitfarmer 41 points 8 months ago (1 children)

The idea that younger people just need "work experience" is a vestige of a bygone world, when just having that little bit of experience would make you qualified for the job -- THE job -- that you would continue to do forever, because companies paid for loyalty with loyalty. That isn't how the world works now and every job, entry level, dead end, or otherwise, is the job that you might need to do forever. That's why a living wage is more important now than perhaps it was in previous years.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

If easy jobs become living wage then victims of abuse can better escape via building an escape and self sustainability purse.

Being able to escape the household head's abuse is anathema to the "family values" system conservatives try to appeal to whenever gays are allowed more freedom than being sent to Jesus camp or force married by their parents.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 8 months ago

And I think you hinted at it, but also women in abusive relationships, even if they're too indoctrinated to realize it. Even without physical violence, being expected to be subservient to your spouse is very common abuse in conservative USA.

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[–] [email protected] 108 points 8 months ago (21 children)

In case you're wondering how someone can have such an unhinged opinion about labor: Conservatism is the belief in natural hierarchies, that some people are just better than others. This lady makes a living wage, and she deems service staff to be beneath her, therefore they are not allowed to enjoy the same America as she does.

[–] chiliedogg 26 points 8 months ago (4 children)

They're not necessarily that unhinged from a moral perspective. They're just incredibly privileged and ignorant.

They truly believe that because they didn't get stuck with a low-wage job that it must be an active choice that people make, and that people should strive to be better to improve society.

And when you point out that they're privileged they see it as an insuly - like you're saying they didn't earn their way. And that's the real rub. Many wealthy people absolutely do work their asses off, and from their perspective all that work has paid off. What they don't understand is that their success is a mixture of their hard work AND luck.

Saying they've been lucky shouldn't diminish their work. I think everyone who works hard to be a success should have that opportunity. We're not asking that their hard work be ignored. We're asking that everyone else's be recognized with a living wage.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago

They actually are that unhinged, and have been for awhile...

There was a time EVERYONE was like this, back in the 50's or so they did a bunch of experiments and found people who were poorer were dumber, more violent, prone to crime, and more likely to have mental issues...

So they concluded that people fell into poverty because of personal failings.

Funny thing about Science, you can have all the right data and still get the wrong answer. Most commonly you get cause and effect backwards.

These people weren't poor because they were violent and stupid, they had merely been reduced to a state of being violent and stupid because of the horrible things their poverty exposed them to.

Conservatives never got the memo, and those that did, ignored it.

[–] eclipse 14 points 8 months ago

My current total comp puts me in the top 1--2% for my country (based on reported incomes). The difference between the billionaire class and me is massive; I still have to budget for my bills, expenses etc.

That said, I am fully aware that I'm in a privileged position.

I grew up in government housing and suffered malnutrition as a child because my single working mother couldn't afford enough food. I worked my arse off in school and was lucky enough to be eligible and accepted into a scholarship programme for University; I would not have been able to attend otherwise.

Since then I've had relatively good career opportunities and have taken advantage of them. I tried hard and continue to do so because I know what it's like to not have enough.

I think that I worked hard to get where I am. I do not consider myself rich (where some people might understandably do so), but I know what it is like to be wanting.

Despite my hard work, I do not in the slightest think that I got to where I am based purely on bullshit like grit and determination. I have absolutely taken advantage of opportunities in front of me, but I was lucky to have those in the first place. I think I deserve to be where I am, but I also think plenty of others also deserve it and are deprived of the chances that I got by pure happenstance.

Yes, you have to work hard to change your lot in life, but to say that hard work will solve everything is ludicrous.

I'm entirely on board with a living wage, UBI, and anything else to make things more equitable. No one should have to worry about feeding their family. And I'm happy to pay more tax to make that a reality.

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (1 children)

To be a conservative you need to enlarge the fear center of your brain, believe strongly in hierarchy, and want at least one level of the hierarchy to be miserable and suffering.

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[–] Emerald 18 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I bet she goes to Dairy Queen though

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[–] [email protected] 75 points 8 months ago (3 children)

Lack of empathy caused by lead poisoning

[–] agent_flounder 33 points 8 months ago (1 children)

And childhood abuse and neglect, probably.

[–] Dkarma 15 points 8 months ago

Or just a shitty person

[–] [email protected] 16 points 8 months ago

Lead poisoning caused by lack of regulation, failure to maintain and update safe infrastructure, and by outsourcing all manufacturing to China.

So, basically greed and fiscal conservatism.

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[–] Toneswirly 70 points 8 months ago (4 children)

Unintentionally stumbled on the truth of capitalism; you need an underclass to run the whole engine

[–] Cryophilia 48 points 8 months ago (19 children)

It's not needed.

It's just needed to provide fantastic profits to the owners.

You can definitely have capitalism that pays a living wage, it just cuts into billionaires' profits.

[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Agreed, but keep in mind that within a capitalist system, the owners will always be fighting to take the working classes money with their profits.

The working class must always be vigilant and read to fight for their wages. There is no rest in a capitalist system.

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[–] [email protected] 19 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Feels like skooby-do pulling back the mask of capitalism to reveal that it’s all just medieval peasants and serfs lol

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[–] clearleaf 52 points 8 months ago (5 children)

Why don't people just use twitter instead of looking at twitter screenshots on every other site on the internet? The names are blanked so we don't even know who these people are supposed to be. There's no reason at all to darken our day with her obscure ramblings. It only had 2 retweets and 17 likes when somebody seeked this out to put in other people's faces. There's no point to this at all.

[–] [email protected] 46 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (1 children)

See, the beauty of a screenshot like this is - it captures a great moment in time. It's the moment someone should realize they are wrong. And that's a perfect moment. It's evocative. We've all been wrong before, we know what it's like. We can feel their reaction by how we ourselves reacted in the past. Or how we wished we had.

Now, this moment could have several different outcomes: that person could admit they're wrong and learn from it, they could panic and backtrack, they could delete their tweet or account out of shame, they could double down and be even more wrong and increase the lulz, they could come back with valid arguments and change your opinion etc. But. Depending on what your position is to the initial argument, you may not be satisfied with the outcome. You may find it annoying or roll your eyes. Of course it's possible that you find it even better than the initial moment, but that's not a guarantee.

So this screenshot is a tease in a way, but in other ways it's also a complete package. It won't have a disappointing ending. It won't promise more of itself and then fail to deliver. You can see the screenshot, imagine the outcome you want, and scroll to the next one.

This screenshot is... enough.

Also, I'll be fucked before I use anything musk has been associated with, I don't wanna support that asshole.

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[–] accideath 28 points 8 months ago

Simple: ex-Twitter has an abominable app full of ads and tracking, that isn’t useable without account. And if you actually log in, it’s full of right wing shit and musk (which one could argue, is also right wing shit).

I have no intention wasting my time by searching for the gold nuggets in that giant pile of shit. I was on Twitter when it still was Twitter (until they killed third party apps) and even then, you saw the best tweets as screenshots on reddit.

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[–] [email protected] 47 points 8 months ago (1 children)

What an absolute shithead opinion. Fuck you, lady. Let me get you a spoon so you can eat my ass.

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[–] Sekrayray 45 points 8 months ago (2 children)

So… slaves? What fucking solution do they expect here?

[–] UnderpantsWeevil 26 points 8 months ago

Christ, barely even slaves. Just purely disposable temporary humans. Locked into a Dairy Queen to work until you die, then flushed out and replaced with someone new.

At least now we know why these people want to outlaw abortion. Gotta do something about all that human turnover.

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[–] Zoomboingding 42 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Same brand of passing the buck as

"Sell the homes to who, Ben? FUCKING AQUAMAN!?"

[–] Syrc 16 points 8 months ago (1 children)

First time I’m reading about this, looked it up and had a good laugh, thanks.

For other uninitiated

[–] Zoomboingding 13 points 8 months ago

Well, and for the really uninitiated, this is youtuber H. Bomberguy. He's known for making extremely long and high quality video essays, mostly about video games, shows, and politics. And when I say politics, I mean he generally tackles right-wing hot button issues like vaccines and climate change.

This clip is from his climate change video.

[–] [email protected] 42 points 8 months ago (1 children)

How does that quote go? Better to keep your mouth shut and be thought a fool, than open your mouth and be confirmed one. Something like that. Anyway, it applies here.

[–] Pothetato 46 points 8 months ago (12 children)

"...than to open your mouth and remove all doubt"

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[–] mightyfoolish 38 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I absolutely do not agree with her. Their view point is that Dairy Queen is a "starter job" for someone who lives with their guardian(s). Then the Dairy Queen worker takes their experiences and "upgrades" to a better job. Thus, leaving the position open to someone who doesn't need to afford to live or whatever...

People like this woman completely ignore the fact that professionals are also struggling right now; and people are also sick of being paid unreasonable wages due to a lack of experience. She also ignores that not all young people have safety nets as well.

[–] michaelmrose 18 points 8 months ago (2 children)

I know I'm not disagreeing with you but man its laughable because anyone who looked around would notice that most of these jobs are actually done by adults. There aren't enough teens who actually want to work to fill 5% of them, they can't work the specific hours you need them, or enough hours period and they aren't very motivated or very trainable because they have no reason to care.

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[–] Gormadt 18 points 8 months ago (1 children)

Should all minimum wage jobs be closed between the hours of 9pm and 4pm? No, in fact a decent amount (if not all) need done in some capacity throughout the day.

Or another one that those kinds of people don't like to be asked: So if the minimum wage is for children (high school students getting their first jobs), what should be the minimum wage for adults?

She (and the people like her) fail to grasp so much about their arguments it's infuriating. They feel that those who work minimum wageshould suffer. Usually they'll talk around saying it, but that's the just of what they say.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 8 months ago

Ugh, why do we need a bottom half of the ladder when I'm already halfway up it?

[–] [email protected] 27 points 8 months ago* (last edited 8 months ago) (2 children)

Making ice cream cones at Dairy Queen should be enough to live on. It shouldn't be able to buy you a super yacht. Then again, I don't believe anything should be able to get you a super yacht. Just get a regular yacht and be happy.

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Hmm, I wonder how many people that believe this would also happen to be the people who raise hell when nobody gives enough of a shit to make their burger right..

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[–] [email protected] 23 points 8 months ago (2 children)

Every mom in my family is about this stupid, let me be honest, even dumber than this lady and that’s about 20 people. They are conservatives. And they vote!

These people don’t deserve to have their voices reinforced by idiot representatives.

So don’t you skip that vote this year okay?

And please vote more often because there is actually a lot of voting to be done.

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[–] [email protected] 20 points 8 months ago (1 children)

I think what she's trying to say is that we need a UBI that covers living expenses, and providing the essential service of making Oreo blizzards is on top of that.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago

I'd honestly be okay with that.

If every person over about 16 was guaranteed the option of a bare minimum personal living space, a usable Internet connection, plumbing, clean water, and basic nutrition; then I don't care if there are jobs that pay $3 and hour.

If we eliminate forced homelessness, give victims of abuse a safe escape, allow people with both recognized and unrecognized disabilities a guaranteed foundation to live on, and generally just take care of the people we extract taxes from to fund our society; then a lot of my concerns about labor and wages evaporate.

Of course, what we don't want to to "accidentally" create a de-facto neo-slavery caste who are stuck with the bare minimum and unable to get better work.

Hell, if someone wants to lay around all day and do nothing but watch TV, I'm okay with that.

If they want to spend that free time pursuing education for a better life, that's great too!

I don't care, as long as we can get rid of the shitty system we have now in the US. Too many people fall through the cracks and never make it back.

[–] signor 19 points 8 months ago

Must own a franchise to have a shit opinion like that.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 8 months ago

that original tweet is probably some kind of bot or controlled by an operative from some corporation or thinktank.

[–] [email protected] 15 points 8 months ago (1 children)

So what she’s saying is that taxpayers should subsidize dairy queen, fast food, Walmart, etc?

Now what are the chances that this lovely lady supports a robust social safety net so that people can be paid too little to live?

It seems like a typical conservative viewpoint - complain and deny every possible solution. In fact, deny the problem exists. Why care about the suffering of unknown unseen people if ignoring it makes your taxes 3% lower?

And I think that is being generous, assuming that the cruelty isn’t the point. That’s not a given.

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