Desperation Case

Desperation

Desperation is a word that no one wants to experience, but unfortunately, the people that worked at the factory in Flint, Michigan, and through the blue collar jobs that Ehrenriech worked in, all experienced a sense of desperation. After reading Nickel and Dimed by Barbara Ehrenreich, and watching the documentary Roger and Me, it's easy to compare the desperation the people seem to have in both of these circumstances, and to find fault for these circumstances with certain mega-corporations.

Barbara Ehrenreich wrote Nickel and Dimed to demonstrate the desperation of the opportunities that an unskilled worker has. She states, "how can anyone survive, let alone prosper, on minimum wage?" Ehrenreich decided to find out how anyone survives as an unskilled worker by actually living the life that people would have under these circumstances. She traveled to three different states in which to work. The first was Florida, the second was Maine, and the last was Minnesota. While working, she spent only money from her wages and nothing from her savings. She also lived in the cheapest housing and accepted work as a waitress, a hotel maid, a house cleaner, a nursing-home aide, and a Wal-Mart salesperson. She realized that most of these jobs require more mental and physical effort than most people think.

A problem leading to desperation of some blue collar workers is, in a capitalistic society, where unskilled workers struggle to make ends meet, big companies continue to exploit their labor. Wal- Mart has the motto of, "we are your family" and by working hard you can overcome adversity. The auto workers at GM were left with no jobs when GM decided the corporation could become more profitable by seeking cheaper labor in a foreign country.Since reading Nickel and Dimed, it is evident that hard work, contrary to popular belief, doesn't always lead to success and advancement in today's society which could lead to a desperate work force and thus, lead to a high crime rate..

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