So from my last post I already got a couple people mad, but by the comments I think it was well received over all, despite being only 45% upvoted at 0 votes. That should really tell you what kind of a place this is. We all agree that the system we live under is horrible, and yet even people in this space defend it. I even had someone message me trying to get me down. The most common thing is “So you just think everything should be free??” and it's insane, people question me like this as if I'm crazy or something.
To answer your question. Uhm, yes? Yes I do. Believe it or not, I don't think I should have to give up my sanity just for me to simply exist.
Maybe how it should be is people get paid without doing work, but only have it be the bare minimum cost to live. Or the minimum wage should be connected to the cost of living. But.. somehow, to nearly everyone I know, this is a radical and absolutely insane line of thinking.
I've had jobs before. This is my 4th one to be exact. First was Burger King, second was a grocery store, third was a little ice cream shop that lied about nearly everything and then fired me only a few days after, and now I work at Burger King again. Now, I've never worked many hours, but that doesn't make my experience any less. That's another thing I hate about this sub. A lot of y'all want to gatekeep who has the right to complain because what, they haven't done as much as you? This is like if every kid lost a hand and got it cut off, but now you're jealous because some guy only lost a finger, and you don't think they should be able to complain.
Now the thing is, I actually like some parts of my job. I like serving the people and doing my part to help out. But that's about where that ends. I also get paid more than I originally expected, at $13/hr. But it's still horrible. Even at hours that are a fraction of most people I come home and just collapse, and am completely drained. Honestly any time that isn't spent eating or talking to my girlfriend, or with family is spent sleeping. I probably sleep 12+ hours a night, very possibly more. All night, and then all morning.
The other thing I realized that I hate. Everyone there hasn't been there long, only about a month. And yet, so many are already managers. I honestly do way more than them. Most of them just pass out food and stand around, either at drivethru or wherever. Some of them make the food. Meanwhile I'm Cashier, wipe the tables down, also pass out food, sweep, mop the floors, take out the trash, etc etc. And I realized why managers are even there in the first place.
“Go do this thing!”
That's literally their job. To prompt people to stay busy, even if those things have already been done over and over. Again, let me remind you, half of these people haven't even touched things like brooms or mopped the floors. Just doing what pretty much everyone does.
And again, strangely the thought of not being there saddens me. Yet at the same time, being there pains me.
And whenever I talk about this everyone around me tells me I just have to get used to it. “You're learning how being an adult is.” And this is what you put up with? Like, this is the life of pretty much the vast majority of everyone all the time? Holy shit, if this is how it is then I think I'd gladly take death please. And again, I'm not even full-time. What I do is a fraction of what most people do. It could be so much worse.
And that's when I have this sudden realization. We are slaves. It doesn't matter how you think about it, we are slaves to the rich. Yes, technically I don't HAVE to do this. My parents are great kind people. So yeah, you're right. I can fall back on them. But what happens when they die? Then I'm fucked. I am never truly free unless I have hundreds of thousands of dollars, closer to a million. An amount that takes basically a lifetime to make. You trade your soul just to not die.
Real slaves had a place to sleep and things to eat. Now it's flipped and we make money, which is then traded for those things. And ironically about what you make barely even covers the costs of things to have basic survival.
Oh, and then there's people like my parents who tell you a lot that they're proud of you. So you have to keep doing this, because if you don't you're then a disappointment.
All this is assuming you don't have any other underlying issues like mental issues like depression or anything else. Can you even imagine? That sounds fucking impossible.
We all know there's this huge problem, and yet almost everyone defends it. We agree universally it's not fun and it sucks, but yet we will fight to the bone to stand behind it. What the fuck, what is wrong with people. I can't wrap my head around this.