Why working at Burger King has been "pure hell" for this Florida Man

[Dusty Bake Activate]

I can't feel sorry for this guy at all.

I worked at Jack in the Crack when I was 15, and I made 5.75 an hour, and when I eventually quit because I almost didn't graduate from High school (1.8 GPA), I had about 2 grand in the bank (not shabby for a 17 year old kid i'd say), and that was MY money.


Then, I remember turning my life around and going to community college. I would wake-up at 4am, pull 2 ton pallets of bottled water (with a manual non-electric pallet jack), sweep the receiving warehouse floor. Deal with bullshyt retail customers for 8 hours and then go to school at night. Then I went to university,worked 40 hours a week at retail, which is fukking hardwork, and still went to school fulltime. One summer I took an internship, went to summer school, and still maintained a fulltime job.

Flash Forward 10 years, and I still routinely put in 70-90 hours a week during busy season, and I work 50-60 hours on a normal week. I have to deal with bytch-ass clients, unproductive idiot employees and a 2-hour long commute on somedays. Yet, I still wake up at 6am, jog 2.5 miles, and hit the gym at night.
​

Yet, somehow, according to this article, my heart should go out to this 50-year old loser, who still works in fast food, and probably smokes weed and gets drunk all day. Then I am supposed to take my hard-earned money and give to this shyt-for-brains so he can lead a healthy life that doesn't deserve.


But you know what? I will give him money, even though we have similar socioeconomic backgrounds. This man is a born loser, and there is nothing society can to change that. I feel sorry for him because he is stupid and lazy, but he never had a choice in the matter and he never will. He is handicapped in our society the same way that a disabled person is handicapped physically. This man is disabled in his grit, intelligence, and perseverance. His handicap should be accommodated as all handicaps should be. But, just recognize that this man is in his place because of his faults and handicaps, and don't blame this on society. It's insulting to those of us who actually work hard in our lives, and believe in things like discipline, sobriety and in some cases piety.

If that white girl would've pressed charges against you for pulling a pistol on her and you ended up being a bytch in bloody diapers getting passed around some fine California prison facility, would you feel sorry for yourself?

This a serious question with a serious point behind it.

 

[TLOL is back]

Held accountable?

How old are you.....How did you come up......Were you piss poor....Are you a minority...Have you face historical discrimination? What do you do now?

Or are you still in college espousing these bullshyt talking points.......You don't even understand capitalism

I am Middle Eastern with a very "Middle Eastern appearance," if you will. I went through an enormous amount of discrimination (especially right after 9/11).

When I worked in retail, I was mistreated. Instead of blaming society, or the company, I moved to a different job. Telemarketing - Where I was also treated like crap. Instead of crying about it, I found another job (being a waiter), where I didn't make much due to over-staffing.

All along I knew - I had minimal skills, so I should expect minimum pay. That is the only logical viewpoint one should have. So I went back to college, while still working crappy jobs. I've been living on my own on extremely low pay because I don't spend money on garbage. For a long time I didn't eat out. I packed my own lunch. I did what I had to do to survive.

I got my degree, got another degree. Now I'm teaching. Still not making much, still in graduate school, but doing better than before.

Bottom line, when my life was shyt, I did something about it. I didn't blame anyone else for my problems.

Personal responsibility.

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

If that white girl would've pressed charges against you for pulling a pistol on her and you ended up being a bytch in bloody diapers getting passed around some fine California prison facility, would you feel sorry for yourself?

This a serious question with a serious point behind it.

 

[Dat Migo]

Sunday, we’re in church.

Doesn't feel bad

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

What should a dude who can't do more than pick up a phone to speculate on oil make? What should a dude who can't do more than inherit his great-grandfather's wealth make? What should a dude who can't do more than get rich off of other people's ideas and labor make?

We can do this all day.

I see what you're saying here.

With competition and inflation on the constant rise, prices of everything will continue to rise as well. I think, in large part, your wage should be decided on merits, resume and results, but the perceived difficulty of the job is justifiably a part of the equation. If the job can be filled by a large number of people, with demand for it high, the employer has little incentive to raise the wage outside of altruism (which obviously isn't all that common in corps such as BK).

A raise to the minimum wage, to at-least tie it to inflation algorithmically, should happen. I'm not with the arbitrary numbers talk.

Another thing, which I brought up a long time ago in a thread, is the FTT. It's a way to take more of a share of the "big money" and also will help curb speculation. I think that that money should be significantly reapportioned into welfare payments etc. The FED should do more to come down on big biz using tax havens like Ireland too.

The issue of wages alone doesn't really address the real issue at hand. For instance, I don't think the subject of this article should earn necessarily what an oil speculator should make, but on the other hand, that doesn't make the subject less worthy of being able to live without just scraping by.

 

[Type Username Here]

I see what you're saying here.

With competition and inflation on the constant rise, prices of everything will continue to rise as well. I think, in large part, your wage should be decided on merits, resume and results, but the perceived difficulty of the job is justifiably a part of the equation. If the job can be filled by a large number of people, with demand for it high, the employer has little incentive to raise the wage outside of altruism (which obviously isn't all that common in corps such as BK).

A raise to the minimum wage, to at-least tie it to inflation algorithmically, should happen. I'm not with the arbitrary numbers talk.

Another thing, which I brought up a long time ago in a thread, is the FTT. It's a way to take more of a share of the "big money" and also will help curb speculation. I think that that money should be significantly reapportioned into welfare payments etc. The FED should do more to come down on big biz using tax havens like Ireland too.

The issue of wages alone doesn't really address the real issue at hand. For instance, I don't think the subject of this article should earn necessarily what an oil speculator should make, but on the other hand, that doesn't make the subject less worthy of being able to live without just scraping by.

I have no issue with what you said...as long as we agree that we are boxing ourselves in off the bat. Society and social customs already skews the argument. This:

I think, in large part, your wage should be decided on merits, resume and results, but the perceived difficulty of the job is justifiably a part of the equation. If the job can be filled by a large number of people, with demand for it high, the employer has little incentive to raise the wage outside of altruism (which obviously isn't all that common in corps such as BK).

Is a subjective state that has no real objective meaning. For example, if you're asking me what's more important for the well being of society:

Person A cleans public environments and restrooms to maintain health standards, hygiene, and prevent the spread of diseases or infections

OR

Person B who picks up a telephone to essentially gamble public backed money speculating on oil
http://www.politifact.com/ohio/stat...d-brown-says-excessive-oil-speculation-drivi/


Society tells me that Person B is the honorable person. He deserves it. Not a lot of people can do what he does, so it goes. He wears a suit and makes great money so he must contribute to society and social cohesion much more than person A.

So the conversation is already skewed. You have to think outside of "economy-first" approach to human existence and that's hard for a lot of people to constantly do, even me. When you realize this, we can proceed friend.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

I have no issue with what you said...as long as we agree that we are boxing ourselves in off the bat. Society and social customs already skews the argument. This:



Is a subjective state that has no real objective meaning. For example, if you're asking me what's more important for the well being of society:

Person A cleans public environments and restrooms to maintain health standards, hygiene, and prevent the spread of diseases or infections

OR

Person B who picks up a telephone to essentially gamble public backed money speculating on oil
http://www.politifact.com/ohio/stat...d-brown-says-excessive-oil-speculation-drivi/


Society tells me that Person B is the honorable person. He deserves it. Not a lot of people can do what he does, so it goes. He wears a suit and makes great money so he must contribute to society and social cohesion much more than person A.

So the conversation is already skewed. You have to think outside of "economy-first" approach to human existence and that's hard for a lot of people to constantly do, even me. When you realize this, we can proceed friend.

Im not sure if "honorable" is the most appropriate word for that scenario. I think that a significant portion of Americans/Society don't find oil speculators to be very honorable. I also don't think that it is a prevailing attitude that people who make great money also contribute to society and social cohesion. In addition, I don't necessarily think that honor and wages really correlate.

Obviously, there are negative connotations when the phrase "fast-food worker" is heard, but I think that that is improving ever so slightly, especially comparatively speaking to the "oil speculator" as more information gets spread about the big business and greed behind oil and speculators in the market in general. In fact, I bet a bunch of people would say Person A is far more honorable than Person B, and that Person B's impact on society is far more volatile and factors into more unhappiness than they do happiness.

I'm trying to look at this from a Utilitarian point of view and it is hard to evaluate it and come up with answers to solve it entirely.

How do you suggest wages should work? Supply and demand and elasticity of both is impossible to escape, as well as the corporate ins and outs in the current infrastructure of America. Social norms are always tough to break, agreed, that is why they are norms...so it is hard to work within these norms to change things to "how they should be" rather than "how they are".

Whether you like it or not, this subject will almost always revolve around economic factors and I don't see how anything can really be done in a relatively short amount of time outside of small pieces of legislation, such as: raises to and changes in the formula for calculation of minimum wage, increased taxes on financial transactions (hits the oil speculator), increased corporate tax rates and penalties/cracking down on international tax havens. Unfortunately, the people set to lose on these things are the people with the most "pull" and also could just try and take business elsewhere if it gets "bad enough", which could cause even more problems for the average joe than there already are.

 

[Type Username Here]

Im not sure if "honorable" is the most appropriate word for that scenario. I think that a significant portion of Americans/Society don't find oil speculators to be very honorable. I also don't think that it is a prevailing attitude that people who make great money also contributes to society and social cohesion. In addition, I don't necessarily think that honor and wages really correlate.

Obviously, there are negative connotations when the phrase "fast-food worker" is heard, but I think that that is improving ever so slightly, especially comparatively speaking to the "oil speculator" as more information gets spread about the big business and greed behind oil and speculators in the market in general. In fact, I bet a bunch of people would say Person A is far more honorable than Person B, and that Person B's impact on society is far more volatile and factors into more unhappiness than they do happiness.

I'm trying to look at this from a Utilitarian point of view and it is hard to evaluate it and come up with answers to solve it entirely.

How do you suggest wages should work? Supply and demand and elasticity of both is impossible to escape, as well as the corporate ins and outs in the current infrastructure of America. Social norms are always tough to break, agreed, that is why they are norms...so it is hard to work within these norms to change things to "how they should be" rather than "how they are".

Whether you like it or not, this subject will almost always revolve around economic factors and I don't see how anything can really be done in a relatively short amount of time outside of small pieces of legislation, such as: raises to and changes in the formula for calculation of minimum wage, increased taxes on financial transactions (hits the oil speculator), increased corporate tax rates and penalties/cracking down on international tax havens. Unfortunately, the people set to lose on these things are the people with the most "pull" and also could just try and take business elsewhere if it gets "bad enough", which could cause even more problems for the average joe than there already are.

I'm going to let that marinate in my mind over night so I can respond appropriately. Great post.

 

[Responsible Allen Iverson]

This dude makes less than 8 bucks an hour, but he has cable and two cars and is surprised that he is broke.

 

[jalamanta]

I don’t have a computer [to look for jobs]. If I’m out on a Saturday and I see something, maybe I’ll get their phone number or something like that. Sunday, we’re in church.

What a fukking c*nt.

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

This dude makes less than 8 bucks an hour, but he has cable and two cars and is surprised that he is broke.

He said he has a wife. I'm assuming one of the cars is hers.

 

[Serious]

I am Middle Eastern with a very "Middle Eastern appearance," if you will. I went through an enormous amount of discrimination (especially right after 9/11).

When I worked in retail, I was mistreated. Instead of blaming society, or the company, I moved to a different job. Telemarketing - Where I was also treated like crap. Instead of crying about it, I found another job (being a waiter), where I didn't make much due to over-staffing.

All along I knew - I had minimal skills, so I should expect minimum pay. That is the only logical viewpoint one should have. So I went back to college, while still working crappy jobs. I've been living on my own on extremely low pay because I don't spend money on garbage. For a long time I didn't eat out. I packed my own lunch. I did what I had to do to survive.

I got my degree, got another degree. Now I'm teaching. Still not making much, still in graduate school, but doing better than before.

Bottom line, when my life was shyt, I did something about it. I didn't blame anyone else for my problems.

Personal responsibility.

Keep it real breh, we all know you're

 

[Responsible Allen Iverson]

He said he has a wife. I'm assuming one of the cars is hers.

Yeah, but by the fact that this article was written about him, I'm guessing his wife isn't bringing in big bucks. They need to get rid of cable ASAP and get rid of one or both cars if they can, if they are really as bad off as this article makes them out to be.

 

[TELL ME YA CHEESIN FAM?]

Pretty sure dude has been working at fast food joints off and on for 30 years
There got to be a reason for that..stint in jail,lazyness,drug problem etc
One of the reasons ppl work at these places is due to how easy the work is.
Kids do it while going to school
Adults do it for extra cash while juggling other jobs or taking classes
Felons do it cause well..what else they gonna do?
If they start paying 15hr at BK trust me lotta more ppl will apply there
Kids,felons and all these 50 year olds wont stand a chance.

I know a cat who works at subway,food town and marshalls..
Now he could find a warehouse that pays a grip but he would have to buss his ass for em dollars..heavy lifting,always on his feet,hot ass conditions etc

 

[NkrumahWasRight Is Wrong]

Yeah, but by the fact that this article was written about him, I'm guessing his wife isn't bringing in big bucks. They need to get rid of cable ASAP and get rid of one or both cars if they can, if they are really as bad off as this article makes them out to be.

Yea some of the details are sketchy. I didn't want to nitpick and get into them specifically because I think the article is more about an issue at large that is exemplified by this guy rather than the guy's situation itself, but maybe that is just how I read it.

He could do a lot of things. First of all, he could get on the internet every once in a while, somehow, and put his resume together and send out a bunch of applications. Secondly, he can cut the cable. Third, he can sell one of the cars, especially if his wife isn't working. Fourth, if he is just going to be working these types of jobs anyway, he can move out of Miami and go to cheaper parts of Florida. There are parts of Florida where you can find cheaper rent and make the same money than being in Miami. The way the article is written, it is driven on the fact that he isn't making enough money, so moving out of Miami would help that. It's speculative to say and is easier said than done, but if it's strictly about the money then it is something he needs to consider. And if his wife isn't working, that is something she should consider too.