They’re paid, but at a lower wage. In some instances they do not even make minimum wage without the tip. Meaning they can be paid as low as $2.13 an hour by the employer and the rest of their compensation is based on tip.
There are two Americas; one where people scrounge for tips at 2-3 part time jobs and try to find side hustles and get a break on social media so they can make ends meet this month and pay rent and one where people work a secure job that pays well and allows them to buy a nice house with a bit of land and a couple cars and not have to worry about much. The first group is growing and becoming more desperate as the division between those two Americas becomes more clear. It's not great.
I was simplifying a little and mostly talking about the growing divide in the middle class. That's the space most of us live in and understand, but obviously super rich people are trying to exert control at the same time as fomenting that middle class "conflict".
The second group sucks too. That stable job requires 70+ hours a week, unable to unplug, benefits are shit. I remember the 2-3 job lifestyle too. I often think back and wonder if I'm happier now than I was? Not no, but not yes.
Wife and I are just now in the bottom of the group getting tax cuts constantly. It's disgusting, and we're just barely "comfortable."
"Oh hey, look at this magnificent society built through hard work and maintained by tax revenue. Truly remarkable. I don't think I want to keep paying for it tho." Who TF thinks this way?!
You think people making minimum wage aren’t pulling 60-80 hours a week? Having to take multiple busses and Ubers just to make it to their 3rd job to barely get food on the table?
Look, I entirely get what you’re saying. It isn’t great. But let’s not compare that to people in literal poverty or incredibly close to it.
That second group also has no job security and can be fired at any time for no reason at all and with no notice under “at-will” employment laws, or simply laid off and replaced with younger, lower wage workers.
I got fired two weeks ago for asking my boss how he wanted something done when the way I’d already did it was too confusing for him. We are at the mercy of petulant toddlers.
Most stable jobs require only 40 hours a week. If you work 70+ hours that is not normal, you are being overworked. I work like 20 hours a week in reality and make over 100k in tech
This is a shit take. There is no such thing as a secure job in America. I have one of these so-called secure jobs that pays "well" and allows me to have a mortgage and a couple of car payments. I'm less desperate than I was 20 years ago when I worked 2 jobs; one in retail and one in food service. That said, I'm at the mercy of my employer who could take away all of my security in one fell swoop if they decide that I'm no longer useful to their accumulation of wealth.
Your "two Americas" are both closer to homelessness than we are to being a millionaire by a considerable measure. If you want to create an us vs them scenario, it should be all of the working class vs. the billionaires and politicians who are exploiting the rest of us to enrich themselves.
I can't speak for all others in my demographic, but as a white, gen-x, college educated male with a teenage daughter at home, I'd say by and large we support progressive policies. I have no problem paying my fair share of taxes, but would like to see them support social and environmental programs rather than imperialism and war. Most people in my industry have a similar mindset. What's your point?
Those you describe are the same group. Work slaves with either a part time or full time job, they both can lost it any day with no warning, they both are unable to buy a house, they both work insane hours for somebody who doesn't give a damn about them and their health.
The real other group are those people in the top 1% that buy a bunch of houses and don't need to work as they live from passive income.
And that was the door left ajar by both Parties that allowed Trump to swoop in - as it typically is with populist authoritarians. Same in the UK with Farage and UKIP.
These are the same group; both are wage slaves beholden to their employers to survive. These employers are the second group, and they want you to think (and successfully got you to to think) that you are not the same
Yes, I should have been a bit more clear that I meant "two middle class Americas that are represented on Reddit". Lots of people complain about barely making ends meet, but there are people who do fine in the middle. They need jobs, but have marketable skills and aren't in volatile industries that have surprise layoffs. That divide is the one the ruling/owning class wants to emphasize, but the group that's well-off enough to be complacent is shrinking relative to the middle-class-in-name-only-and-becoming-desperate group.
If it was a viable way to live why wouldn't some people want to serve food. You meet new people every day. You have your regulars you can talk to. I could see people enjoying this.
Yeah if you want to make a lot of money behind bar there’s a certain degree of skill required, but if you’re in a city working at a nice place you can make a very good living for yourself.
It is a viable way to live at plenty of restaurants and bars. Also, most waiters/waitresses prefer the tipping method to having a higher hourly wage, because they make more from the tips.
Take away tips, raise their wages, and the food prices don't change but the servers make less. So who really wins there?
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u/Salcha_00 Aug 28 '24
Yes. Normal.