20/20 Bailouts & Bull**** Part 6 of 6 - Ehrenreich

I wasn't able to post the actual video in the post, but this was an interesting video I found about the current Recession and the Middle Class. At one point they interview Ehrenreich and a guy criticizes her about her book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hYE4gO0b3K4

Post 6.

1. Research questions-

I'm not too sure yet what I want my research to be exactly. I know the themes I'd like to focus on are status, emotional labor, the service economy and gender. My friend is a male and a nurse so it would be interesting to see how his gender affects him at work since it's "tradionally" a "female" job. He also does comedy as a side job so I want to see if I could somehow connect his having two jobs to the themes we've worked on in class.


2. Interview questions-

How has your opinion changed about the job?
How had your status in your family changed?
How has your status in society changed?
Do you see a difference in your status as an LPN and a comedian?
What do you do in your downtime?
Does your job affect your everyday life?
What's your daily work routine?
How do your patients make you feel?
Were you trained to handle personal relationships with patients?
What was your familys work life like?
Would you do anything differently?
Do you feel appreciated?
How was the process of finding a job?
How would you describe your experience with doctors?
Do you think the healthcare system works?
What is your workplace like?
Are there any restrictions in your job?

Post 5.

I'm interested in nursing, so I was thinking of either interviewing my aunt who has been an RN for a very long time. Another person I was thinking of interviewing was my friend miguel because he's an LPN and has been doing it for about a year. He also is trying to become a comedian, so I thought it would be interesting to get that kinda of perspective from him. He's had a couple of jobs over the years and has worked in hospitals in a number of jobs. Even though he's my age he has a lot of experience.

Post 4.

I think Levine's poem was interesting. His poem obviously relates to the texts we're reading because it is about work. It's also related because it's about being in a position where you feel subordinate to a person. You're put into situations where you feel inferior to people who 9 times out of 10 aren't smarter than you or better than you. In his poem Levine talks about being made to stand out in the rain for 2 hours as a test for the applicants. If they leave they didn't want the job bad enough or the employer wouldn't have wanted an employee who would just give up easily. Even with Ehrenriech's book she's put into situations where she's meant to feel inferior to a person. I read the chapter when she cleans houses and there's a certain way you're supposed to scrub the floors on your hands and knees that make you feel below a person. Also in Turkel's book he mentions how the model has to wait around until her agency finds a job for her and she's expected to drop everything and rush to the booking. In all these situations these people are put in a caste below other people.

I know at AE they'll sometimes test applicants to see how badly they want a job. When someone comes in with an application we'll have them wait while the manager is "busy". If they leave or continue to ask if the manager is available they won't even get their application screened. I know it sometimes gives you this feeling of power when you can deny a person or help a person get a job. I know if an applicant continues to be impatient and asks over and over when the manager is coming I'll let the manager know and they'll say "I guess this person can't wait and they don't want a job" or something along those lines. In hindsight it isn't a good or nice thing to do, but at the time it makes you feel better than the person. hich is a horrible thing to feel.

In Levine's poem I think he told us that work is a pain. It can make you feel horrible and worthless. It stresses you out and makes you think or feel things you wouldn't normally feel. You begin to rethink things that are completely unrelated to your job. He begins to talk about his brother and feels resentful towards his brother because of the music he sings and his going to school. I'm sure if he wasn't standing on that line he wouldn't feel that way. Work is a very odd entity. We must do it, but alot of the time its the last thing we want to do.

Post 3.

Being Puerto Rican there are very rigid gender roles in my culture. Women do all the housework and men bring home the bacon. My family has always been a mish-mosh of all that. When I was younger and my parents were together, my dad actually did alot of the cooking and cleaned alot. That was a main cause of arguments in my household though. My father felt my mother should be doing all the housework. With my aunts and uncles its a mixture in their homes. As I've gotten older I noticed the men in my family are helping out more and more in the household even cleaning. Sometimes whoever cooks is the first person home from work, but the majority of the cleaning falls in the hands of the women. The men in my family do help alot with other things. The men were raised with the idea women do the housework so they don't always know how to do certain things, like wash clothes.

I used to always consider myself a feminist. I never wanted to be in a relationship where I did all the cleaning or cooking. I know how to clean because I was raised with only my mother who is OCD with cleanliness. I can't cook because my dad was always a better cook than my mom and he hasn't taught me. I never thought I'd fall into the "stereotypical" woman role, until I met my boyfriend. He's completely clueless about housework and cleaning, so I end up doing most of the work. I do teach him and he's willing to learn, so I guess that isn't really sticking to typical gender roles. Since we've been together he's learned alot and now volunteers to do alot of things. I do know that in the future I won't allow myself to do mostly all of the housework because a) I refuse to fall into that gender role and b) I'm just too lazy.

Post 2.

Within my family what gives someone status is education. I'm only the second person in my family to go to college. My older cousin went and graduated with her bachelor's. When she said she didn't want to go to college at first, my family went ballistic. I'm the second oldest grandchild and the "smart one" in my family so I had no other choice but to attend college. I started at Hunter and did really badly because I wasn't sure what I wanted to study. My family was so upset and disappointed. It isn't only just college, it's about studying something relevant. Which to them would be like becoming a teacher, docotor, or something aong those lines. If I said I wanted to be an artist they would think I was wasting my time.
I do understand and see where my family is coming from. They want me to be a strong and respected figure in society. They don't want me to struggle. I think education is important and can help someone gain status. I just don't think you should pressure someone to a certain school or career.

Post 1.

So I work in American Eagle in Queens Center Mall. I'm a lead cashier so I'm always ringing on the register. When I walk in I go to a drawer, grab a key for a lock (which 9 times out of 10 doesn't belong to any lock), put my stuff away, walk to a manager, get a take-5 and ring for my entire shift. I don't only just ring; I also help other cashiers when they have issues with customers or handle any other problems in the cash and wrap. I'm pretty much a manager without the title or salary.
My workplace is just a normal retail store. Its in the mall so monday-friday during the daytime its pretty slow, but at night or on the weekend chaos ensues. People seem to think they need to tear up clothing piles and fight for shirts or jeans. I barely have time to think because the lines are endless. The store can get pretty crowded or messy so anyone who is claustrophobic should stay away.
I've worked there for two years so there isn't much I'd change. I've grown accustomed to the establishment. I'm one of the few associates who are close to the managers so I'm able to get my voice heard. If I have any issues I talk to a manager and it gets resolved. Also since I'm a lead I dont have to take much order from anyone.