I’m curious what kind of BBQ joints they’re talking about. Those sort of roadside, dude with a giant smoker filling up takeout boxes BBQ joints have pretty low costs. Which makes me think these are fancier sit-down places whose owners don’t get that no one is going to work for minimum wage because $7.25 an hour (or $2.13 with tips) isn’t enough to live on and they don’t have a business plan to profitably that involves paying a livable wage.

[–] DwigtRortugal@hexbear.net 24 points 4 days ago* (last edited 4 days ago) (1 children)

i think you’re on to a core component (beyond everyone but the top 10% being pressed for disposable income). the us is structurally and culturally ordered around accepting exploitation to become the exploiter.

unless you become credentialed and make your way into the ever shrinking pmclasses your only hope to not only a semblance of financial security but also basic social respectability (personhood, really) is to suffer exploitation and privation until you can open your own shop and become the exploiter.

many jobs and even trades, basically anything not considered a “profession” encourages this “path” which of course logically cannot work for everyone in these jobs and also conditions new owners to a mindset of “i did it, why can’t they” ignoring any other factors and allowing capital interests and politicians to order governance around what become economic truisms.

[–] PKMKII@hexbear.net 15 points 4 days ago (1 children)

conditions new owners to a mindset of “i did it, why can’t they”

The “I paid my dues” mantra is very powerful in s capitalist economy, both in getting lower rung workers, especially younger ones, to accept bad conditions and low pay, and as a rationale for ownership/upper management for implementing those conditions. Seems that cycle is breaking as the ossifying economy means those workers are now less likely to see an upwardly mobile path and this less likely to suffer through. No point in paying dues if there’s no middle management or petty bourgeois position waiting on the other side.

[–] Spongebobsquarejuche@hexbear.net 11 points 4 days ago

Literally my biggest erk about kids(ppl) when they get a job, so quickly they get so…. Proud? Like ‘oh must be nice to sleep in’ ‘oh they don’t know how hard it is’. Near instant loss of empathy. I feel like I worked hard but Never took myself seriously because of severe alcoholism. (Maybe libertarianism?) But also I worked in an agricultural area and drove thru fields of ppl really working, for bullshit wages. And when the economy got tough all my undocumented friends got screwed over badly. I just try remind ppl that they’re not the first person to work hard. And to remember to have empathy. (Rambling)

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