After 50 years of working, and 12 years from when I was supposed to retire, I can't. And many people would cast me aside as an Artist in America. While simultaneously working a second or third job to keep my multi-million dollar landlord corp. afloat,
Paying my entire Social Security check that only covers part of my rent.
I won over 100 Awards since 2020 on FilmFreeway for my 5 books on Lul.com and AuthorHouse.com and 2 short films via Sophocles' Death of Hercules and SACCO & VANZETTI.
In and out of the arts, from substitute teaching to jobs from the bottom to the top from high-school 1969 to now.
All very good points. I am one of those who grew up poor and laughed during basic training when I started eating normal American food. Or normal for other Americans anyway. I was in heaven. I had new clothes to wear. They may have looked like everyone else's but they were new to me.
In later years, I learned the difference. I have lived with money in my pocket that I spent like a drunken sailor on a port visit (Oh wait, I was a drunken sailor on a port visit many times in my youth before I got married). And I've lived so poor that I barely had money for groceries to last the entire week. You never forget where you came from or how you've lived when you've been so poor you couldn't afford food and clothing.
I am a senior citizen now and I have enough pension money coming in every month to keep me comfortable for the first time in my life. But I'm also well aware of where that money comes from and I'm watching Trump's government as they keep threatening that. I have a plan if they strip those hard earned benefits away. It involves migrating to a country where we can live and not have to worry about the U.S. version of the Nazi Gestapo police taking us away to an internment camp.
I'm also becoming increasingly aware of how this may be effecting my children and grandchildren. I can't take them with me if I have to leave the country for safety reasons and that saddens me to think I may have to leave them behind.
How did we the people allow this to happen? With the tariffs fixing to send the economy into a serious tailspin into the ground, I wonder more and more how people less fortunate than I am will survive.
Last year, at a pizza franchise, i was privy to the conference calls to upper management. There was only me n the manager anways, chronically understaffed, always on purpose. The guy on the phone said, every dollar you can reduce wages is pure profit for your store. Pure profit is the exact term he used.
That manager quit before me and I sure hope her lawsuit was successful. Even though she denigrated "older white men" (so my father???) on one occasion, and we wouldn't have seen eye to eye politically, I'm so glad that someone had the balls to treat the company the way they treated us.
I found the worst possible time for them and quit too. Im far more proud of quitting than spending 9 months there
I am a paid subscriber and wanted to thank you for every freaking post you write. I am exhausted by the lies, lies, lies floating around online and you offer a fresh breath of honesty for which I am eternally grateful.
There are wardrobes that contain chore clothes if you’re raised on a farm and then school, church, or desk job clothes besides them . Heaven help you if you forget and wear your “good clothes in your rubber boots. Never wear those socks again in publ
Yes, absolutely — my husband’s closet is part Carhartt and part button-down shirts. He doesn’t work on the factory floor now, but still has to wear his work boots to go there to check on something. Meanwhile, my dad worked in a factory and my mom (eventually) had to wear business suits for her job. That was not how she’d grown up at all.
The business suit can be an expensive uniform too. My husband has been a manager of large adjusting company. He’d go out to the fire do the assessment and return to shower and get into the suit for an evening meeting.
Later, they switched to golf shirts and chinos but having to have both was expensive.🌹
Every word. Another BS myth I fell for was the “foot in the door” myth. As in “just get hired in any role and at any pay rate and when your awesomeness is realized, you’ll move up and so will your pay”. Nope. You’ll be seen as a patsy, just the employee who will continue to take on more work without more pay. The kind of employee who responds well to flattery…
Talk about villains - Jamie Dimon takes the cake (I mean, sure, he's no Elon, but...) - I remember working at a grocery store - 8 hour shifts during the week - 12 hour days on Saturdays and Sundays (they paid time and a half for hours over 8 in a day, union rules) - unloading produce trucks - after 3-4 hours of unloading 30-60 pound boxes, I got a break, and then had to put all it all on the shelves (plus help customers, etc) - I'd been offered an internship in a government office (I was a poli sci major), but it paid $500 for the entire summer. So, the grocery store job it was.
>>>Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, often talks about the “dignity of work.” I checked out his bio and was positively shocked to see his summer job while attending Harvard was not detasseling or working at McDonald’s or scooping up ice cream at a mall.
It would be hard for me to agree anymore than I do with everything you wrote in this one! I was raised the same way. My parents attached morality to work ethic. Lazy people were bad and hard-working people were good. It wasn't till I was in my mid-20s that I realized this was bullshit. It only took a couple of decades to deprogram myself...
After 50 years of working, and 12 years from when I was supposed to retire, I can't. And many people would cast me aside as an Artist in America. While simultaneously working a second or third job to keep my multi-million dollar landlord corp. afloat,
Paying my entire Social Security check that only covers part of my rent.
I won over 100 Awards since 2020 on FilmFreeway for my 5 books on Lul.com and AuthorHouse.com and 2 short films via Sophocles' Death of Hercules and SACCO & VANZETTI.
In and out of the arts, from substitute teaching to jobs from the bottom to the top from high-school 1969 to now.
This is how we treat hard-working, creative people in this country.
If it will not put several hundred million dollars in a billionaire's pocket, you will do it in America for much less than you need.
Thanks---maybe you can buy one of my books too
and much worse as well,,,
All very good points. I am one of those who grew up poor and laughed during basic training when I started eating normal American food. Or normal for other Americans anyway. I was in heaven. I had new clothes to wear. They may have looked like everyone else's but they were new to me.
In later years, I learned the difference. I have lived with money in my pocket that I spent like a drunken sailor on a port visit (Oh wait, I was a drunken sailor on a port visit many times in my youth before I got married). And I've lived so poor that I barely had money for groceries to last the entire week. You never forget where you came from or how you've lived when you've been so poor you couldn't afford food and clothing.
I am a senior citizen now and I have enough pension money coming in every month to keep me comfortable for the first time in my life. But I'm also well aware of where that money comes from and I'm watching Trump's government as they keep threatening that. I have a plan if they strip those hard earned benefits away. It involves migrating to a country where we can live and not have to worry about the U.S. version of the Nazi Gestapo police taking us away to an internment camp.
I'm also becoming increasingly aware of how this may be effecting my children and grandchildren. I can't take them with me if I have to leave the country for safety reasons and that saddens me to think I may have to leave them behind.
How did we the people allow this to happen? With the tariffs fixing to send the economy into a serious tailspin into the ground, I wonder more and more how people less fortunate than I am will survive.
Last year, at a pizza franchise, i was privy to the conference calls to upper management. There was only me n the manager anways, chronically understaffed, always on purpose. The guy on the phone said, every dollar you can reduce wages is pure profit for your store. Pure profit is the exact term he used.
That manager quit before me and I sure hope her lawsuit was successful. Even though she denigrated "older white men" (so my father???) on one occasion, and we wouldn't have seen eye to eye politically, I'm so glad that someone had the balls to treat the company the way they treated us.
I found the worst possible time for them and quit too. Im far more proud of quitting than spending 9 months there
I never had the nerve. I’m thinking of shit I sucked up when I should have made a stand.
I am a paid subscriber and wanted to thank you for every freaking post you write. I am exhausted by the lies, lies, lies floating around online and you offer a fresh breath of honesty for which I am eternally grateful.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart. Sometimes I wonder if I’m wasting my time here. Your note tells me to keep going.
Keep going!!!
Yep. I am subscribing allll the way from Paris. 💃You broke through the bullshit Michelle. Brava!!
Thank you!
You live in a lovely city. I got to visit for one day once because my husband is European. I hope to return someday!
There are wardrobes that contain chore clothes if you’re raised on a farm and then school, church, or desk job clothes besides them . Heaven help you if you forget and wear your “good clothes in your rubber boots. Never wear those socks again in publ
Yes, absolutely — my husband’s closet is part Carhartt and part button-down shirts. He doesn’t work on the factory floor now, but still has to wear his work boots to go there to check on something. Meanwhile, my dad worked in a factory and my mom (eventually) had to wear business suits for her job. That was not how she’d grown up at all.
The business suit can be an expensive uniform too. My husband has been a manager of large adjusting company. He’d go out to the fire do the assessment and return to shower and get into the suit for an evening meeting.
Later, they switched to golf shirts and chinos but having to have both was expensive.🌹
I need to apologize to my son. I was brainwashed back then.
Every word. Another BS myth I fell for was the “foot in the door” myth. As in “just get hired in any role and at any pay rate and when your awesomeness is realized, you’ll move up and so will your pay”. Nope. You’ll be seen as a patsy, just the employee who will continue to take on more work without more pay. The kind of employee who responds well to flattery…
If only I’d known.
Oh, you are so right!
Awesomeness is seldom recognized and rewarded. But it’s sure taken advantage of.
You can all buy a book as well.
Talk about villains - Jamie Dimon takes the cake (I mean, sure, he's no Elon, but...) - I remember working at a grocery store - 8 hour shifts during the week - 12 hour days on Saturdays and Sundays (they paid time and a half for hours over 8 in a day, union rules) - unloading produce trucks - after 3-4 hours of unloading 30-60 pound boxes, I got a break, and then had to put all it all on the shelves (plus help customers, etc) - I'd been offered an internship in a government office (I was a poli sci major), but it paid $500 for the entire summer. So, the grocery store job it was.
I completely get that frustration. Who knows what doors that internship may have opened for you?
Or mine for me?
Exactly - As you note, though, the already-privileged got those chances.
Great stuff, Michelle. Shared on Spoutible (now that the site is finally working again LOL)
>>>Jamie Dimon, CEO of JPMorgan Chase, often talks about the “dignity of work.” I checked out his bio and was positively shocked to see his summer job while attending Harvard was not detasseling or working at McDonald’s or scooping up ice cream at a mall.
Nope, his summer job was at Goldman Sachs.<<<
This gave me a good chuckle.
It was supposed to ;)
I like the idea of “The Trailer Park Rules”, the John Irving homage. I look forward to reading. SM
I don't think anyone else has ever noticed that! (Loved that book)
It's more of an homage to Vonnegut, though, which you'll notice once the Easter eggs start piling up.
Haydn's CREATION Friday May 2 @ 8pm in Newark, NJ at Sacred Heart Cathedral with Orchestra and soloists...FREE
It would be hard for me to agree anymore than I do with everything you wrote in this one! I was raised the same way. My parents attached morality to work ethic. Lazy people were bad and hard-working people were good. It wasn't till I was in my mid-20s that I realized this was bullshit. It only took a couple of decades to deprogram myself...
Yep.