QTPC #27- Fast Food Nation

Mike Radunz

English 106

12/8/09

QTPC-27

Quotation- “During a three month period the first log recorded 1,800 injuries and illnesses at the plant.  The OSHA log recorded only 160-a discrepancy of more than 1,000 percent.” -p.180 Fast Food Nation

Talking Point-These reports and the other evidence which came out of the congressional hearing help illustrate how the large meatpacking industries are only concerned with profit and don’t care about their workers.  Such disregard for people who rely on you and you on them is unforgivable and yet the only punishment they receive is fines.  These fines may seem large for the ordinary person, but huge corporations can pay the sums easily, making the punishment useless.

Connection- I made a connection with Nickel and Dimed when they began discussing the power of unions.  In both workplaces unions were very weak because the workers were easy to let go so they wouldn’t want to complain.  Its counter intuitive to think that the workers in the lowest jobs reject unions which could give them much more strength to bargain and could help them make their workplaces better.

QTPC #26- Fast Food Nation

Mike Radunz

English 106

12/2/09

QTPC-26

Quotation- “America’s agricultural economy now resembles an hourglass.  At the top there are about two million ranchers and farmers; at the bottom there are 275 million consumers; and at the narrow portion in the middle, there are a dozen or so multinational corporations earning a profit from every transaction.” -p.119 Fast Food Nation

Talking Point-The state of the food trade, which McDonalds is a big contributor to, has made the individual farmer almost obsolete.  Small farm operations are less effective than large commercial farms, so when there is big profits on the line the corporate farms try to buy them out.  Consumers don’t make a big deal over this because it means they can get their food cheaper.  But by ignoring the plight of the small farmer or rancher we allow the large corporations complete control of the market place.  These huge companies hope to do just that, and if they succeed our markets will degrade because they will have no competition so they are free to charge whatever they wish.

Connection- I saw a documentary once on corn growing in America.  They talked about how large commercial farms and unrestrained growing of corn has caused many problems.  The first is that small farmers are being pushed off their farms by large corporations, which mimics what is happening in the meat and potato industries.  The other thing about corn was that the only reason any farmer was able to make a profit off of it is because the government subsidizes the corn.  At market value the profits wouldn’t be enough so sustain a farm.  If we allow similar things to happen to other agricultural sectors the results would be terrible.

QTPC #25- Fast Food Nation

Mike Radunz

English 106

11/30/09

QTPC-25

Quotation- “In his book Kids as Customers (1992), McNeal provides marketers with a thorough analysis of “children’s requesting styles and appeals.” He classifies juvenile nagging tactics into seven major categories.” -p. 44 Fast Food Nation

“The Fair Labor Standards Act prohibits the employment of kids under the age of sixteen for more than three hours on a school day, or later than seven o’clock at night. Colorado state law prohibits the employment of kids under the age of eighteen for more than eight hours a day and also prohibits their employment at jobs involving hazardous machinery.  According to the workers I met, violations of these state and federal laws are now fairly commonplace.” -p. 82 Fast Food Nation

Talking Point- I found it really surprising that state laws were being broken in restaurants around the country and no one was doing anything about it.  The laws explained in the book seem to provide a good guideline for companies in regards to teenage employment, and the fact that employers just ignore them makes me wonder if anyone actually cares about the conditions in fast food restaurants.  I think many people consider those workers in such jobs to be a lower class, and so don’t think about what they may have to go through.  Expecting underprivileged teens to gain something out of such bad jobs is unrealistic and probably has the complete opposite effect.

Connection- I made a connection with the passage about middle class boys working as lifeguards rather than in fast food restaurants.  I worked as a lifeguard throughout high school and I often complained about it for various reasons but I always considered it better than working at McDonalds.  This attitude I have shows the class distinction that exists between those who work at fast food joints and those who just eat at them.

QTPC #23- Nickel and Dimed

Mike Radunz

English 106

11/11/09

QTPC-23

Quotation- “In the rhetorical buildup to welfare reform, it was uniformly assumed that a job was the ticket out of poverty and the only thing holding back welfare recipients was their relunctance to get one.  I got one and sometimes more than one, but my track record in the survival department is far less admirable than my performance as a jobholder.” –p 196 Nickel and Dimed

Talking Point- I think that Ehrenreich made a strong case for the sorry state of the job market in today’s economy.  There is something very wrong when a person working two jobs and living a life of no extravagance can just barely get by.  And the Jobs that they are working are undesirable and more difficult than many higher paying jobs.  I think that our society has very odd priorities if we are allowing those who live in poverty to struggle while we live in complete comfort above them.  Unless we make a change and make it possible to pull yourself up by your boot straps, then we need to stop preaching about how good we all are.

Connection- I didn’t connect very much with the things that Ehrenreich went through, because my family is lucky enough to be well off and not have to watch every dollar.  I did however see myself in the people who Ehrenreich was working for, the rude customers.  I know there has been many times where I’ve been rude to employees and after reading this book I feel worse about it because they have so much going against them that I hate to think that I was adding to it.

QTPC #22- Nickel and Dimed

Mike Radunz

English 106

11/8/09

QTPC-22

Quotation- “For sheer grandeur, scale, and intimidation value, I doubt if any corporate orientation exceeds that of Wal-Mart.  I have been told that the process will take eight hours, which will include two fifteen-minute breaks and one half-hour break for a meal, and will be paid for like a regular shift.” –p. 143 Nickel and Dimed

Talking Point- This was my favorite section of the book, because Ehrenrich entered the corporate world of Wal-Mart.  Wal-Mart is such a huge force in the world that it has the almost immediate effect of dividing people over it.  Their low rate of pay and mistreatment of the workers is legendary, and its popularity to American consumers is equally impressive.  Due to this dichotomy, it becomes extremely difficult to analyze the effects of this institution.  If Wal-Mart was forced to raise their wages, they would also be forced to raise their prices which would anger the consumers.  There seems to be no good answer for how to solve the complex issue of higher wages versus lower prices, and it will require a major shift in social opinion before anything solid can be fixed.

Connection- This section was very fun to read, because I am from the Minneapolis area.  I found myself looking closer at all of the references, and wondering if I had been at the Wal-Mart where she had worked.  For once I was disappointed that she didn’t reveal exactly where she had been, because I would have liked to see if I could have recognized the locations.  I was also surprised that she felt it necessary to describe what Menards was, because it was so natural to me that it wouldn’t need clarification.

QTPC #21- Nickel and Dimed

Mike Radunz

English 106

11/4/09

QTPC-21

Quotation- “This should be as startling to economists as a burst of exotic radiation is to astronomers.  If the supply (of labor) is low relative to demand, the price should rise right? That is the ‘law.’ –p. 60 Nickel and Dimed

Talking Point- This chapter showed a different side to Ehrenreich’s investigation because to me it seemed liked she had a more consistent job this round.  She got into one job early and stayed there, which allowed her to get to know the people, the structure, and the actual work much better.  In the last section it almost seemed as if she didn’t learn anything, or didn’t change herself, but as a maid her trials and growth were very clear, which is reflected in her more impassioned out breaks at the corporate structure.

Connection- The above passage reminded me of my high school economics class, and I began to wonder why the laws of supply and demand are not functioning as they should.  I am by no means an expert on supply and demand, but I believe that the failure of the invisible hand is due to the fact that the workers are desperate for jobs, so they can’t afford to be picky.  Ehrenreich stated that the week between jobs meant a week without food or a paycheck, and so this struggle prevents people from taking the pay they deserve and instead taking the job that’s pays at all.

QTPC #20- Nickel and Dimed

Mike Radunz

English 106

11/2/09

QTPC-20

Quotation- “I ruled our homelessness as an option.  The idea was to spend a month in each setting and see whether or not I could find a job and earn, in that time, the money to pay for a second month’s rent.” –p. 5 Nickel and Dimed

Talking Point- I thought it was interesting to see her transition from a purely research and scientific based attitude that she had at first, to the more concerned and caring attitude she left with.  After seeing what the people who were actually living in these conditions, she was willing to part with her tips in order to help them.  It struck as very kind, but almost bordering on charity because if she actually needed that money to live on she wouldn’t be giving up any tips.  It just shows how far back she still was from her experiment, even though she had immersed herself in the work.

Connection- I saw a parallel to Hollywood’s version of the rags to riches story.  They always portray some struggling girl who works her way up from nothing.  This story makes for good movies, but as the book shows that isn’t what happens.  In real life people work three or four jobs and just barely make it in the world.  It is a sad reality that I’m sure will be quite prevalent in this book.

QTPC #19- When the Levees Broke

Mike Radunz

English 106

10/28/09

QTPC-19

Quotation- “Did the storm blow away our citizenship?” –When the Levees Broke

“These people were underprivileged, so this is working out well for them.” –When the Levees Broke

Talking Point- When the families were talking about being relocated, I didn’t realize how much of an exodus that was.  I always focused on the destruction of the city and now how everyone was spread out so far.  It showed how Katrina affected the entire country because the people were so spread out that every state felt the effects to some degree.  On a side note, Barbra Bush’s comment was completely uncalled for and completely rude.  She has been in public life long enough that she shouldn’t have said such a blatantly stupid comment.

Connection- The most terrifying part of this documentary was when the families were describing how they couldn’t get in touch with their families. After being spread throughout the country I couldn’t think of any way to contact my family.  This thought is terrible because not only have you lost your home but you also can’t contact your family, and might never be able to contact them again.

 

QTPC #18- When the Levees Broke

Mike Radunz

English 106

10/25/09

QTPC-18

Quotation- “Everyone was being politically correct and no one had the balls to say what was going on.” –When the Levees Broke

Talking Point- This quote emphasizes a terrible fact about how Katrina was handled. The governments were more concerned with politics then with actually helping the people, and because of that people were suffering needlessly.  If the governor had called in for help immediately, or had the president declared an emergency, then perhaps the conditions would not have gotten as bad as they did.  I hope that future policy makers learned that in such a crisis, the only available action is to help the people first, worry about appearances later.

Connection-  I made a slight connection with Hollywood action movies while thinking of this.  The story is familiar, a lone cop finds himself in a terrible situation, but manages to pull through.  While this example is a little foolish and extreme it still shows how people can forget the rules when the situation is extreme enough to warrant that.

QTPC #17- When the Levees Broke

Mike Radunz

English 106

10/21/09

QTPC-17

Quotation- “It’s quite ironic seeing the greatest tradgedy that happened in Europe, and seeing your own city being flooded.” -When the Levees Broke

“People who came in would die here…horrible place…you wouldn’t think it can happen in America” –When the Levees Broke

Talking Point- When the rich white couple came on it showed a completely different side of the story, and one that was far less real or accurate.  Their view was extremely removed, and considering they weren’t even in the country, they didn’t have much to contribute.  The images of streets flooded feet high, with water spewing out of storm drains was powerful, it showed how much these people lost n such a short time.  The sentiment that I heard repeated was that people were shocked that such a thing could happen to America, so this whole episode reminded our country that we were not actually better than any other country, and in many ways we were weaker than them.

Connection- The connection that the man from the Superdome made to the Civil Rights was quite accurate; watching people come together in the face of such adversity was an immensely powerful experience.  People came together with little regard for their own health and safety in order to protect what little they all had.  In this way Katrina was more powerful then the civil rights movement because it was universal, the downtrodden helping the downtrodden in an effort to overcome natures brutality.