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30 Days: Minimum Wage (Warning: Long and Ranty)
Sobering. This is the only word that I can use for the following episode: 30 Days: Minimum Wage. Morgan Spurlock, the guy from "Supersize Me", is the guy behind this whole series of "30 Days".
At first, you gotta laugh, since this really is a subject of a lot of movies: rich people living "poor pepople's lives". And almost losing it over it. The couple (Morgan Spurlock and his fiancee) went from living it semi-richly in NYC to living poorly, on minimum wage, in a place called "The Bottoms" in Columbus, OH. They only brought a tiny knapsack of their belongings and froze their credit cards. They got all of their furniture, for free, from a church store down the street. Their apartment was infested with ants and other unidentifiable creatures (no roaches). Keeping in mind that this is a vegan chef, they spent 30 days living off Rice and Beans. He worked at a temp agency turning no job down and (at least in front of the cameras) working an honest days work. She worked as a dishwasher at a coffee shop.
Midway through the episode, his brother donated his teenage kids for the weekend. Up until this time, they were really good at saving $$ and not spending overboard. They still spent like $80 for the kids (between movies and activities) - which was a LOT for them. His fiancee finally broke down over 60 cent buns. I fully understand. I go crazy over IT spending $$ on new games. And I scrimp and save, or so I thought - not after this. There were times that, they had stated: if they lived like this forever, they would not know they would stay together due to the stress.
I approached this episode with a completely open mind - not judging anyone for not owning a car or living in a so-called "bad area". (Edit: me saying that alone makes me sound like an ignorant white person). I was so shocked at the fact that in this country, this country that still is a symbol of prosperity, that people are forced to live like this. No wonder welfare and drugs would look good at that point - being that you feel as if there is no way out. I mean they lived like this for 30 days - I cannot imagine having to live like this for life. Now, I understand. Kinda.
Keep in mind, as I am watching this, I am not living the high life. I live in a 400 square foot jr 1 bedroom. A stuido with an incomplete wall. I live here with my boyfriend. Due to space constraints, we sleep on a twin bed. This is not easy, since I am not a skiny person by any means, but it was easier than sharing a bed with a 300 pound exboyfriend (I was 50 lbs skinnier myself at that point). I live on less than $2500 a month for myelf and less than $1000 additional from my boyfriend. I have learned to cook a lot more. Also, I had to think about the way I spend $$ all the time. I sitll end up going through my savings, tho I have no plans to spend the rest of the littel $$ I have left. Granted, before I got into my accident, I had no reason to spend $700 either.
First of all, I realize now a lot of places where I am pissed $$ away. Every day at work, they order out for lunch at the end of the month (when people's $$ runs out on their cards). Also, I went out last night - albeit to spend time with my friend KD. She only likes to spend time with me when we are having dinner/lunch. Also, it cannot be at my place - we need to eat out. I spent $97. Granted, it was $15 KD. Also, I had a $50 gift card. Which was the reason that I chose Fridays in the first place. But still - I have plently of food at home. I had no reason to go out. It is just a natural thing to want to get out of your surroundings and explore. I think I have it a little too spoiled, and use my car for all its worth. Which is good, but I can see that I gotta limit it. Also, I have 3 ways to enjoy anything I want to watch on TV - Hulu.com, Cable TV and Netflix. I forgot the real reason I enjoy TV - to learn.
I also just watched another 30 days episode: "Life on a Navajo Nation". This was also very close to home, since I have actually been to the reservation. It is such a different way of life out there, I could write a book about it. But now, I would not need to, since Morgan Spurlock already lived it. Trying to get a job on the Rez. 25 job postings in a Nation of 200,000. 60 % unemployment. No running water, no electricity. He lived in a traditional hogan for 30 days, 7 inches away from a black widow spider (at that point I would move the bed or just, leave). It was actually in a space between the inside and the outside, so I think he left the outside ones alone and killed any that came inside. He woke up in the morning, before dawn, and made the traditional morning run. He learned how to speak rudimentary Navajo language. And when he left, he actually cried. He would miss the grandmother so much. The whole entire Navajo family lived on the reservation. They went to school off, like the mother who became a school administrator, but came back. As they ended the show, the son had to actually debate about living off the rez for the first time in his life (until that point he made $$ from rodeos). This is because his family, and the rez, was home to him, and no fancy cars/homes/computers could change that.
What a disconnect we have in American culture. I know all over the world (except in American life) people live with their extended families. It is nothing for entire tribes of families to live together in a town, and life is centered around your family. This is very grounding for a person, I think. Tho it can be limiting, the essence of the fact is that early on, you learn 2 things: 1. Everything you do as a person affects other people and 2. You are not the only person in this world. Selfishness in any form is bad. And from what I gather, it is not tolerated after the age of maybe, 5. This is also good, since there is little need for child care out there. People just go out and work, and there is always someone home to take care of the kids. Also, kids mature earlier there than here in America.
Then you come here, to America. Even with the middle class, the parents end up working 2 jobs and the kids are off, running whereever. No guidance from anyone but their friends (shudder). This is the root of all of our problems. Our entire society was based on this idea that a white man could come over here and create his own little castle and kingdom. He had a wife/slave and other slaves to help him, but the slaves were of a lower class. They were unable to marry and were considered inhuman. The indians were relegated to savages; yet, I heard a lot of stories of women who were "kidnapped" by indians. Once they were rescued, the women ran away back to the Indians, their way of life. There was a reason.
And this is why we are considered to be so damn selfish to the rest of the world. Granted, our selfishness has created great things - TV, VCR's portable DVDs and computers, Ipods (notice the "I"). But other cultures worship the elders. We ship them off to nursing homes to die. Other people live among the poor, where our poor "live" in another side of town. Anything that isn't convenient - we ship off to the side. Really, it is a sad world. Funny enough, the matketization of the ghetto way of life is coming to bite us in the butt, since many white kids wanna look and act like they are from the hood with no real understanding as to why or the values behind it. So you gotta bunch of tough acting white kids with guns, messing with a force to be reckoned with. Give them violent games for target practice, and now we know why society is in the shape we are in.
Then I sit and stare at my boyfriends computer and wonder, what is the asnwer? I tried living poor, and homeless, and while it is a great start, it does nothing for anyone. Now, I can finally see why I have been reading "The body sacred". The whole idea that resonates through the book, besides the idea to rise above the likes of Macy's Jenny Craig and Estee Lauder, is to live in a connected state. What are we feeling now? Why am I eating this crappy food? Why am I so stressed out all of the time? Why am I living in such an unhealthy state? Why do I feel so guilty for doing something that makes me feel good, and is there any way to enjoy it? Today, I will think about all that I have learned.
Wow, it is noon already. I keep waiting for the morning sun to warm up, forgetting for a moment I am in NJ and the warmest it will be is like, 40 degrees. It is cloudy out, which is the reason for no beaming sunlight. Well, I have a lot to think about today. Hmm, maybe visiting that native American store might be a good thing - although, in this economy, it is a wise decision to ensure it is still in business.
At first, you gotta laugh, since this really is a subject of a lot of movies: rich people living "poor pepople's lives". And almost losing it over it. The couple (Morgan Spurlock and his fiancee) went from living it semi-richly in NYC to living poorly, on minimum wage, in a place called "The Bottoms" in Columbus, OH. They only brought a tiny knapsack of their belongings and froze their credit cards. They got all of their furniture, for free, from a church store down the street. Their apartment was infested with ants and other unidentifiable creatures (no roaches). Keeping in mind that this is a vegan chef, they spent 30 days living off Rice and Beans. He worked at a temp agency turning no job down and (at least in front of the cameras) working an honest days work. She worked as a dishwasher at a coffee shop.
Midway through the episode, his brother donated his teenage kids for the weekend. Up until this time, they were really good at saving $$ and not spending overboard. They still spent like $80 for the kids (between movies and activities) - which was a LOT for them. His fiancee finally broke down over 60 cent buns. I fully understand. I go crazy over IT spending $$ on new games. And I scrimp and save, or so I thought - not after this. There were times that, they had stated: if they lived like this forever, they would not know they would stay together due to the stress.
I approached this episode with a completely open mind - not judging anyone for not owning a car or living in a so-called "bad area". (Edit: me saying that alone makes me sound like an ignorant white person). I was so shocked at the fact that in this country, this country that still is a symbol of prosperity, that people are forced to live like this. No wonder welfare and drugs would look good at that point - being that you feel as if there is no way out. I mean they lived like this for 30 days - I cannot imagine having to live like this for life. Now, I understand. Kinda.
Keep in mind, as I am watching this, I am not living the high life. I live in a 400 square foot jr 1 bedroom. A stuido with an incomplete wall. I live here with my boyfriend. Due to space constraints, we sleep on a twin bed. This is not easy, since I am not a skiny person by any means, but it was easier than sharing a bed with a 300 pound exboyfriend (I was 50 lbs skinnier myself at that point). I live on less than $2500 a month for myelf and less than $1000 additional from my boyfriend. I have learned to cook a lot more. Also, I had to think about the way I spend $$ all the time. I sitll end up going through my savings, tho I have no plans to spend the rest of the littel $$ I have left. Granted, before I got into my accident, I had no reason to spend $700 either.
First of all, I realize now a lot of places where I am pissed $$ away. Every day at work, they order out for lunch at the end of the month (when people's $$ runs out on their cards). Also, I went out last night - albeit to spend time with my friend KD. She only likes to spend time with me when we are having dinner/lunch. Also, it cannot be at my place - we need to eat out. I spent $97. Granted, it was $15 KD. Also, I had a $50 gift card. Which was the reason that I chose Fridays in the first place. But still - I have plently of food at home. I had no reason to go out. It is just a natural thing to want to get out of your surroundings and explore. I think I have it a little too spoiled, and use my car for all its worth. Which is good, but I can see that I gotta limit it. Also, I have 3 ways to enjoy anything I want to watch on TV - Hulu.com, Cable TV and Netflix. I forgot the real reason I enjoy TV - to learn.
I also just watched another 30 days episode: "Life on a Navajo Nation". This was also very close to home, since I have actually been to the reservation. It is such a different way of life out there, I could write a book about it. But now, I would not need to, since Morgan Spurlock already lived it. Trying to get a job on the Rez. 25 job postings in a Nation of 200,000. 60 % unemployment. No running water, no electricity. He lived in a traditional hogan for 30 days, 7 inches away from a black widow spider (at that point I would move the bed or just, leave). It was actually in a space between the inside and the outside, so I think he left the outside ones alone and killed any that came inside. He woke up in the morning, before dawn, and made the traditional morning run. He learned how to speak rudimentary Navajo language. And when he left, he actually cried. He would miss the grandmother so much. The whole entire Navajo family lived on the reservation. They went to school off, like the mother who became a school administrator, but came back. As they ended the show, the son had to actually debate about living off the rez for the first time in his life (until that point he made $$ from rodeos). This is because his family, and the rez, was home to him, and no fancy cars/homes/computers could change that.
What a disconnect we have in American culture. I know all over the world (except in American life) people live with their extended families. It is nothing for entire tribes of families to live together in a town, and life is centered around your family. This is very grounding for a person, I think. Tho it can be limiting, the essence of the fact is that early on, you learn 2 things: 1. Everything you do as a person affects other people and 2. You are not the only person in this world. Selfishness in any form is bad. And from what I gather, it is not tolerated after the age of maybe, 5. This is also good, since there is little need for child care out there. People just go out and work, and there is always someone home to take care of the kids. Also, kids mature earlier there than here in America.
Then you come here, to America. Even with the middle class, the parents end up working 2 jobs and the kids are off, running whereever. No guidance from anyone but their friends (shudder). This is the root of all of our problems. Our entire society was based on this idea that a white man could come over here and create his own little castle and kingdom. He had a wife/slave and other slaves to help him, but the slaves were of a lower class. They were unable to marry and were considered inhuman. The indians were relegated to savages; yet, I heard a lot of stories of women who were "kidnapped" by indians. Once they were rescued, the women ran away back to the Indians, their way of life. There was a reason.
And this is why we are considered to be so damn selfish to the rest of the world. Granted, our selfishness has created great things - TV, VCR's portable DVDs and computers, Ipods (notice the "I"). But other cultures worship the elders. We ship them off to nursing homes to die. Other people live among the poor, where our poor "live" in another side of town. Anything that isn't convenient - we ship off to the side. Really, it is a sad world. Funny enough, the matketization of the ghetto way of life is coming to bite us in the butt, since many white kids wanna look and act like they are from the hood with no real understanding as to why or the values behind it. So you gotta bunch of tough acting white kids with guns, messing with a force to be reckoned with. Give them violent games for target practice, and now we know why society is in the shape we are in.
Then I sit and stare at my boyfriends computer and wonder, what is the asnwer? I tried living poor, and homeless, and while it is a great start, it does nothing for anyone. Now, I can finally see why I have been reading "The body sacred". The whole idea that resonates through the book, besides the idea to rise above the likes of Macy's Jenny Craig and Estee Lauder, is to live in a connected state. What are we feeling now? Why am I eating this crappy food? Why am I so stressed out all of the time? Why am I living in such an unhealthy state? Why do I feel so guilty for doing something that makes me feel good, and is there any way to enjoy it? Today, I will think about all that I have learned.
Wow, it is noon already. I keep waiting for the morning sun to warm up, forgetting for a moment I am in NJ and the warmest it will be is like, 40 degrees. It is cloudy out, which is the reason for no beaming sunlight. Well, I have a lot to think about today. Hmm, maybe visiting that native American store might be a good thing - although, in this economy, it is a wise decision to ensure it is still in business.