Nickel And Dimed Reflection

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Poverty effects thousands of Americans everyday, no matter the persons race, gender or age. In the book Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich, writes about her "experiment" on low paying jobs and blue-collar Americans. Ehrenreich reported on life at minimum wage by settling into three areas of the country. At each place she worked a month, working as a restaurant server, Wal-Mart employee, and as a maid. Ehrenreich learned quickly how difficult it was to live off of a low wage paying job.
The book Nickel and Dimed reinforced my perceptions of bule-collar Americans that much more. I understand what it is like to make minimum wage. If I didn't live with my mom and get some help from my parents then there is no way I would be able to make it on my own only making $9 an hour. If I was on my own without any help from my parents I would most likely be homeless or with a low paying full time job and not going to school. I work with a few people that make the same I do and they are completely on their own, and they struggle everyday to make ends meet. It is not okay for people to work their butts off and barely be able to put a hot meal on the table(or they may not have a table, due to the fact …show more content…
If a person is getting paid a low wage there should be no need to drug test them and have locker searches at random. Most people that work at a low paying job have to get another job (which is most likely also a low wage job) just so they can make ends meet. I know a reserve Sheriffs deputy that has to work another job plus working for the Sheriffs department just to barely make ends meet. When Ehrenreich says, “Something is wrong, very wrong, when a single person in good health, a person who in addition possesses a working car, can barely support herself by the sweat of her brow"#, I understand completely what she means because I see it everyday with people that I work

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