Luxuries are defined as an inessential, desirable item that is expensive or difficult to obtain. However, different authors may use the term to have another meaning to correlate with their own stories. Barbara Ehrenreich, a journalist and activist for improving public access to health care, wrote a story describing how she gave up her luxuries and lived as someone only making minimum wages. Her story, “Serving in Florida,” is a narrative of her experiences as a waitress living off of tips. Ehrenreich is lucky in that she is able to give up her luxuries and have then returned when she finishes her experiment, unlike those less fortunate. On the opposite end of the spectrum of unnecessary wealth, Bill Laitner writes a news story for the Detroit
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While Ehrenreich gives away all her excess privileges in the beginning of her experiment, she begins to realise that her life is about to drastically change. She describes her realization as “it’s not going to be easy to go from being a consumer, thoughtlessly throwing money around in exchange for groceries and movies and gas, to being a worker in the very same place” (Ehrenreich, 2017, p. 917). She quickly discovers that those on the poverty line hardly have enough money to provide themselves with food and proper shelter. For people food and shelter is not a luxury but a necessity. Furthermore, Ehrenreich quickly began to see a luxury that possibly had not thought about in a long time, the food she was eating. In the beginning of her story she emphasizes how she spends money on groceries. However, she instantly decides to to get “lunch at Wendy’s, where $4.99 gets you unlimited refills at the Mexican part of the Super-bar” (Ehrenreich, 2017, p. 919). Ehrenreich is forced to give up quality, healthy food in order to eat. Although she is just experimenting with lifestyles, poor diet in the long run can lead to a series of problems such as fatigue, stress, obesity, and could ultimately lead to death. Perhaps quality food is not just a luxury, but a necessity in order to live a long, relatively healthy life. Ehrenreich's switch from her healthy luxury diet and lifestyle to her poor diet and near homelessness, opens her eyes to how much luxury is necessary to
While Ehrenreich gives away all her excess privileges in the beginning of her experiment, she begins to realise that her life is about to drastically change. She describes her realization as “it’s not going to be easy to go from being a consumer, thoughtlessly throwing money around in exchange for groceries and movies and gas, to being a worker in the very same place” (Ehrenreich, 2017, p. 917). She quickly discovers that those on the poverty line hardly have enough money to provide themselves with food and proper shelter. For people food and shelter is not a luxury but a necessity. Furthermore, Ehrenreich quickly began to see a luxury that possibly had not thought about in a long time, the food she was eating. In the beginning of her story she emphasizes how she spends money on groceries. However, she instantly decides to to get “lunch at Wendy’s, where $4.99 gets you unlimited refills at the Mexican part of the Super-bar” (Ehrenreich, 2017, p. 919). Ehrenreich is forced to give up quality, healthy food in order to eat. Although she is just experimenting with lifestyles, poor diet in the long run can lead to a series of problems such as fatigue, stress, obesity, and could ultimately lead to death. Perhaps quality food is not just a luxury, but a necessity in order to live a long, relatively healthy life. Ehrenreich's switch from her healthy luxury diet and lifestyle to her poor diet and near homelessness, opens her eyes to how much luxury is necessary to