Nickel and Dimed Cont.

Continuing my review of Nickel and Dimed I was asked to write a review on chapter two. This chapter starts out in Maine where Barbara finds herself “as clueless and alone as I have ever been in my grown-up life.” She starts out here time in Maine with $1,000, and few bills. Barbara also finds a hotel for an alarming rate of $59 a night. This gives here a scenic view of route 25, and a bed, TV, and phone. This location is now closer to a gas station, store, and restaurants. She decides though to go about 30 minutes away to a town called Old Orchard Beach. This is where she has decided to share an apartment for $65 a week.

When she arrives the place is “disturbing,” she can’t even go to the kitchen until the guy sleeping in there is gone. Otherwise there is no cooking in the kitchen. Her room only a bit smaller than the motels, having two twin beds and light in the ceiling, no windows. Next looking down the road at a nicer looking hotel ran by a retired cop. The place is nice but at $150 a week it’s too expensive. On the main street through the town she also finds a place where she finds to be not of her liking. $110 is the asking price but it offers nothing that she wants, linens, TV, or dishware. On her way back to Portland she spots a cute little cottage area of a hotel. $120 is the asking price a week and only asks for a $100 security deposit, which she produces at the spot.

Returning at the hotel to gather her things, she notices her key doesn’t work. Stating that’s managements way of telling her to pay the bills. Looking for a job was next on her agenda. First is a job at Goodwill which is $7 an hour, but it’s an awkward job. A man at the exit gave her an awkward swimming motion which was not easy to judge. Taking a test at Wal-Mart she is told she would be great in the women’s department, agreeing with the comment. Two job offers come in that afternoon, one about a nursing home only for weekends ($7 an hour) and a maid job ($6.65 an hour) both are accepted.

Starting the next day at the nursing home, she is met with the same requirements as a server. She refills coffee and tires to remember names. As all of them eat and return to their rooms, the clean up starts. Scraping off uneaten food into the disposal by hand. Then washing the dishes, and putting them away. Pete one of the cooks is met after all this on a smoke date. This is where Pete tells her about all the people that work there, and asks a few questions himself. The next day trying to be positive she laughs at the Barbara Bush joke, but gets juice thrown at her in the end by another resident.

Going to basically a church service she stands an actually goes along with the sermon. Even though she didn’t have her own bible and only did what the preacher said. After that night she packs up and moves into Blue Haven.

After the week she starts holly a fellow worker snaps and breaks a bone. Barbara then tells her she needs to get an X-ray. Blandly saying I can’t, I can’t. Here job also takes here to the bathroom, nasty jobs. This is the part I will skip due to explicit details. It is disgusting what people in minimum wage jobs have to stoop to get by.

Nickel and Dimed

My sociology class was asked to start reading Nickel and Dimed by: Barbara Ehrenreich. This book so far has shown the views on how hard it is to live on minimum wage. Barbara actually ends up in a conversation about poverty, ultimately asked to do her own story. Barbara starts out with $1,300 to allow herself the essentials. Barbara also sets certain rules for herself; making the experiment more realistic. There are three main rules; 1st rule, not using any prior education. 2nd has to take the highest paying job, and 3rd take the cheapest, but safe accommodations.(4) But, Barbara also has certain advantages that an actual person on minimum wage wouldn’t have. Barbara had a car she uses, along with a credit card. She also has no kids, to be a financial drag; even fresh clean clothes. But Barbara set out to see if a person could actually live on minimum wage, and is it possible to get by in the work force. Her main objective through this whole thing was to see if she could survive a month in a new city, but be able to pay months rent at the end. During this experiment she finally gets a job at hearthside, where she was employed as a waitress. Most often she would pretend she was a princess to change her mind set; due to the lack of change in her job. (19) She also meets a lady named Gail, who is also a waitress in who looks in her fifties. (20) The become on the job friends watching out for each other. While Gail was taking an illegal smoke break, Barbara would watch out for her. Due to the fact when Barbara got busy and slowed her progress Gail would come in and help. Both of them had to suffer through the management, whom was cruel and unusual. Barbara would go out of her way every other night when she wasn’t busy to clean up tables so they look nice. But, every team meeting the management would say how awful everything look, stating that the tables needed to be cleaned up. Then, she also meets Joan a militant feminist; telling Barbara “men run everything-we don’t have a chance unless we stick together.” Her first day walking through the kitchen she meets Billy who throws a steak against the wall saying a couple curse words. Claude another Haitian cook is stuck in an apartment with two more unrelated people but, he’s forced to stay in the situation if he wants a home. (25) Then Barbara gets a job at Jerry’s, another restaurant. George another cook she meets is a nice guy trying to afford the essentials just like the cook from Hearthside. But when at Jerry’s Barbara gets a new home a mobile home. With no supermarket in sight and not being able to jump out of bed. This was a new time and place for her now. I couldn’t do all of this, the job the livening arrangements, on job relationships. This book and the insights so far are amazing at what people have to do to secure a steady life but it’s still not that easy. As, I read the book more I hope to see more and more. It might even be the same thing due to everyone with the same wage would have the same problems.

Merchants Of Cool Video Questions

1. What is "cool-hunting" and how is it done? What theories and methods of media research are the "cool-hunters" using?

    Cool-hunting is a hunt for a specific personality, and style in the teen culture. The cool-hunters are using interviews, surveys, focus groups, and case studies. All are used with hired help. The hired help mostly being a random sample of teen population.

  2. According to the commentators in the video, why do television, music, and fashion corporations want to understand how teenagers think and what they want?

Television, music, and fashion want to understand teenagers for the soul purpose of getting the teenager to buy their product. Teenager have $100 billion dollars of what is called disposable income. They even get another $50 billion of what is called guilt money from parents. Giving the corporations billions if they can understand the average teenager.

         3. How do MTV executives and other programming and marketing decision-makers characterize their relationship to teen culture? Do they say they are creating it or simply reflecting it?

Look Look is a company many executives and programming get their cool from. They claim to have a close relationship between teens, saying they understand us...; but all they want is to sell their product. They claim they only reflect it but, it's not true. They put it out there in the first place giving us access but, only for us to reflect certain things back showing them what we think is cool.

4. What is the difference between marketing research and human research, according to the commentators in the video? What are the goals of each?

Marketing research is simply what to sell, figuring out how and what and why to sell a particular product. Human research is what the human uses or likes to use, giving specific information to researchers. Marketing researching goals are to find and eliminate specific products and to find what product that specific sub-culture likes. Human research is to find out what and how much the human likes, and how to present the product.

5. Who is giving the most accurate description of the relationship between teen culture and commercialization, the "merchants of cool" or their critics? What role are these institutions playing in the socialization process? Argue for one of these two positions using specific points and examples from the video.

Pretty much it's a little of both. The "merchants of cool" are watching and waiting for the next cool; the critics watch them and then find when and why it's cool. The institutions are suppling the cool, it's what they put out there for us to find and then wait for us to reflect what we like and don't. So, in a way they are creating the description and suppling the fuel to burn the fire. 3,000 advertisements are see daily by many teens. 75 % of teens own a T.V. and 1/3 own a personal computer. The fuel that the companies are suppling is astronomical. Commercials use athletes to promote sprite, this makes kids want to drink sprite. If you think about this it's ridiculous all these companies preying on children for their own benefit. Companies are going a little to far.

Presidential Racism Review

In my sociology class I was recently asked to find three articles dealing with the issue of race, then to review and analyze them.

Who’s playing the Race Card?

By: Charles Krauthammer

Krauthammer writes: Barrack Obama has played the race card against McCain many times, threatening to say he’s done it too much. In fact McCain hasn’t really played any race cards. Obama is falsely accusing McCain that he’s a racist, even on one occasion Obama was told he was going to be insulted by Bush and McCain; saying Obama doesn’t look like any president on the dollar bills; even Obama has a funny name. In fact, Obama’s campaign has been asked many times to give proof or incident were McCain has done such a thing…Obama’s campaign couldn’t give any. I think this is very unfair to throw up a race card to McCain, don’t make it about race. If you want a fair and honest run for the presidency, stop being childish about it and just be an adult and run for it.
Active Link to the Article

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/10/finding_racism_where_it_doesnt.html


Does Race Really Matter?

By: Michael A. Cohen

Cohen’s writes: Barrack Obama seemed to be ahead in poll standing and in the average Americans eyes. But, recently that doesn’t seem to be the case, Democrats and Republicans alike are starting to realize white Americans really aren’t ready to vote a black president into office. A current poll says “56 percent of Democrats believe that many people will not vote for Mr. Obama because he is black.” This could also be a positive; due to Americans being “closet racist”; and voting would show their own racism. Also, the Black turnout rate became higher due to the fact Obama is black. But, Obama is also a Democrat, and most working class Americans vote Republican. This is my opinion: Honestly, race shouldn’t matter will it yes! Most Americans aren’t subject or like change, so when Obama became the Democratic nominee heads turned. Obama has some great ideas, but can the American public get beyond his race and see that.

Active Link to the Article

http://campaignstops.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/10/05/does-race-really-matter/?ref=opinion

Obama’s Race May Be as much a Plus as a Minus

By: Frank Newport

Obama’s votes are going to have a total loss of about 6% due to his race. But, McCain is going to have a loss of votes at the same percentage, but maybe not the same reason. 85% of voters say they don’t care about Obama’s race and will vote accordingly. McCain has people saying basically the same thing. With no whites there is a net difference of about 11 percentage points. Which if the corresponding information above this graph shows. McCain being slightly different with the white votes to non white votes from Obama. Pretty much what I’m trying to summarize and show you is that even though it’s a black against a white, race only has a small impact on votes. It’s mostly on how you run and the party you are running for. This is an important election, one of the most important in history...a black presidential nominee vs. a white nominee. But, the way we should see as is, a Democrat vs. a Republican not the other way around. I know I state about a graph in the article, well I had some technical difficulties...but you can see the graphs using the active link at the bottom.


Active Link to the Article

http://www.gallup.com/poll/111049/Obamas-Race-May-Much-Plus-Minus.aspx

Whose Qualified To Be Commander And Chief

Policies are a guideline that leaders set for themselves and others. Deciding who has the better policy is important. John McCain basis his views differently than Obama, and visa versa. McCain’s view on education is as followed. He wants to shake up failed and failing school bureaucracies, with more competition. Also, empower parents with choice, remove barriers to qualified instructors. Barack Obama similar in what he also wants to do with the education system. Wanting to hire more teachers for higher pay. Even higher all school standards nationwide. Now, this is where like many times the candidates will disagree, energy. McCain wanting to stop the $700 billion dollars from being spent on foreign oil. Instead, drill right here off the coast of the United States. Barack Obama though would like to tap natural gas reserves. Also, invest in clean coal technology, and invest $150 billion dollars in affordable, renewable sources. Now, why would Obama not just want to drill off shore? There is plenty of oil we can obtain right here in the U.S. There is no point in investing in clean oil technology in the U.S. right now. Right now we need help in pulling the gas prices down from $3.00 and $4.00 dollars a gallon. This much for gas is ridiculous.


Economy is important to all American citizens, with both candidates trying to help. McCain, wanting to keep taxes low and help small business grow and create new jobs. Then, double the child tax exemption from $3,500 to $7,000. Obama wanting to give back jobs to most automotive industries in America, instead of shipping those jobs overseas. Then, make healthcare affordable for all. Iraq, one of the most discussed topics in the 21st century. McCain fought for more troops when it wasn’t accepted. He would rather see himself lose the election than lose a war. Obama on the other hand just says he wants to finish the war responsibly, not to prolong it. Yes, we need to finish it or the lives lost was for nothing, but McCain did right when he fought for more troops. Without more troops there is no way in winning a war. To win a war you need supplies, meaning men, weapons, advanced tactics. In this issue the only right one is both. Foreign Policy is next, McCain wanting to give aid to Georgia. Becoming allies with Georgia could mean giving us foreign oil for cheaper. Now I know I’ve already said I wanted drilling off the coast but, if getting a little extra oil; cheaper gas. Obama on the other hand wants to keep Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons. Yes, its important but were in Iraq, wouldn’t keeping Iran from getting nuclear weapons cause a conflict? Yes…

The armed services are next. McCain wants to honor all American veterans and current active duty soldiers. Obama wanting to just build a larger army. Budget Taxes, McCain just wanting to keep takes low and cut them were he can. Obama wanting to close corporate loopholes and tax havens that don’t help America grow.

Honestly, after all I have read about the following candidates I want McCain as president. Yes, he’s an older man but with age comes wisdom; which can be shown in the above policies. McCain I believe can do more for the country than Obama can. McCain’s Energy, Economy, Foreign Policy, and finally budget taxes are all superior to Obama’s. McCain has served the country before in Vietnam, and I believe he has what it takes to be president.

Is Controlling The Minorities Important For A Equal Future

I read an article titled , “In A Generation, Minorities May Be the U.S. Majority”, by : Sam Roberts. This article explained how in the very near future, the United States will be home to more minorities all around the world. Soon the Latin Americans, African Americans, Asians, etc., will no longer be societies minority. It will be the whites whom will become the minorities. This immigration to the United States is supposedly to triple, making the U.S., have a non dominate race. White would no longer be the races associated with the U.S., it would be African Americans or Asians, etc. This basically kind makes me happy and upset at the same time. This is what the founding fathers wanted for America, an outlet or a country for escaping the up rise of monarchs and dictatorships. The only reason I become upset is due to the new ethnicities coming to the U.S., and not knowing our language are government, etc. This, also means taking jobs from the working man and or living off welfare and basically becoming a vampire effect on the working class. Also, after this article I read, “A Nation of None and All of the Above”, By: Sam Roberts. In This article he states even though the other ethnic groups are rising the white population will cease to fall. Meaning even though the other ethnic groups will rise the white will only fall by a few percentile. This mostly takes my thoughts by surprise. The last article by Roberts stated large populations of immigrants coming to the U.S. This made me think that white population would then become the minority. Well, no it won’t according to Roberts. Making this article important, imposing the issue, why not make both articles one. This is what America needs to know and discuss…..Are Future.

Direct T.V. Hates Puppies

Since direct T.V. charges so much for HDTV, in fact they are hating on puppies. Time Warner Cable loves puppies due to the low charge for HDTV. With less money for puppy chow due to the over charge on HDTV...direct T.V. hates puppies. Why direct T.V.?