Ripped Off by "Nickel and Dimed"

So while we were on our roadtrip, we listened the to the book Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting by in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. The premise of the book is to answer the question of whether one could work the low wage jobs of our country and afford to sustain housing and the other necessities of life with these wages. Basically, she wanted to test the welfare reform sentiment that a job is all you need to have a better life . As the author was to try this herself, I thought it would be an interesting social experiment. I still think it would be an interesting experiment; however, the author's effort was severely lacking and I believe it did not come close to a true experience of low wage jobs and lifestyle.

The author takes us through her experiences in 3 different cities: Key West, FL; Portland, ME; and Minneapolis, MN. She worked as a hotel maid, a waitress, a house maid and a Wal-Mart employee. From what I could tell, the longest she spent at any of these locations was a month.

I believe that this was part of her unrealistic rules of the experiment. Who would think that they could move to a new city where they don't know anyone, get a crappy job that pays $7/hr and be able to pay for rent in your own apartment? First of all, most of the people I've ever known who have made that much had a roommate or significant other to ease expenses. She never explored the option of renting a room in a house, which is still done by people I know who make much more than $7/hr. To expect everyone to be able to afford housing by themselves is unreasonable, especially in one months time. I don't know of any country where that is possible.

Another part of the experiment where she just plunked herself down in a city without knowing anyone or having a particular reason to go there (like trying to be an actor in Hollywood), seemed unrealistic. She's found one person to add to her book who as done this, in effect, to show that this may be more frequent than we might think. I don't buy it. I'm thinking that most low wage earners are in or near their home town or have moved to a new city for school or with someone or to pursue some desire.

Mostly, what bothered me about this book though was the socialist propaganda tone that underlies the whole book. She speaks of the bourgeois homeowners who employ the maid service for which she works. She attacks their decor, their lifestyle, their religious choices. She accuses society of looking down on maids and not acknowledging their existence. These blanket statements are based on her 2 to 3 weeks of employment as a maid. She makes similar generalizations about all of her positions.

It's obvious from this book that she has never held down any sort of regular job. She complains of the monotony of the work, being demoralized by the management, the pure exhaustion of a 10 hour day. These are components of most jobs, low and high wage. Her revelations and self-congratulatory statements permeate the book. She is surprised when she tells her coworker that she is a writer that no one cares. She pats herself on the back for making it through a long day of work when her coworkers don't show up. I'm not sure what world she lives in, but that instance is not exclusive to the low wage job. I mention these things because I would think to write about reality, one should have some basis in it.

Her approach as a whole is highly unscientific, especially for someone who mentions her Ph.D. in Biology at least 50 times in the book. She blends statistical quotes and narrative together so as to form a report. It seems that she dug up research to support her experience rather than her experience backing up the facts. Sometimes her narrative is humorous, but mostly it is as dull as the jobs she is doing. If the intent was illustrate the doldrums of low wage work, she succeeded, but I would think boring your readers is never a good thing. Also, her language jumps about from polished academic to that of a sailor. She blames this early in the book on her truck driver husband. Yet, again with her big Ph.D. I would expect her to be able to write in a professional manner even if she can't speak in one.

As I said above, this book is basically socialist propaganda. Let me say that I do agree that the federal minimum wage should be higher. However, the author constantly refers the rich and the poor. I'm not sure where the middle class went. She doesn't seem to ever identify herself with the rich. She cites the countries that provide health insurance and other benefits to its citizens, but fails to mention the high income taxes necessary for such benefits.

It's almost as if she wrote this book for herself and friends and family to validate the time she took to do this silly experiment.