Why the "just get a job" argument falls flat on it's face

Published on January 24, 2005 By jdkeepsmiling In Politics

The other day I was at work, having a good political debate with one of my coworkers that shall remain nameless, when the topic of poverty came up. The guy that I was talking with told me that there are lots of jobs out there and that people, especially those in the inner city (Detroit), should just go get jobs. He backed up his argument by saying that he is confident that if he lost his job that he would be reemployed within 2 weeks.
I agreed with him in the sense that of course he could go out and get a job pretty easily. He is a white, well educated, male with a car, an internet connection and a place to live in the suburbs where there are cars. All of these conditions are lacking for a siginificant portion of the inner city population. Now I dont claim to have lived in the inner city, or have come up through rough conditions or family life, but I know that it is a lot harder to just go get a job when you are lacking many resources.
I don't know that i can even come up with a solution, as it stands right now, it is a vicsious circle that lends itself to being very hard to break. First you are an undereducated black male without a car in an area of town where there is practically no employment to begin with. In my area, Detroit, there is no mass transit to get you to where the jobs are. You cannot expect someone to go through a 2 hour bus ride to go 30 miles just to have a minimum wage job. So the first problem is just getting to where there are jobs, even low paying ones. The second problem is that if you get there you are discriminated agasint becsue of your speech and your race, so your chances of getting the job are even lower. Plus, you lack the basic education needed to get even the lowest end job.
I am also not saying that it is impossible to break this cycle. With enough luck and determination I am sure that people accomplish much with those set of hinderances all the time. My contention is this. To say that people should just go out and get a job, is shortsighted, cruel, and basically impossible to justify, just going off your own life experiances.

Ideas, opinions and responses please......

Comments (Page 1)

dabe

on Jan 25, 2005

Very insightful.

I'm not quite sure what to add to what you have observed and wrote here. I think you really nailed the issue. I do think that in the inner city, be it Detroit, Chicago, New York, whereever, where jobs are scarce and when available, the wages are below subsistence and withou benefits, it's pretty tough to take such a job. There's a lot more money to be made selling drugs, and it's alot easier than washing dishes. But, it is such a trap, as it goes no where very fast.

Breaking the cycle of poverty is something that can be accomplished only on a small scale, and only with a lot of outside dedication. And, only with a substantial commitment of outside money. But, it can be done. It's only a matter of priorities. What's more important? Educating children or giving wealthy people tax breaks? Clean environment or high profits to industry CEO's? Health care for all or profits to insurance companies?

I know these choices are oversimplifications, but the emphasis is on selecting priorities, as a nation, and as a society. There will always be people in poverty, but does that mean that we should forget about all of them because we cannot raise everyone out of it? I don't think so. We seem to have lots of money to go invade other countries, but when people just try to get educations for themselves and their children, or needed health care, the money is not available. It's all about priorities.

island_gurl12

on Jan 25, 2005

Just get a job

I hear it sometimes too. But people just know that without any degree, diplomas or whatever it's really hard to get anywhere even if it's being a waiter

John Galt

on Jan 25, 2005

You cannot expect someone to go through a 2 hour bus ride to go 30 miles just to have a minimum wage job.

Why?

The second problem is that if you get there you are discriminated agasint becsue of your speech and your race, so your chances of getting the job are even lower. Plus, you lack the basic education needed to get even the lowest end job.

And that was the choice of the person. If you put any effort into it at all, as a minority group, all of the oppertunities are given to you before any white man. All of a sudden you only need 75% to get into that university that the white man needs 85%. If you put any effort at all, you will succeed and you will rise up. It's not a matter of luck, it's a matter of hard work.

There are many examples of this. There are also many examples of lazy people making justifications much like you just did in your article, focusing on the problem, not the solution, blaming everyone else for their failure in life, talking about the vicious cycle.

Hint: The vicious cycle is one of your own making. It was that trivial effort that you had to apply the first time that you chose not to, that got that ball rolling, and when you finally realize that you're a loser without a job, blaming everyone else for the reality that you are one, it's too late to just make that first choice that you chose not to originally. You have to claw your way back up. You have to spend 2 hours on a bus every day just for that minimum wage job. You have to clean up other people's shit from stalls and be seen as the loser you are, before you can earn their respect through your hard work and detication and move up, slowly but surely, just as it started down in the first place.

Respect, just like everything else is earned. You must earn respect before you're ever going to be given a chance. This is the folly of the socialist. Respect is not given, it is taken as payment for hard work and detication. Respect given, means nothing other than a slap on the face declaring "you're not worthy of my true respect, so have this crumb you poor slob you."

Blame no one but yourself for your lack of achievement, you were the one that chose to not fight the unfairness of the universe and as payment you get exactly what you deserve. Only through your own hard work will you earn your own respect and only when you justly respect yourself, can you dare to expect others to respect you. The bumb that makes excuses about having to ride the bus for 2 hours obviously doesn't respect himself.

Dr Guy

on Jan 25, 2005

JOhn hit the nail on the head. It is a matter of choices. NOt everyone is born rich, and indeed I was not. I had to find ways to get to and from my first jobs, and I did. I also chose to get a good education.

For the individual described here, their first bad choice was in not doing anything about their education. But that is all it is, a bad choice, and they can be overcome. If it takes a 2 hour bus ride, so be it!

Anyone can get a job. It all depends on how much you want one, not if you can get one.

Denise Gardiner

on Jan 25, 2005

Well Gollee-e don't know what to say. ya'll right (or left ) but heck if any of ya buy a pre-prepared pre-packed meal well then guess ya'll are wrong...lets just enjoy the "Eye Candy" as you put it. Unless of course you would like to play mental gymnastics...

drmiler

on Jan 25, 2005

Reply #5 By: Denise Gardiner - 1/25/2005 12:47:41 PM
Well Gollee-e don't know what to say. ya'll right (or left ) but heck if any of ya buy a pre-prepared pre-packed meal well then guess ya'll are wrong...lets just enjoy the "Eye Candy" as you put it. Unless of course you would like to play mental gymnastics...

John Galt and dr guy are dead on on this one. Do you have *anything* intelligent to add or are you just blowing smoke? If all you can do is blow smoke then get lost.

NJforever

on Jan 25, 2005

I realize the difficulty of getting a job with such a background, but it is true that it's not impossible. I'm afraid (and with some surprise on my part) I have to side with Dr. Guy, drmiller, and John here, you have to commit yourself, and very much so, but it can be done.

Fair and Balanced

on Jan 25, 2005

As a deist, I believe God helps he who helps himself. In a capitlaist society, it is possible to rise and fall based on your abilities. There are ample oppurtunities for jobs especially in the city. As for your racial profiling in jobs crap, intitutionalized racism is dead. An employer will want the best man for the job because that worker will yield the employer the best results. But you know what some people won't take oppurtunity. Even Jesus of Nazareth, who over one third of the planet worships as God, said "The poor you shall have with you always". That is the rebuttal to you feeblee efforts.

Fair and Balanced

on Jan 25, 2005

Fair and Balanced

on Jan 25, 2005

stupid political machine forums double cliking double posting AAAARGGG!

jdkeepsmiling

on Jan 25, 2005

To all of you, I first want to thank you for responding to the post. I do think that some of you took my initial argument too far, which is of course my fault for the way and the tone in which I posted it.

I am not sayign that it is impossible to pull yourself out of the cycle. It is very possible and good people do it all the time. With enough hard work and a little luck, there definitely is still an American Dream out there, I beleive that wholeheartedly.

My basic point is to say that people who use the "they should just go get a job" argument ignore the fact that not everyone comes with the same set of skills as them. you canot blame a kid for growing up in the inner city with a single mom and a inner city slang dialect. That is not the kids fault, and yet both these things will give him distinct disadvantages when it comes to looking for jobs. All I am saying is to put some more humanity into the situation and allow people some room for being...people.

Ideas, Opinons, Responses please....

drmiler

on Jan 25, 2005

Reply #7 By: NJforever - 1/25/2005 10:28:32 PM
I realize the difficulty of getting a job with such a background, but it is true that it's not impossible. I'm afraid (and with some surprise on my part) I have to side with Dr. Guy, drmiller, and John here, you have to commit yourself, and very much so, but it can be done.

That hurt didn't it?

NJforever

on Jan 25, 2005

Very much so.

But when you make a good point, you make a good point.

Nebraskawoman

on Jan 25, 2005

Have any of you ever been unemployed for any period of time?
I have a degree but I have been unable to get a job because everywhere i've applied want experience but it is impossible to get experience unless someone hires you. I live in a rural area and cant monetarialy (forgive my spelling tonight. )afford to move several hours to the city to get a job there. I do have a car to get to work the problem is that there is no work available with the exception of fast food. Which of course will not pay for the gas to drive to work not to mention day care for my kids. So please unless you have been in their shoes dont judge.

Angloesque

on Jan 25, 2005

I don't think the "get a job" thing works for many of the reasons you mentioned. I think another one is willpower, the type that comes through setting goals instead of trying to fit in. The type the comes from role models or priorities otherwise misplaced.

It sucks a lot that some of us have it so much easier than others. My parents always told me "No, it's not, and it never will be" when I complained that life's not fair. The fact is, some people have to work a lot harder to be successful, for whatever reasons (yeah, money being the primary one). They have to get beyond the realization that life's not fair and keep going. The people caught in the poverty cycle are living with what they have and are given--like most of us. They gripe about where they're at and how crappy life is--like most of us. They do the things they do because others do them, too--like us. I can't see how we're really that different until you count the money in our bank accounts--if we have them.

There, those are my thoughts.

-A.

Welcome Guest! Please take the time to register with us.
There are many great features available to you once you register, including:

Richer content, access to many features that are disabled for guests like commenting on the forums.
Access to a great community, with a massive database of many, many areas of interest.
Access to contests & subscription offers like exclusive emails.
It's simple, and FREE!