You Want Fries with That: A White-Collar Burnout Experiences Life at Minimum Wage

zemquoi says:

Is this the 3rd grade book club?
Obviously, those who have not the courage to do, just sit back and hurl juvenile insults! I have meet a great many people like Chuck and Colleen who were too self absorbed in their own crushing intellect to be able to see anything good in the world. I think they call them ‘Progressives’? They ascribe every bad intention to people who do the things they only dream of, but never get off their ass to actually do for themselves. It is always far easier to insult and bring people down than to pump them up. Enjoy your superior attitude all by your self at the bottom of humanity. I have read the book and enjoyed it thoroughly. It rings true to my own blue collar strivings, but hey I am not as brilliant as most of you librarian types. I’m just out here working hard to buy books, so I do not have the time to sit idol by the computer all day and dream up 3rd grade insults. Good Luck Mr. Alexander!

James Raymond says:

Actual Experience
My, my — I was shocked — shocked! — when my fifth grader’s teacher told the class, “penmanship won’t count,” but little did I imagine a pack (or is it ‘gaggle’?) of librarians, for God’s sake, are willing to offer close-minded comment on a book THEY’VE NEVER READ. Times change, I suppose.

It happens I read BOTH “Fries with That” AND “Nickel and Dimed”; and I majored in English at university and now practice law. But before all that I was an ironworker, a construction laborer, a newspaper delivery boy, a chicken-joint cashier and cook, and a half-dozen similar hard-work/early-hour jobs — and including a few years in the Marines, myself. As you can see I can write a complete sentence. I read several books every week, and of course my work entails a couple hundred pages of text every day.

I thought Mr. Alexander and Ms. Ehrenreich simply brought different perspectives to similar subjects. I found Fries amusing and engaging; but then, I wasn’t expecting a gritty exploration of low-income working and pay conditions. Mr. Alexander actually spoke very highly of many of the folks he encountered in his foray, while acknowledging the circumstances were hardly noteworthy themselves. I know I prided myself on a good job well done even at $4.50/hour, which was the first minimum-wage job I ever held.

Sure, now I sit around on my fat lazy a__ reading and writing, and occasionally look back longingly to simpler days, but would I willingly ditch fat fees for the chance to climb back up 230 foot steel to bring up a welder cable for six bucks an hour? No. Nevertheless there were good times, and there were funny people and funny incidents, and that is largely my recollection — not my work-comp knee injury, for which I still bear the scar, or not being able to afford an alignment on my Volkswagon, or waking up on foreign shores with people shooting at me. I prefer to remember the humor, but I don’t want to forget the horrors, either.

My oldest son wants a summer job. I could hire him myself, to file and run errands, and the like. But instead I’ve arranged a job at a local fast food place. He can work a minimum wage job himself — those jobs will always be there — and maybe get a little appreciation for life at the other end of the pay scale and working conditions. Maybe it’ll motivate him to aspire to librarianhood (or whatever the practice may be called) in a nice, safe, clean, well-paying environment.

But hopefully he’ll serve his hitch, too, first, so he can properly appreciate his dead-a__ed, lame white collar clerk job.

Which in point of fact is all I took away from either of those books; reminders of what it’s like. Been there, done that, managed to make other choices as those opportunities arose. Doesn’t make me any better than any of those folks who, in fact, we all depend on every day; only means I was able to make choices, and that is all.

Let me just observe also that every librarian who went to Mountain Warfare School is entitled to comment on Mr. Alexander’s work ethic, and those who haven’t, have no idea what they’re talking about. (You’ll all probably scream at me for that — but remember, every single one of us once had a chance to join the Marines, and only a few ever did, and the screaming is simply a manifestation that you know what makes the men different from the boys, and have regrets.)

It’s a good, fast, entertaining read. So what its not an angsty liberal Great American Novel. They can’t all be, nor should they. Give it an actual read and maybe you’ll find you liked it. If not, hey, how many hours have you already wasted reading dull books? Dickens makes me scream bloody murder he’s so dull. At the least you’d then be actually qualified to comment. Seems to me meet and right that a librarian’d first read a book he/she set about trashing.

I read Sarah Larson’s original review as well, and let me say, a girl’s sensitivity to fat jokes tells me something important about the frame of mind of the reviewer.

And just so the water’s clear: I am no particular fan of Pat Conroy, either.

ted boynton says:

Wow, Prioleau, thanks for proving you’re a tool
Full disclosure: I write regularly for Pajiba, without receiving any compensation, and I stay anonymous to protect my real job.

So, I hope you’ve come out of hiding from those scary threats to your face and your taint by people who wouldn’t know you from Adam and couldn’t give a used kleenex about your whereabouts or goings-on. Are you okay? You didn’t wet yourself, did you?

You have seen, or at least heard about, these interweb thingies? Apparently so, you’re here on a comment thread talking shit about the reviewer of your book. At any rate, you put your work out there, apparently for a profit, definitely for public consumption. She read it and didn’t like it. She reviewed it on the internet, where the fur often flies and the coarse language rules. And your comeback is that Pat Conroy — who isn’t exactly Kurt Vonnegut, by the way — liked your book?

I have to say, your response here is completely consistent with the image of you conjured by Sarah’s review of your work: an overprivileged, arrogant, self-indulgent … um, yeah, “asshat” was spot-on, actually. Congratulations on winning everyone over.

As for your claim that she trashed you “personally,” what are the essential elements of your book? They appear to be your personal choices in certain activities you undertook and your personal reactions to and opinions about the results of those choices. In sum, you chose to put your personal nature out there in public view, then cried like a little bitch when someone commented negatively on what you offered up. What was she supposed to talk about in her review, when your whole premise comes from your shallow, nitwit opinions about people who actually have to do physical labor to subsist?

You probably should go back to your private executive washroom where you can hide from scrutiny. If you plan on writing any more books — or venturing out on to the scary internet — you should definitely develop a thicker skin and some smidge of a hint of a guess of your overall importance in the world. Jackass.

Anonymous says:

Good lord
Both the for-and-against crowd, pipe down! You didn’t like the book, ok you’ve made your argument and (some at the very least) are valid. Or you liked the book and found it to be funny, insightful, etc. Great glad you enjoyed the read. Both of you groups need to get off your high chairs and get back to your sides of the room if you can’t discuss what you liked/disliked about it and why you agree or disagree. If you can’t behave like the good, intelligent boys and girls you’re capable of being then you’ll all just have to be put on time out.

snapnhiss says:

Ever read on the toilet?
Someone at work left an AARP magazine in the ladies’ room, and since I had a few minutes to spare, I read an article that has similar overtones to the book under discussion here. A middle aged man was laid off from his high paying white collar position and took a job at a Starbuck’s in an ‘ethnic’ neighborhood and had an epiphany in the year’s time he spent there. Well written, touching, even educational. All the things this book apparently isn’t.

I’ll pass, thanks.

Cuno says:

Dear James Raymond,
So is
Dear James Raymond,

So is being a douchebag a requisite to joining the Marines? Enquiring minds wish to know! I’m not even entirely sure why you keep bringing the Marines up. Is it because the author was a Marine? I ask honestly, as I’ve never even heard of the guy before I moseyed on over here to see what all the wank was about. If he was, your outrage is apparently based on the fact that people are–holy shit!–insulting a Marine. How dare they. However, rather than post an enlightened defense of the Marines and the author, you resort to telling people that if they haven’t been a Marine, they are a pansy and a girlie-man.

I’m sorry, I thought we got over that in 3rd grade? I am divided on whether you are a troll, Mr. Alexander disguising himself, or just an outright idiot. Your condescending attitude only weakens your stance. In fact, I think I’m leaning towards troll and idiot, with a dash of arrogant teenager. Prove me wrong. Dare you! Dare you!

Dear Mr. Alexander,

I have not read your book. I have not read the review on Pajiba. I have no real intention of reading either, as a review of a book I’ve never heard of is not interesting to me and I couldn’t care less about your opinions on low-end jobs, be they good or bad.

The fact of the matter is, in your comments here you come across as an egotistical jackass. Not everyone will like your book. Not everyone will like you. Otherwise, we’d all be clones, and where is the fun in that? Perhaps the review was overly pissy, Pajiba’s known for that at times. Perhaps the comments were immature and/or out of line. You are still coming across as a little boy crying, ‘They’re being mean to me!’ Your counter-arguments consist of sarcasm and statements that basically mean nobody else matters, because ‘Pat Conroy likes my book!’ That might mean more to me if I had any idea who Pat Conroy is.

I do understand how undue criticism can be hurtful and make you angry. I’m a writer myself, though unpublished as of yet. You simply need to let it just wash over you. People are going to be nasty; it’s what people do. Whether you deserve it or not is now up to you. Either don’t post anymore, or do it in a mature and reasonable manner. Otherwise no one will take you seriously.

JayN says:

“I could care less what people think of me.”
If one is saying “I don’t care” then it’s “couldn’t care less”. Man, that always bugs me.

That’s all I’ve got to say.

Anonymous says:

I Am Sorry
It’s unfortunate that Mr. Conroy thought your comment sucked.

Oh, did you mean something else?

I’m giving “Chuck” the nod for Funniest So Far. But this one’s close.

James Raymond says:

I Care
To the foregoing gentleman:

I care, for whatever that’s worth. An honest willingness to get the true facts represents a moral stance I respect. I think all Mr. Alexander has been seeking is critical comment of a book actually read by a reviewer — or an ordinary Joe or Jane, or a skilled writer, or a bored executive, or in fact any real human being not intent on grinding an axe.

I’d be very curious to see whether your opinion does, or perhaps does not, parallel my own given above. Even though I’ve made fun, above, of several contributors here, you’ll note I have not castigated anybody who actually read the book and gave an honest, non-politically motivated opinion. It’s just a book, and presumably the author just another writer, and perhaps he’d really like some genuine insight into how his brainchild is received. That’s all I tried to relay of my impressions of the book, different from my impressions of the reviews. A fair shot deserves a fair hearing – which seems to me also at least a part of the message this author is getting across in his book.

On a certain level I hope to hear that you disagree with my take on the actual book. I suspect there’s always room for improvement with any writer, and am personally willing to be challenged in my own views. That way lies growth. I know you’re busy, but if you’ve taken the time to read the text — I think you’ll enjoy it, but I may be wrong — please take another short moment to let us know your thoughts.

Lindzee says:

Mr. Alexander, you are truly
Mr. Alexander, you are truly noble. To think! An author, fighting his way simply to get his book read . . . Who thought we would ever see this day? I’m just happy for you that you succeeded in what you set out to do; that is, get one random commenter on one random blog to read your book in the hopes that he might change his aforementioned opinion that it is “probably bad.” You keep fighting the good fight!

snapnhiss says:

Noble?
The guy’s noble for trolling various forums and sites that have mentioned him in a less than favorable light and then castigating his critic? Of course he’s pleased if someone agrees to buy and read his book, that’s another dollar in his pocket. Why in the world would that impress you so much you’d be inspired to kowtow to his ‘nobility’?

As for “James Raymond”… I don’t even recall you reviewing the book but I do recall you going on and on about yourself and your sterling military background. I can’t think of many, no scratch that, ANY reviewers spending more time detailing their personal background than discussing the topic in hand. You might consider starting your own blog: all you, all the time. I’m sure you’re have an avid audience of one.

snapnhiss says:

My sincere apologies, LINDZEE!
I thought you might’ve been another one of the author’s sycophantic toadies. I’m sorry I misjudged you.