One of our group members shared some keen insight when we were broken up into small groups on our last day. We were talking about overcoming stereotypes during job interviews, and he said, "Jump into opportunity as quickly as you jump to conclusions." I was speechless for a moment before I realized that I should probably grab a pen and write it down.
I think that's the best possible advice that we could give not only our group, but also anyone reading our blog and to our friends and colleagues. It's such a wise quote. In fact, I hereby dub it Quote of Wisdom. Yesterday I was thinking about how the QOW applies to recent arguments surrounding minimum wage.
It seems like people in general draw certain conclusions—based in stereotypes—about certain minimum wage positions. Jobs like a fast food employee, factory worker, and cashier have certain connotations. I'll throw out some that I've heard: "unskilled," "low life," "low class," "high school," "dirty." Some believe that minimum wage positions should remain that way because the workers fit into the categories and descriptors I just listed. The real danger here is that when people make these judgments, they are not just speaking in confidence to friends about it; they're protesting and posting on the Internet. And if those "low life" workers hear those negative stereotypes enough, they will start to believe them.
Additionally, people applying for minimum wage positions might jump to conclusions themselves, and instead of jumping into the opportunity a job could offer them, they might feel averse to it because of what other people will think. And in the case of our students, unemployment means higher risk for recidivism. Even if our students do get a minimum wage job, the current minimum wage is not enough for them to find safe housing and support their families, which again leads to recidivism.
I think it's pretty clear what my own opinions are regarding the current minimum wage, but the basic point I'm trying to make is that we shouldn't pass judgment on someone because of his or her job title. We should not assume that someone does not deserve to get paid more because of his or her place of employment. I've seen a lot of protestors asking for $15 per hour, which is a ton of money and likely unrealistic, but I do think that minimum wage workers deserve more.
It's easy to think that this doesn't affect you, but let's take an example from our population again (I'm sticking with inmates here because it's what I know best and because I've been working closely with inmates and employment). Let's say one of our students is released. Because of our program (yay!), he has the skills he needs to apply for and obtain a job as a cashier at McDonald's. He is excited to work so that he can take care of his wife/girlfriend and young child. But he soon discovers that, even if he works overtime, the money is simply not enough to buy all of the essentials, pay the bills, rent an adequate apartment in a decent area, and sent his child to school. He can take advantage of upward mobility within the restaurant, but he will not be able to get promoted soon enough to solve these problems as quickly as they need to be solved. He begins to feel hopeless and in despair, returns to drugs, and begins stealing for himself and his family. He gets caught, arrested, and sent to jail again. Who pays for his jail stay?
YOU do. Your tax dollars do.
If we all stopped thinking of ourselves as "better than" and sought to collaborate instead to bolster our country's minimum wage workers as much as possible, we (and our wallets) would live much more happily.
I want to return to the stereotypes I had heard describing those individuals in minimum wage positions. None of those descriptions were particularly flattering or positive, so I'd like to offer some alternatives: "trying," "learning," "gaining skills," "beginning," "hard working," "mobility," "motivated."
We know we are sending our students out into a society that is generally unreceptive to them and into a market that is hesitant to hire them. We hope that through sharing our experiences with them and our views that we can inspire you to jump into the opportunity to help them. It could be something as simple as ceasing condescending speech based in judgment, or it could be as involved as petitioning to increase the pay of your employees or colleagues.
Whatever you choose to do, it is helpful to remain cognizant of the fact that these issues affect everyone. Ellie and I work very closely with the issue of employment and minimum wage, so we can see the connections very clearly, and hopefully we've helped you to see the connections and the widespread impact of this issue.
Until next time,
E & K
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