QTPC #22

QTPC # 22

Readings

“Scrubbing Maine” pg. 51-119

(1) “It’s good to know that something is cheaper than my time, or that in the hierarchy of the company’s values I rank above Windex” (pg. 74).

(2) How does everyone feel about the idea that there is a job for everyone out there, and that certain people are made for certain types of jobs?  Kind of like what was discussed in Savage Inequalities.

(3) I have never worked in a maid service company before, but I have worked with a catering company where we had to cook, clean, setup, and serve for weddings and other events.  So in a way I could relate to the never ending cleaning, except as a caterer we had to clean all of the silverware, plates, platters, bowls, etc individually.  After awhile our hands would get really tired and then your feet start to hurt from being up and moving for at least 9 hours.  Personally I actually enjoyed these types of jobs because of all the different people I was able to meet and interact with during my whole shift.  I think that any job can help educate someone and if they work really hard at what they do they will be rewarded some way or another.  I understand that many may not believe in this, and that is fine.  Life is not fair and it seems like over the past few decades what seems to become more unfair is getting closer and closer to home and is ruining all the ideals that we as human beings hold dear.

QTPC #21

QTPC #21

Readings

Nickel and Dimed pg. 1-49

(1) “The only thing to do is to treat each shift as a one-time only emergency: you’ve got fifty starving people out there, lying scattered on the battlefield, so get out there and feed them!” (pg. 33)

(2) How does everyone feel about raising the minimum wage?  Does it seem right to raise the minimum wage but not raise the rest of the wages such as for the middle class?

(3) One of the connections that I made to this book was when the author was talking about her manager at Hearthside.  My dad is a manager for a grocery store chain and I talk to him quite a bit about his job.  My dad has been in the grocery store business since he was 16 years old, so he has moved up from being a bagger to managing a few stores.  I understand that my dad may be the exception among managers, but it seems that managers of people who are making minimum wage are given a bad rap due to the way their bosses treat them.  I know that my dad a few other people that I know who managers are not against the minimum wage being raised.  I personally believed that the minimum wage should be raised, even though I make higher than minimum wage it does not bother me that my wage will not be raised.  People should be paid the amount that they earn, and it seems reading this book and based on my own personal experience the minimum wage needs to be raised.

QTPC #20

QTPC #20

Readings

“When the Levees Broke”

(1) “I’ll fly away, Oh Glory
I’ll fly away; (in the morning)
When I die, Hallelujah, by and by,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away).
When the shadows of this life have gone,
I’ll fly away;
Like a bird from prison bars has flown,
I’ll fly away (I’ll fly away)” (The song the band played at the end of the documentary.)

(2) If there were to be another Katrina next year what different steps would be taken to evacuate the people, would the government react in the same way?

(3) The only connection that I could make to the end of this documentary was how the director framed each person that was interviewed with a picture frame.  I have seen this in other documentaries that I have seen before.  I think that it is an interesting way to give credit and give the idea of being a portrait of each person.

QTPC #19

QTPC #19

When The Levees Broke

(1) “President Bush doesn’t like black people.”

(2) How could we have done better after Katrina hit?

(3) The connection that I made to this part of the documentary is the fact that our media promotes, distorts, and elicits coverage that does not portray the real truth.  We have all of these news stations that state they provide the most accurate and fair accounts of what is going on in our country and the world, yet they outcast our own citizens in their greatest time of need.  Over the past few years I personally have grown tired of hearing the same headlines that the news tries to create chaos and drama within our own nation just to create more headlines.

QTPC #18

QTPC #18

When the Levees Broke

(1)  “It took President Bush two weeks to finally make it into New Orleans.”

(2) Why is it that as Americans we allow the government get in-between the needs of its’ people?  It was so frustrating to watch this documentary and learn about the struggle between the city, state, and national government.  It seems like we as a nation are moving away from protecting and providing for our own population and worrying about everyone else.

(3) The only real connection that I can make to this documentary was the flood that happened in Fort Wayne in the 80’s, and then in the 90’s.  In the summer of ’87 the three rivers that outline Fort Wayne flooded and created a huge amount of damage that was never seen before that point in time.  The president at the time was President Bush and he made a special trip to Fort Wayne and helped put sandbags in the areas that the city was trying to protect.  It did not take the President two weeks to show up, unlike his son, and it showed the people of Fort Wayne that the government did care about them and that they were being looked after.  During my junior year another flood happened that was the closest the city had come to that past flood.  It was quite an experience for me to help fill sandbags and place them in neighborhoods that were flooded by the rivers.

QTPC #17

QTPC #17

When the Levees Broke

(1) “There were dead bodies everywhere covered with blankets.”

(2) What does everyone think was the reason behind the government responding so slow to the devastation and homeless people in New Orleans?

(3) The connection that I made to this part of the film is how confused everyone was over what was happening and the whole process of organizing people after such a catastrophe.  Even though I did not live in New Orleans I witnessed what was happening through the eyes of the media, and I was even confused about what was going on in the city.  It seemed that information was being kept from the people that were affected by the Hurricane, and nothing was being done to help them.  I cannot even imagine the difficulties that the people of New Orleans had to go through after Katrina passed through and left behind a path of destroyed humanity.

QTPC #16

QTPC #16

When The Levees Broke Documentary

(1) “That’s not this talking. That’s the truth!” (Sheryl Livadays referring to the beer in her hand)

(2) Why is it that government or people destroy things to help one group over another?  It amazes me that people would break the levees just to avoid damage to be done one group of homes.  Yet it also does not amaze me, and that is very sad.

(3) I really enjoy watching documentaries, they show a side to a situation or story that not many people would be able to see any other way.  Recently I watched a documentary done by Ken Burns on America’s National parks which showed the beginning of the parks and all the different viewpoints of what the national parks mean to the general public, government, and nature itself.  One thing that has stuck with me after watching that documentary is how we are always caught in a Catch 22; there are these wonderful sights of nature that should be offered to people so they can see, but if we allowed everyone the chance to walk all over these natural escapes what was there before would slowly wear away right before our very eyes.