I observed a group of people forming up at the Lakewood Towne Center across from Five Guys Burgers and Fries. They were putting on look-a-like green protester shirts, dragging out protester banners, waiving protester stake signs while warming up their protester voices in preparation for yelling at the innocent public passing by their location. Pushing them into a frenzy was a protester screaming into a bullhorn. The scene reminded me of one of those 1940s Adolf Hitler moments often depicted in old newsreels.
The crowd, revving themselves into an agitated state, moved across the parking lot and congregated on the lawn and sidewalk near the back entrance of the mall.
Lakewood Protest Group. “WE WANT JOBS NOW! WE WANT $15.00 MINIMUM WAGE NOW!”I did not observe any bad behavior other than their brain dead no-decision decision to block the sidewalk for public use. I do not think they meant to create a pedestrian hazard, but they did. We have a lot of people on the planet who fail to identify or consider the consequences of their poor decisions and actions. The news is full of people who when failing to consider the possibility of unintended consequences, end up becoming a victim or worse yet, victimize others.
The potential for injury or death was obvious to me. Anyone attempting to use the sidewalk might easily feel forced to step into the street in an effort to move around the loud, frantic and intimidating protester blockade. Once an innocent citizen is forced off the sidewalk, the citizen is in the vehicle kill zone. Before you think I have an over active imagination, allow me to remind you that I spent over 20 years assisting with death and injury investigations. Many of these deaths and injuries were obviously unnecessary.
Sidewalks are designed for baby strollers, wheel chairs and pedestrians including kids and senior citizens. Sidewalks are not designed for protester blockades.
The green-shirt group began yelling something like, “We want jobs now. We want $15.00 an hour now. We want $15.00 hour jobs now.”
To me the green shirts demonstrate two things, freedom of speech and freedom to fail.
I realize free speech includes the right to gather in public space, the right to say what you want, the right to protest, and finally the right to make verbal demands while waiving protest signs.
These rights are one of the things that make America a good place to live. In some countries the authorities will haul you off to jail for such behavior. In fact if I was not living in America, I might not have the freedom to say what I am going to say next.
When I was unemployed, the first thing I did was launch a full-time 40 hour a week effort to find a job. I would actually go out and talk to employers and apply for jobs rather than standing around protesting.
In 1959 when I got my first job, I was paid $1.25 per hour, which was minimum wage.
What I did next must be rocket science because I see a good many people who do not follow my lead. I did two things to advance beyond my minimum wage job. Neither of my two actions included protesting.
Number one, I secured advance education in order to prepare for better and higher paying jobs.
Number two, I consistently promoted to higher levels of responsibility and pay by doing something a good number of Americans fail to do. I showed up for work early, not late. I made an effort to learn about my employer’s business in order to become a more valuable employee. I managed my personal appearance which included grooming, clothing, shoes, and the way I wore my clothing.
When applying for a job, we do not get a second chance to make a first impression. Had I chosen to sag my pants, wear my hat backwards, let my underwear hang out or had I attempted to dazzle my prospective employer with tattoos or body piercings, I am confident store manager Jerry Lyskowski would not have given me my first minimum wage job. What I did instead was meet my employer’s expectations and more importantly I met my employer’s customers’ expectations regarding appearance.
It was not long before my employer volunteered, I say volunteered, to pay me more than minimum wage. As my job assignments improved eventually I was making $5.75 per hour.
I never thought to myself, ”This is a minimum wage job so I am going to only make a minimum effort.” I thought instead, “My minimum wage job is an opportunity to grow and improve so I can land a better paying job.”
While the green-shirt protesters and I are similar in that we both want or wanted a job and more money, we implemented two different approaches in our effort to reach our goals.
I am not bragging with all this rhetoric. I am simply suggesting any individual can be more successful if they can shed four crippling attitudes that prevent large blocks of Americans from making economic progress. Crippling attitude number one is “The world owes me a living.” Crippling attitude number two is “I am entitled to have everything handed to me”. Crippling attitude number three is, “My appearance is my business, not my prospective employer’s.” Crippling attitude number four is, “What is the least amount of work I have to do and still gouge my employer for a paycheck?”
My message to the underemployed and unemployed in America is get rid of your destructive attitudes and then put energy behind getting a good job and once accomplished, grow your future and income based on a foundation of solid work and solid education.
You may not agree, but that is the way Joe Boyle sees it.
Mr. Boyle:
I second your motion! Well stated.
Your column reminds me of an incident from my past. In 1974, as part of my effort to improve my lot in life, I took a $3.25/hour job to earn money to put myself through college. My first job assignment was to clean up a neglected industrial warehouse yard in south Seattle by hand. The company’s Shipping & Receiving supervisor was my immediate boss. Since I was reared by a no-nonsense Naval Academy graduate, I was taught to always put myself into my work and perform the best I could. After an hour or so of such work, the S&R supervisor came up to me and told me that I needed to remember how much I was earning and that my work level should reflect my pay level. I didn’t understand him, but quickly realized that he meant to tell me that I was working too hard. It was a completely foreign thought; something I had never heard before, but unfortunately, something that I have often seen practiced by others since that time. Fortunately I disregarded such a wrong-headed attitude and went on to much success in both my personal and professional lives. This success was due largely to the fact that I believe I was recognized as a diligent worker and not one who felt that I was owed some kind of concession.
This is some of the most sound and logical advice one could give. The only problem is that this caliber of humans usually only want to whine and cry, expecting something for nothing. You described it all to a “T”, and I really admire your efforts. This trash reminds me of that we had to deal with a few years ago called ‘occupy’….remember??? They did not even know what they wanted, much less did it make any sense………Is that what comes out of those who are ‘high’ on ‘whatever’ most of the time in our society anymore??? .Actions all have consequences. Just maybe we VOTERS ought to look at the quality of society we are creating by the laws we pass!!! Agree???
Almost any educator could attest to witnessing “crippling attitudes” among our youth, attitudes often supported by indulgent parents.
A kindergarten student once came into my classroom stating, “I woke up in a bad mood. Deal with it.” From where did that attitude come? Not from the schools.
A middle school student did absolutely nothing for an entire quarter in a science class. When I gave him a failing grade, he begged me to give him a “D” so he would not have to repeat the class, figuring, apparently, that he was owed a minimal passing grade just for showing up. The grade was not changed, and the parents thought I was a “bad teacher”.
It is not uncommon for primary and elementary students to come with dyed streaks in their hair, making it the focus of their concern rather than schoolwork; second and third grade girls wearing nylons and lipstick. I do understand those kinds of things during middle school and high school-aged kids. Hey! I had a “DA” and wore a black leather jacket with plenty of zippers in junior high and high school, myself.
And what educator wouldn’t like to see students put as much effort into memorizing something beneficial (times tables?) as they do to some song or raunchy poem?
These “crippling attitudes” are being formed at an early age. Some day this entitled population coming up may wake up to a crippled society. Oh, and I’m not saying they don’t have that right; but what a wake-up call it will be.
Well stated Joe! I was putting in fencing on a sheep ranch when the minimum wage went from $1.00 an hour to $1.25. I also went on to pursue more education (exploiting the GI Bill). The diploma opened doors.
I began reading this as if it were news, and then realized this was an opinion piece. Just my opinion, but I think the headline should identify editorials. I think your opinions were valid in 1959, but our world has changed. When you and I were young it was possible to land a job with little more than a good attitude. Most employers were willing to train and nurture employees through multiple advancements. Today, most companies view employees as a commodity and require people to arrive at their door fully trained and ready to begin work. This, in turn, requires many young people to incur crushing loads of student debt. Our own President, certainly a go getter, only retired his college loans a few years before moving into 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. When I started my first formal job in the 1960’s minimum wage was sufficient to provide me with basic necessities. I rented a cheap room, had an old car, and didn’t know what credit was. I would challenge you to attempt to get by on today’s minimum wage.
I wholeheartedly agree with your opinions concerning grooming and work ethics, but I still think we need a substantial increase in the minimum wage. Everyone who works full time should be able to get by without public assistance.