How being fired at an early age for stealing helped me recognize the gross injustice that comes with living in a free society where you only get what you pay for
A humorous account of employee pilfering however what it points to is much more serious: the inordinate number of undereducated American men and women entangled in a criminal justice system that pressures them to plea bargain or falsely admit guilt —which has inevitably been overused as a means to get released from a dehumanizing and dangerous incarceral system, a system that focuses on petty crimes largely arising out of poverty and mental illness. Regardless of their guilt or innocence, one-third of all African-American men have gotten arrested and done some kind of time. Meanwhile, those who evade justice are the oligarchs: the slick, big time criminals who donate to the Sierra Club, who work at the most powerful corporations in the world, who write the international laws that topple governments, provoke wars, commit mass ecocide and evade all punishment. These men make democracy impossible. But relentless media productions have led Americans to focus on petty, non-violent criminals, while the greediest, most selfish, most powerful and most pathological of men threaten all life on Earth. Wake-up humanity! Rise up! Let's start here: It’s time for a general strike. Then let's do the research, track these truly bad actors down, and hold them accountable. Maitreya states, "There will be no peace without justice, no justice without sharing." As Americans, we must share responsibility for our government’s malfeasance, both domestically and abroad. The time is now or never.
"the fascist bangs of Moe Howard" You get a gold star for lining up six words that nobody ever assembled in that order before, or probably ever will again!
As someone who works in the criminal justice system, I am all too familiar with “police” who get tunnel vision and rush to judgement on people who are completely innocent. Sadly, most of those accused don’t know they have the right to walk out the door or ask for an attorney. While your story is not quite that extreme, it does remind us that we still have rights in this increasingly fascist country.
Your supervisor reminded me of those ICE guys on phone videos, apoplectic as the holder of the phone declines to recognize their authority. What's that old slogan? Become ungovernable.
i worked at a rolled ice cream store for several months in 2016, and i would stuff my face with crushed reese's cups if i had a chance to slip into the back during a long rush. i would be chopping with them spatulas like a hibachi guy for two or three hours at a stretch! i considered myself to deserve it. but the owner of the place was constantly looking askance at me, like making THAT eye contact if she saw i was chewing something. it made me feel like a five year old. she didn't say anything but i could tell it bothered her. and then she left me out of a paid foodservice certification training that she took everyone else to. so i quit and went to work at a waffle cafe where we were allowed to eat as many waffles as we liked (and drink as much coffee too). the owner of that place was an early-retired westinghouse nuclear engineer, funnily enough. now it is true that i got absolutely horrible acid reflux after six months of living on waffles and ice cream as much as i could -- why pay for other food if i can have those free at work? -- but you live and you learn.
A humorous account of employee pilfering however what it points to is much more serious: the inordinate number of undereducated American men and women entangled in a criminal justice system that pressures them to plea bargain or falsely admit guilt —which has inevitably been overused as a means to get released from a dehumanizing and dangerous incarceral system, a system that focuses on petty crimes largely arising out of poverty and mental illness. Regardless of their guilt or innocence, one-third of all African-American men have gotten arrested and done some kind of time. Meanwhile, those who evade justice are the oligarchs: the slick, big time criminals who donate to the Sierra Club, who work at the most powerful corporations in the world, who write the international laws that topple governments, provoke wars, commit mass ecocide and evade all punishment. These men make democracy impossible. But relentless media productions have led Americans to focus on petty, non-violent criminals, while the greediest, most selfish, most powerful and most pathological of men threaten all life on Earth. Wake-up humanity! Rise up! Let's start here: It’s time for a general strike. Then let's do the research, track these truly bad actors down, and hold them accountable. Maitreya states, "There will be no peace without justice, no justice without sharing." As Americans, we must share responsibility for our government’s malfeasance, both domestically and abroad. The time is now or never.
Great!
"the fascist bangs of Moe Howard" You get a gold star for lining up six words that nobody ever assembled in that order before, or probably ever will again!
And, yes, it's a good name for a band.
Ha! Love it.
Moral fiat: whatever it takes to push a bully into a pratfall, Just Do It. We keep timemachine barracking for ya.
As someone who works in the criminal justice system, I am all too familiar with “police” who get tunnel vision and rush to judgement on people who are completely innocent. Sadly, most of those accused don’t know they have the right to walk out the door or ask for an attorney. While your story is not quite that extreme, it does remind us that we still have rights in this increasingly fascist country.
Your supervisor reminded me of those ICE guys on phone videos, apoplectic as the holder of the phone declines to recognize their authority. What's that old slogan? Become ungovernable.
"Guilty until proven guilty" was her approach. Good on you for quitting and walking away.
Luckily, she didn't send you to Room 101.
i worked at a rolled ice cream store for several months in 2016, and i would stuff my face with crushed reese's cups if i had a chance to slip into the back during a long rush. i would be chopping with them spatulas like a hibachi guy for two or three hours at a stretch! i considered myself to deserve it. but the owner of the place was constantly looking askance at me, like making THAT eye contact if she saw i was chewing something. it made me feel like a five year old. she didn't say anything but i could tell it bothered her. and then she left me out of a paid foodservice certification training that she took everyone else to. so i quit and went to work at a waffle cafe where we were allowed to eat as many waffles as we liked (and drink as much coffee too). the owner of that place was an early-retired westinghouse nuclear engineer, funnily enough. now it is true that i got absolutely horrible acid reflux after six months of living on waffles and ice cream as much as i could -- why pay for other food if i can have those free at work? -- but you live and you learn.
You got out just in time, before they stole your soul.
Today I read Jill Lepore’s “Personal History” essay in the New Yorker.
Sonuvagun! She was fired from her job at a bookstore… for stealing from the registers.