My Favorite Argument Of All Time
@crossbones27 (49722)
Mojave, California
April 20, 2017 6:10pm CST
"They are just stepping stone jobs and not meant for people to live off." You know because if people were able to live off of them, they would never try to improve their lives.
Makes perfect sense to me. The majority of us just aspire to work at Walmart or places like it for the rest of our lives. We like dealing with crappy customers and managers slightly above us who get paid a sliver more. We like doing crappy grunt work for our whole lives
If people really believed in stepping stone jobs. They would pay the bare minimum of a living wage. This way people could actually afford to try to in brave out in the world to find a path that truly suits them.
What we do now is force people to never have time for their own self endeavors. What have now is a world of dependency to make other people rich, while we make our families, friends, and neighbors pick up the slack to keep those people in power and rich. Which makes it nearly impossible for people to improve their lives and pulls many others backwards to were they can only reach a certain level.
All because people really love the argument.... They are just stepping stone jobs and not meant for people to live off." Sounds to me like, "step here and prepare to sink."
7 people like this
7 responses
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
21 Apr 17
Yes I know what you mean Crossbones.
And another thing, I find it really mean when some call a persons job, perhaps the only job they can get, a stepping stone job. I mean, a person works at what they can, like it or not.
I always like this one written by Yeats:
Had I the heaven's embroidered cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and the half-light;
I would spread the cloths under your feet:
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.
4 people like this
@crossbones27 (49722)
• Mojave, California
21 Apr 17
So true, and they have not been treading lightly but stomping and tearing our dreams to shreds. I do like your point, sometimes that is all people can do. To me there is nothing wrong with that because obviously those jobs need to get done and someone has to do them. It is just a shame society takes such things for granted because they think they are better than certain people.
2 people like this
@TiarasOceanView (70022)
• United States
21 Apr 17
@GardenGerty I love Yeats poems Heather. Glad you liked it, I am sure you have heard the last line of this poem before.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
21 Apr 17
They did used to be stepping stone jobs although I've never heard that terminology. Back when I was a teen in the late 60s and early 70s it was taught to us that you used those jobs while you went to college or you took that kind of a job to work your way up to management where the big bucks were. Of course, I don't remember Walmart being around back then in the Midwest. We'd take jobs at Penney's, Ontario's, clerk at an insurance company, or some other low paying job to help us through college or as a wedge into the industry we were interested in.
Nowadays it has changed and those jobs are like quicksand, you can't escape. I don't know when it changed but it did. Even if you go to college it doesn't guarantee you won't be doomed to one of those jobs.
2 people like this
@GardenGerty (160978)
• United States
21 Apr 17
At their very best these jobs do offer opportunity to those who cannot get work elsewhere, and allow them to work to the best of their ability. On the other hand, many people get stuck, working at two jobs at a time at that particular level, just to make ends meet, meanwhile their family and creative life suffers.I have seen both sides of this. . . but unfortunately, fate seems to be on the side of the employment black hole.
2 people like this
@crossbones27 (49722)
• Mojave, California
21 Apr 17
It was like that for me every since I got out of Marines in 99. I had a full time job and was in the National Guard reserves and still could not afford my own place to rent let alone buy food, pay for a car and insurance, ect. I became fed up and said if this is the way it is going to be might as well try to make it on my own because no use working that hard if you still cannot afford to have a life.
They wonder why they have such a homeless problem in this country. They keep moving the bar for one and treat people like dirt. I can see why so many go mental with the mindset of most of our leaders.
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (49722)
• Mojave, California
21 Apr 17
@GardenGerty Indeed, money to the top and everyone else gets a few crumbs. Just enough to keep them trying with the illusion they may go somewhere one day if they kiss the ring.
@Deepizzaguy (104192)
• Lake Charles, Louisiana
21 Apr 17
Excellent points you brought up here.
2 people like this
@chrissbergstrom (10767)
• Banks, Oregon
21 Apr 17
It is so hard to get a job these days that trying to try another job seems to daunting sure extra pay but what if it doesn't work you can't just go back to the old job
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (49722)
• Mojave, California
22 Apr 17
Most times you cannot, I guess it depends on how much a company likes you. I was able to go back to my old company after I found out the grass is not greener on the other side and probably worse. I would say that was probably rare and did end up taking a 50 cent an hour pay cut to go back. They screw you one way or another. Eventually, I left for good as I was not playing that game anymore. Maybe a bit poorer, but at least I am doing what I want to do now.
@spiderdust (14760)
• San Jose, California
21 Apr 17
If they were really stepping stone jobs, there would be no department managers, no store managers, etc. People prefer experienced employees, they just don't think they should pay for them. 
1 person likes this
@crossbones27 (49722)
• Mojave, California
21 Apr 17
One does indeed and is a vicious cycle.
1 person likes this
@lovinangelsinstead21 (36850)
• Pamplona, Spain
21 Apr 17
My eldest Son is having to accept temporary driving Jobs as he cannot get one steady one at all.
He is also studying though for a Degree but the money is quite bad.
