Bad waitress: Dying on your feet • Hacker News Board

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#11

Post by cafard » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:34 PM UTC

ipaddr wrote: post #10

cafard wrote: post #2

I don't know. I never graduated to waiter, but I worked as a busboy a few times. I have much sympathy for wait staff. My recollection is that the waitresses were always decent to me. Still I don't buy, "I suspect it’s easier to teach a waitress to be a writer than an intellectual to be a waiter." One of my other low-paying jobs was as a copy editor, and I have seen how commonly schools have failed to teach PhDs to be…

Everyone learns to write in school. A waiting job most can pick up but not all. I couldn't get past serving training. Carrying four plates and keeping them straight takes without spilling is for others.

Everyone writes in school, I assume. Not everyone learns to write well, in fact I suspect that most do not.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#12

Post by M3L0NM4N » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:37 PM UTC

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #7

That was excellent! > The life of the American worker is inherently undignified This is true, and even goes for highly-paid, high-status gigs. In fact, I think that sometimes, companies consider high pay, a license to humiliate.

Many people are willing to sell their dignity for the right price, however. Me included.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#13

Post by ChrisMarshallNY » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:43 PM UTC

M3L0NM4N wrote: post #12

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #7

That was excellent! > The life of the American worker is inherently undignified This is true, and even goes for highly-paid, high-status gigs. In fact, I think that sometimes, companies consider high pay, a license to humiliate.

Many people are willing to sell their dignity for the right price, however. Me included.

I used to.

However, since being forced into retirement (a highly undignified and humiliating process), I have found that I never want to go back to that again. I work at my own pace (about triple what I did, when getting paid), and don't take one ounce of crap, from anyone.

When I was a manager, I always strove to treat my team with extreme dignity. My managers were not as willing to do that, for me, however.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#14

Post by thih9 » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:46 PM UTC

M3L0NM4N wrote: post #12

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #7

That was excellent! > The life of the American worker is inherently undignified This is true, and even goes for highly-paid, high-status gigs. In fact, I think that sometimes, companies consider high pay, a license to humiliate.

Many people are willing to sell their dignity for the right price, however. Me included.

How long though? I.e. when you have more money, don’t you start valuing your time and dignity more?

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#15

Post by emodendroket » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:47 PM UTC

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #7

That was excellent! > The life of the American worker is inherently undignified This is true, and even goes for highly-paid, high-status gigs. In fact, I think that sometimes, companies consider high pay, a license to humiliate.

> In fact, I think that sometimes, companies consider high pay, a license to humiliate.

This is easier to think if you haven't had or don't remember low-wage work.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#16

Post by blisterpeanuts » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:48 PM UTC

Scubabear68 wrote: post #8

I gave up on this article about 1/3 of the way through. I could fill dozens of pages with my aimless years after I quit college, but I wouldn’t think to bore people with it.

I read the whole thing in one sitting. I found it interesting in a slice-of-life way. Basically a journey to maturity and self-discovery.

You might jot down your aimless years after college, for your own future reminiscences if nothing else.

But everyone, I believe, has a story to tell, something of value. We tend not to tell our stories anymore, because we’re too busy and overstimulated and no longer need to fill up the hours around the cooking fire.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#17

Post by draw_down » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:48 PM UTC

Scubabear68 wrote: post #8

I gave up on this article about 1/3 of the way through. I could fill dozens of pages with my aimless years after I quit college, but I wouldn’t think to bore people with it.

[dead]

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#18

Post by M3L0NM4N » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:52 PM UTC

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #13

M3L0NM4N wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people are willing to sell their dignity for the right price, however. Me included.

I used to. However, since being forced into retirement (a highly undignified and humiliating process), I have found that I never want to go back to that again. I work at my own pace (about triple what I did, when getting paid), and don't take one ounce of crap, from anyone. When I was a manager, I always strove to treat my team with extreme dignity. My managers were not as willing to do that, for me, however.

I think when I am at that point in my life I will agree. But I am early on in my career.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#19

Post by M3L0NM4N » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:52 PM UTC

thih9 wrote: post #14

M3L0NM4N wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Many people are willing to sell their dignity for the right price, however. Me included.

How long though? I.e. when you have more money, don’t you start valuing your time and dignity more?

Yes eventually, but I don't have money right now.

Re: Bad waitress: Dying on your feet

#20

Post by refulgentis » Fri, Jun 09, 2023, 9:58 PM UTC

JohnFen wrote: post #5

cafard wrote: post #2

I don't know. I never graduated to waiter, but I worked as a busboy a few times. I have much sympathy for wait staff. My recollection is that the waitresses were always decent to me. Still I don't buy, "I suspect it’s easier to teach a waitress to be a writer than an intellectual to be a waiter." One of my other low-paying jobs was as a copy editor, and I have seen how commonly schools have failed to teach PhDs to be…

> Still I don't buy, "I suspect it’s easier to teach a waitress to be a writer than an intellectual to be a waiter." Yeah, I don't buy that either. I know that the best software engineering work I've done in my entire life happened when I was working as a hotel housekeeper, before I was programming professionally. It was because cleaning hotel rooms is a purely physical, and highly repetitive job. Every day at work,…

Is that an example of you:

A) being a waitress learning to be a writer?

B) an intellectual learning to be a waiter?

I would have thought A, but you imply it's B.

That's interesting to me, because when I was a waiter, I certainly didn't feel B. My high school classmate who went to Cornell and I spent an hour or two a day with senior year pretended they didn't remember me. Customers constantly talked down to me.

I built an app to replace the restaurant computer, occasionally people would ask why I was taking orders on an iPod and when I'd explain, it made things _worse_: there was more than a handful of times they'd argue about rounding and the local tax rate.

I think the author meant its _much_ harder to take the abusive management, extremely physical work, and occassional abusive customer when you think of yourself as an intellectual working a sidejob, as opposed to it being your job where the programming is a side passion.