Sometimes social stratification is absolutely astounding. If you know me, you know I work at a full serve gas station. To be honest no job I have ever worked at ever made that social gap more apparent to me. The more stark it becomes, the anger I fell towards social injustice turns into hatred. It also makes it very difficult for me to perform my job in a few situations a day. Let me tell you about one of those situations and you can tell me if I’m right or if I’m just being too (class) oversensitive.
I get angry when someone comes into the gas station I work driving a Cadillac Escalade and complains about the gas price… While filling up premium gas. At this point in history gas is 1.36 a litre and premium gas is 1.48. I have to stand there fueling his car and washing his windows while he complains how much it costs to fill up his fucking luxury car with the most expensive gasoline. It will become necessary for me to go to a food bank soon, but his fucking gasoline costs too much. I literally need new shoes and cannot afford them, but his fucking gasoline costs too much. “Getting really expensive to fill ‘er now. This gas price is crazy”, he says as he hands me $140 in cash. I can’t afford a car, nor the insurance, let alone the the fuel for it. One of these days one of these assholes is going to get a right hook in the fucking jaw.
I am given only 14 hours a week in which I can work. 14 hours x $10.25 an hour = $143.50 a week. No I can hear the ignorant asshole remark already: “Why don’t you just get another job?” Well asshole, I can’t for two reasons.
1. The unemployment rate where I live is 58%. Those who work, actually work outside the city because they have a vehicle. But I guess its just that they don’t want to work. You must follow the right wing line, there is no unemployment rate, only a doesn’t want to work rate. There is no other work, if there was, the unemployment rate wouldn’t be that high to begin with. But then again, some ignorant fuckwad just repeats, “there’s work out there, there’s people working so it must exist.” THEN SHOW ME WHERE IT IS ASSHOLE! It is always appropriate that those who perpetually state that the jobs “must exist” can NEVER tell you where to find them.
2. I can’t get another job because the boss says I must keep my hours open so that he made be able to call me at any time in case he needs someone. Which has never happened. As soon as I get another job the schedules will eventually conflict. When I can’t make it that one day, the boss of either job will say I have to choose because I can’t just not show up one day because I have other work I NEED to do in order to get by.
So no matter what path I take I’m fucked. So please tell if you’re inclined to do so. Am I reasonably angry? Or, am I just being too sensitive?
maoistrebelnews.com 
:( I’m sorry you’re dealing with all this bullshit. I can’t imagine. *Hugs*
The people who are looking down on you aren’t worth your time. They sound like arrogant fuckwits who talk down to wage slaves in order to make themselves feel better about their own shitty situations. It goes to show how the system takes its toll on all of us whether we are exploited badly or not. Those who aren’t exploited have their values deteriorated by the system and start thinking they’re “better” than exploited workers. I swear to god, one of the main reasons why the system stays in place is because of people’s mindsets. I’m not that down on the whole “reeducation” thing (since, as an anarchist, I find it to be a tad bit authoritarian) but I do think that one of the best things we can do is engage in actions which get people thinking differently of the system.
For example, let’s say I was able to get you on a train to move down to NYC and live in a commune which my comrades and I created from a few abandoned buildings which we squatted. In this commune, we all worked for each other and were able to barter for things we couldn’t produce ourselves (like meat, milk, bread, and other market goods) on the underground market. Not only would we be living in our own little utopia, but our communes would be an inspiration to those people who have been driven to disparity by the system, and hopefully they would want to imitate us (and we would help them in doing so).
But that’s just an idea. Something you could do (and I don’t know if this is an option for you or not) would be to form meaningful friendships with others at your work and build up some kind of solidarity.
Its a gracious offer, but I can’t. I’m not an American citizen so I’d be an illegal immigrant. And we know what they do to illegal immigrants. If it was in Canada I’d take it. But as for now, I can’t risk entering the US illegally, they would use the fact I’m a a Marxist and blah blah blah… illegals are communists invading… we demand war on Canada…. I’d like to but its just not possible.
I feel the same way.
Julia is quite right when she says these are people who, whether or not they recognize it, are victims of the same broken system we all are forced to navigate.
Maoist, I’ve spent the better part of today reading your blog posts and must thank you for all the valuable work you’ve shared. I’m not sure where you are specifically in Canada, but if theres anything I can do to help I’m happy to. Keep pushing forward!!
Thanks for the kind words. I’m in Southern Ontario.
nice! i’m in hamilton. if you’re interested in meeting up sometime, my email is tdlfoto@gmail.com :)
Hey, great blog- keep it up.
hey, love your blog, Im 14, I dont have a job, but if I could, I would try and find you a better one…….