What Working At McDonald's Taught Me About Privilege

The Odyssey ^ | December 28, 2015 | Olivia Legaspi

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“What Working At McDonald’s Taught Me About Privilege”

I’m sorry but this is BS. Had the snowflake ever been to a Mcdonalds before taking the job? If so then she should have known what it would be like. Is it really so unreasonable that a customer demands their order be correct, and that they not be charged more than they should be? Has Snowflake ever NOT been the center of the Universe? Did Mommy never yell at her for smearing the contents of her diaper on the walls? PTSD? Give me a freaking break. While I do appreciate that this girl works 3 jobs to pay her bills this essay falls firmly in the category of first world rich white girl problems.

[EveningStar]

Try reading the article, especially the last paragraph.

[MrB]

I wonder if she found out, also, about entitlement minded minority privilege?

[mumblypeg]

Not necessary to read the article—or comprehend it—in order to comment, apparently.

[TexasCajun]

Good for her, sorry I didn't read the full article.

...a little much to ask of a freeper, don't ya think? hehe

Not a 'Snowflake' after-all.

[bgill]

Well, bless her heart...

[Travis T. OJustice]

She has PTSD like I have washboard abs.

[Travis T. OJustice]

Cute, I like the eyes and smile. She’ll be a 300 pounder by 35 though.

[stylin19a]

We must remember that putting oneself first is the essence of privilege, and that, in order to grow, we must leave this selfish mindset behind.

Huh ? The whole article was about what she did to put herself first.

This:
At McDonald's, acting in this way could have cost me my job, a job I needed to afford college

and this:
Those of us who need to work in order to support ourselves and pay tuition

then explains how she coped with crap cause she needed the job.

[hinckley buzzard]

As always, the most obtuse responses come from those who didn't read the article.

[Brooklyn Attitude]

“Try reading the article, especially the last paragraph.”

Thanks. I read the article including the last paragraph before posting. While some may consider the last paragraph to be a “happy ending” I did not. To me it is quite troublesome that a college student should be so naive, self absorbed and sheltered that she considered being a burger flipper to be a traumatic experience. These people seem completely unprepared to deal with any actual hardship.

[hinckley buzzard]

Just for the record, and for those who don't know how to read, she had PTSD from a prior trauma, not from "working at McDonald's." It made it more stressful for her than it would have been for the average kid. But she grew and learned and became stronger as a result of her experience there.

Apparently about 90% of people decided to judge this person, and the article, without the faintest idea what is being said. Disgraceful, even by usual drive-by freeper standards.

[AppyPappy]

If you read, you’ll see I never said she had PTSD from McDonalds.

I grew up with men who fought in World War 2 and they didn’t require trigger warnings when other people got upset.

[hinckley buzzard]

Back in the day you didn’t have PTSD you just needed to man up. Ask our vets from WW 2.

When I started working in VA Hospitals in 1974, the psych wards were full of WWII veterans with PTSD. So tell me Gen Patton, Which one should I have asked about "manning up?"

[Resolute Conservative]

According to both my grandads and 5 uncles who all served in multiple engagements that is what they did. They had to come back home and work no time to complain.

BTW, I was not in the Army. Chesty Puller is more apropos.

[OpusatFR]

“Combat infantrymen have PTSD, not college girls who had to work at McDonalds.”

I’ve worked with five year olds with PTSD. Don’t ask what they’ve been through in their short lives.

[rockrr]

Proudly posting without clicking the links since 2002 ;’}

[sauropod]

.

[Thibodeaux]

a mind dead left wing loser whines

she will nevermake a difference

here is what she should have been doing

*********************

Go to work for McDonalds and consider it as going to school. Rather than come up with a bunch of bucks for tuition, Get a job at MD and pay extreme attention to what is taking place. Get paid for your efforts in the process. Set a limit. Go one year or maybe a year and a half. Be dedicated to the task the same as if you were paying thousands of dollars at a college.

The concept involves looking at McDonalds as an industrial microcosm . Mc Donalds is very much like a factory with hundreds of employees except smaller. MD also has a retail arm in addition to the manufacturing arm. To grasp how things are done in the manufacturing and business world, MD is small enough to observe all the operations that can be studied in detail and the study extrapolated to the world. MD is chosen because it is truly a global company and one if not the very best successful business to be studied.

The big question, the goal of the going to MD as school, is to discover in detail what is MD? Why does it exist?

As a study aid, a laptop computer would be beneficial. The computer can be used to keep notes and to make and record lists. Homework is making notes and expanding the lists, making entries into the big list of things learned and things to be explored further Most McDonalds employees don’t flip burgers, they are in sales. At McDonalds if you apply your self and study what is happening you can develop a good understanding of sales and customer service. The front line, the people on the counter, have an opportunity to meet and greet a wide cross section of customers, of people. The very act of asking” how can I help you” engages the customer in a business transaction. The customers can be observed and then studied in the abstract. Make a list. What kinds of customers, what do they want, what do they need, how does MD meet their wants and needs, what wants and needs are not met, should every want and need be met?

If you clean up, study the various chemicals and cleaners. Read the MSDS documents and learn a lot about OSHA, chemicals and government regulation. Learn what they do and why they do it. Learn why someone made and effort to obtain each of the specific cleaning products. Understand the process and how it relates to government regulations. Learn why MD wants the task not only performed but the reason for doing it. Learn if there is and external requirement such as a local or federal regulation. Learn about the regulation and why it exists. Learn if MD made the rule and how the rule makes the product better.

Somewhere there are posters. The posters are mandated by the government and outline the various employment laws. The posters are the basis for the interaction of business and government. They might seem overly complex and quite boring but they are a major part of the lesson. Study the posters and develop a total understanding of what they mean. Learn how the government and business interact and why.

Hang out with the manager and study and learn the flow of goods. Learn the basics of purchasing. study the inventory flow and learn how inventory management keeps the company rolling. A typical Mc Donalds store is a mega industry on a micro scale They obtain raw materials hire labor and manufacture a product to very tight specifications. The process is typical of all manufacturing, only the product, the manufacturing equipment and size are different.

The principles of how raw materials are obtained, moved around, stored, and used apply to all business and manufacturing. A thorough understanding of the various tasks and processes involved will be useful elsewhere. The lessons can be expanded to a basic understanding of product quality and quality control The business and all the jobs there are absolutely dependent on the quality of the product.

Tight specifications, what are the specifications, where did they come from, why have the specifications, how are they met, who enforces the specifications and assures consistent quality? These are all valuable lessons to be learned in the micro factory. The answers can be learned by paying attention and carefully watching what is actually happening throughout the place.

. The subject of raw materials is very important area of study. One of the lists or perhaps several of the lists would be of various raw materials or raw material categories. . Just what and how many raw materials is required to keep the place running? A list describing the material, where it comes from and exactly how the material is used can provide extremely valuable insights.

Then there is the matter of human resources. A one year study of the flow of people in and out and retained could result in a master’s degree paper on proper use and abuse of labor resources. Then there is cash. A study of cash management could provide a detailed insight into cash, banking and the importance of plastic payments to a small business.

The MD school you choose might be near home or across town but it is merely one of many. A whole different different course of study is what happens at and to MD outside the local operation? How does your store relate to a regional and national and global network of stores.

Back to the big question. Why does your school exist? Why do we have Md’s. The answer to that question applies to each and every business and manufacturing operation in the country. The answer is to make the owners a profit. Each and every item on all the various lists that will be developed in the school process is there to assure a profit. Proving that statement is the goal of the school and learning the reasons is the way the proof is obtained It is all there for free. as a matter of fact one can get paid while at this school. All it takes is a proper frame of mind and a desire. Everything there is something to be learned

An interviewer will be blown out of her shoes when the lessons set out and learned are recounted in extreme detail.

[Intolerant in NJ]

Ah yes, Haverford, Bryn Mawr, Swarthmore - the suburban Philly Holy Three - about as far removed from reality as you can get in higher education.....