Justice and Fairness Essay - 1261 Words

In Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich delves into the `third world of America while attempting to make a living. She undertakes many noble trades, working in low wage and underappreciated jobs while of trying to figure out how the people of this country do it everyday. She works at Hearthside and Jerrys in Florida waitressing, with The Maids in Maine cleaning houses, and with Wal-Mart in Minnesota, serving their `guests, all while earning the minimum wage. She also looks to examine the functional and conflict theories of stratification as they relate to the low wage jobs she pursues. Two very different ideas are presented in the hierarchy of humanity. These are the theories of stratification. The first is the functionalist theory†¦show more content†¦This entire project must be accomplished only on what she makes in her low-paying jobs. Her goal is to determine what it will take to survive, and if possible, actually live on her wages, and try to get by in these jobs she selects. The journey begins in her home state, Florida. Ehrenreich decides that she will start in a place that is relatively familiar to her, Key West. In this locale, she decides on waitressing as the job that will sustain her. She lands a job at a hotel restaurant, Hearthsides. Right off, Ehrenreich begins notice little things about the people and their habits. The most startling, and yet interesting, is the way they work. She makes note, that the employees only work just hard enough not to get fired. There is no incentive for them to get done with the dishes five minutes early, they will just be assigned a new job. This is part of the conflict theory, the employees are not being rewarded, rather exploited by upper management to fulfill more duties on a constant basis. This habit actually makes less work get done, and only hurts the restaurant, as work is done much slower, and less gets done in a day. The next rant/observation she makes, regards the rules, management, and Stu (her boss). On a continual basis, the employees at Hearthside are berated and belittled, made to feel like less of a person. They are givenShow MoreRelatedThe Portrayal Of Justice And Fairness Essay1386 Words   |  6 Pages The Portrayal of Justice and Fairness in a Fictional Society The themes of justice and fairness are coherent in the text â€Å"To Kill a Mockingbird† by Harper Lee. Justice and fairness play a significant role in how the story progresses and what eventually proceeds to the end of the book. In the text, Atticus Finch lives in Maycomb, Alabama with his two kids Scout and Jem. The premise is based on the fact that Atticus is a lawyer and is defendingRead MoreRawls Justice As Fairness1602 Words   |  7 PagesRawls’ Justice as Fairness: John Rawls was dissatisfied with the traditional philosophical approach to justifying social and political actions therefore he attempted to provide a reasonable theory of social justice through a contract theory approach. 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