OH NOESZ!1! CHILDREN OF RICH FAMILIES “FEEL THE CRUNCH”
This bit from the New York Times must have been written by the Monopoly Man:
Jodi Hamilton began her senior year of high school in Woodcliff Lake, N.J., this fall on the usual prosperous footing. Her parents were providing a weekly allowance of $100 and paying for private Pilates classes, as well as a physics tutor who reported once a week to their 4,000-square-foot home.
But in October, Jodi’s mother lost her lucrative job managing a huge dental practice in the Bronx, landing in one closer to home that requires more hours for less money. Pilates was dropped, along with takeout sushi dinners, and Jodi’s allowance, which covers lunch during the week, slipped to $60. Instead of having a tutor, Jodi has become a tutor, earning $150 a week through that and baby-sitting.
OH NOES!!! JODI’S LOSING HER $100 WEEKLY ALLOWANCE! OH GOD OH GOD, WHY WHY WHY WHY??? WHY HAVE YOU VISITED SUCH CRUELTY ON THOSE WHO CAN AFFORD IT THE LEAST???
Don’t you realize these kids aren’t prepared for poverty? God, why didn’t you just make poor folks even poorer instead of picking on those poor little rich kids?
in all seriousness, the comments from the kids themselves are quite refreshing to hear for this writer, who got his first job at the age of thirteen.
Instead of having a tutor, Jodi has become a tutor, earning $150 a week through that and baby-sitting.
“I just thought it would be responsible to get a job and have my own money so my parents didn’t have to pay for everything,” said Jodi, who is 17. “I always like to be saving up for something that I have my eye on — a ring, a necklace, a handbag.”…
“I didn’t want to bug my parents for extra cash over the long weekend,” said Christian Rosier, a junior, who found a job on the Greenwich Student Employment Service the week before Thanksgiving that paid $50 for a few hours of moving furniture. “I like the one-shot jobs because I can do it on a Friday afternoon and still have time to hang out with my friends on the weekend.”
No, it’s not the kids that bug me: it’s the New York Times, wringing its hands over the unspeakable horror of rich children having to work.
There’s no shame in manual labor. In fact, it’s good for the soul because it introduces you to people from all walks of life, from professional trade workers to immigrant workers to senior citizens to workers from a lower socioeconomic status than one’s own. I credit my work history with making me sensitive to people less fortunate than myself, and to my long-held belief in the inherent value of individuals.
get a job:
