[lbo-talk] service coops (was Servant culture)

[Dennis Perrin]

> You can see this in office work environments all the time when people
> get themselves coffee, spill it and leave it there for someone else to
> clean up. Or, even cuter, they grab the last cup and leave the pot
> there to burn. Men, women, old, young, doesn't matter. They're people
> who either think the task is beneath them or are so used to someone
> else doing it and not having to deal with the mess accompanying not
> doing it that they never learn a lesson.


> kelley

Yes -- I deal with this daily. And let's not discuss the bathrooms (esp the
women's) . . .

What I find funny is how many cubicle jockeys look down on those who clean
after them, as if what they do is so enriching. We who clean get paid for a
set amount of hours, even if we finish early (which we usually do). The cube
jocks must clock in and out, every work minute accounted for, every spare
moment unpaid (with periodic urine tests tossed in). And they get little
exercise while stuffing their faces with fast food, sodas and candy. I've
seen people over a period of months get fatter and fatter while they
continually shoot condescending looks our way. But we who clean are
constantly moving, not eating, while we work, exercising and getting paid
for it in the process. It's tiring, but I've had worse gigs, primarily at
desks.

DP