Haniz has five jobs. Elyse has four jobs. G has three jobs. Mason has two. My dad always wore many hats, sometimes working three jobs at once, and I’m following in his footsteps by juggling two while being a full-time college student.
I watched my dad break his back for me and now I watch my friends break theirs to try to survive a life that costs their entire existence. Is this because we simply obey the society we were molded by? Or is it because we’re scared of something different?
This life is draining. It strips people of their creativity—and the will to live—as they’re worked to the bone just to pay for the bare minimum: food to eat everyday, a place to live and clothes to keep warm.
According to an article by Truthout, the United States is home to half a million homeless folks and is essentially the epicenter for the housing crisis. There is plenty of housing available, but the wealth is not distributed equally. Urban areas are no longer for anyone and everyone; instead, there’s a financial competition that draws a line—a barrier—between the rich and the poor.
Why do we have to work so hard for a life that we didn’t choose?
My folks worked extra hard to make ends meet, but we still could barely afford food. My ma, a twelve-year Target employee, relied on me to pay half of our family bills because, no matter how much she worked, she never earned enough.
According to Investopedia the minimum wage is not high enough to sustain a family of two. If an individual works 40 hours a week for 52 weeks within the year they will make about $15,080 which is far below the poverty line of $17, 420. This makes living paycheck to paycheck quite stressful, especially when some jobs don’t offer full time hours—especially during COVID-19 where employees are putting their health at risk.
I grew up way too fast because of capitalism. We somehow got poorer as everyone in our neighborhood got richer. Their grass got greener. Ours stayed dead and more dirt-like than anything. Houses got renovated as ours fell apart. We ate the same meals every week and worried about surviving to the next day. A little kid shouldn’t have to worry about that.
The system is inherently rigged and makes it impossible for the poor to succeed.
We’re told we need an education, yet it costs thousands of dollars every year to get it. It was an education I would’ve missed out on if it weren’t for my full scholarship. The extreme cost of higher education seems ludicrous to me because, in most job positions today, it’s required to have at least an associate degree. How are we expected to succeed in life if the system we live in is rigged from the very beginning?
Why do we work so hard, yet we seem to get nothing back? Because capitalism sucks.
Jos Morss can be reached at mors7544@stthomas.edu.