Just Another Number

In the beginning he had been fresh and strong, and he had gotten a job the first day; but now he was second-hand, a damaged article, so to speak, and they did not want him... they had worn him out, with their speeding-up and their carelessness, and now they had thrown him away!
--Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)

Most Americans complain about how much they hate their job. I used to be one of them. There is always something that is unfair or depressing about where you work. But seriously, it’s not as bad as we rant and whine about. You don’t have to walk around the office with a smile on your face, but you should be privileged to have your current job.

A few weeks ago I decided to watch the movie “Fast Food Nation”. For those of you who haven’t heard of the book or the movie adaptation, the author explores the meat packing industry and the risks involved in working in slaughterhouses. The book goes more in depth into disease infested meat and health risks for people who eat it, but we are going to focus on the work conditions. Losing a finger on the job is considered a good day. Being maimed by heavy machinery or inhaling fumes and barely being able to breathe are all too common in this industry. Not only are people injured and face death but they are disregarded by these meat packing companies and never compensated for there health problems. Because most employees are illiterate and posses little to no education, they are easily replaced. Complain about your severed finger and you will be fired. It’s just that simple.

I was completely shocked. It took me awhile to digest these conditions and these jobs that I could never fathom doing. How dare I complain about work when I have an air conditioned office, a computer, and a kitchen I can pop into whenever I’m hungry. Next time your co-worker is taking ten minutes to heat up that frozen meal please don’t lose your temper. People are putting their lives on the line to earn an income, even if that means getting splattered in the face with blood or losing a limb. To them it’s work and money.

The point is that you probably don’t go into work in the morning thinking that you could die. Slaughterhouse workers do. Try to put your work life into perspective and consider job alternatives that you are lucky not to possess. For you Halloween is once a year; for slaughterhouse workers it is every day.