It’s interesting how diseases rip through schools at incredible speeds despite being in an arguably modern, clean(ish) environment. I wonder if it has something to do with the whole “you need a doctor’s note to excuse your absence of even one day” combined with the average price of going to a doctor, the lack of education on things like “you’re still contagious even after the fever goes away”, and the overwhelming message of “if you don’t struggle through it, you’re a failure!”
A lot of public schools are also just not fucking “modern” or clean to begin with. If there’s mold in the AC or the bathroom plumbing is constantly leaking/not flushing waste properly or the building is falling apart in the winter, people WILL get sick. this is especially common in poor neighborhoods and it takes a long-term toll on people’s health by weakening their immune system which makes it easier to spread the flu around and so on and so forth
People always gloss over how mentally damaging it can be to work in retail. I fucking hate that whenever I say “I could never work in retail again” someone has to reply “You snowflake millennials can’t take a starter job because you have to INTERACT with other people” No. Fuck you. I’ve worked as a planetarium host. I’ve worked as a public speaker. I’ve worked as a tutor and as a student teacher. I can work with people. I can work with crowds. Retail was fucking different. Retail was being treated as a subhuman. Retail was being treated so poorly that you have anxiety attacks before work. Having to work retail was a factor in my last suicide attempt. If I hear you say one fucking word about retail workers playing the victim I will personally break every bone in your body. Fuck You.
The holidays are coming up. Retail workers are going to be spiraling into a nightmare beyond human comprehension. If you’ve worked retail, you know this. If you haven’t, be aware of it. Please be kind to every retail worker you come across. Please be patient and understanding. It is misery out there.
I am not a Millenial. I am early Gen X. I spent two years working at a Wal-Mart SuperCenter.
Years later, I STILL get enraged thinking about the kinds of abuse I endured there.
Retail sucks, and the expectations are all out of proportion to the pay and benefits. Jobs that pay three times as much don’t have to deal with even half as much stress.
Be nice to the retail workers. I certainly try to.
Also, be nice to the security guards. The only reason they have a job is because the boss thinks something on those shelves is worth their lives.
valar apologist 