5 ms·

I follow a few subreddits dedicated to service industry jobs and the stories you hear there are just absolutely insane. COVID has taken a deep emotional toll o

I follow a few subreddits dedicated to service industry jobs and the stories you hear there are just absolutely insane. COVID has taken a deep emotional toll on everyone. Then you factor in that the kind of people still going out to restaurants and such during the pandemic are also often the most entitled, least thoughtful segment of the population, and you get some real horror stories. It used to be "here's a story of a shitty tip I got". Now, it's like "I had to call the cops on someone who started throwing chairs when I told him he had to weak a mask." Healthcare is the same. Just story after story of burned out nurses having patients dying of COVID screaming in their face about it being a hoax. I feel so sorry for anyone who's job forces them to deal with people so decoupled from reality.

lotsofpulp 5y ago
I assume many people also looked around at friends and family with computer friendly jobs and saw them be able to work from the comfort of their own home in the event of a public health emergency, while they had to still go out and deal with the public face to face. If I was in their position, I would be demanding a hefty premium for having to leave my house to earn money.
- djohnston 5y ago
  Yeah but it's a labor supply issues, they don't have the leverage to make those demands, at least not yet although hopefully this is changing now.
dexwiz 5y ago
My sister was a hostess for an upscale restaurant and had a gun pulled on her because she asked someone to wear a mask. The worst part, instead of calling the cops or asking them to leave, her managers still had her seat the party. She doesn't work there anymore.
- ekanes 5y ago
  Yikes. Pulling a gun like that is a serious crime, isn't it?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - boring_twenties 5y ago
    Definitely. Simply displaying the firearm is a crime (usually "brandishing"). If he actually pointed the gun at another person, well, IANAL but that sounds like assault with a deadly weapon to me.
- pavon 5y ago
  Honestly, that is probably the best way to defuse the situation and prevent people from being shot. Collect license plates, credit card info, photos etc, and call the police after they have left the building.
  - fundad 5y ago
    I'm sure they did not do any of that
  - cgriswald 5y ago
    Even if that were the case, the manager should be the one seating them. He shouldn't be forcing his victimized employee to seat them.
- logicalmonster 5y ago
  I'm not saying that pulling a gun on anybody for this reason is in any way reasonable or proportional. What happened to your sister sounds horrific and her former-employer sounds awful beyond words. But I have to say, I understand why people asked to mask up in some cases flip out. Does it make sense to anybody that society has somehow decided that the way to be safe in restaurants is to put on a mask so a host can walk you 10-15 feet to your table for 10 seconds where you then proceed to take your mask off for over an hour? The mask ritual especially in this case is dehumanizing performative theater that doesn't make a lick of logical sense. Most people wouldn't be so uptight about the Covid rules when they make any sense: but many of them are beyond nonsensical.
  - cecilpl2 5y ago
    Theater or not, the reasonable thing to do in this situation is to understand that the host is not the person making the rules. You do the thing because that's the script, whether you agree with it or not. In fact maybe the host doesn't even agree with it, but they are also just doing their job. Now that said maybe there are valid reasons why it's riskier to have people walking around a restaurant unmasked, like say HVAC might pull air up from the tables, but you walking around past a bunch of tables spreads droplets into their airspace. I don't know, I'm not an expert, but I can think of reasons that seem to make sense.
  - boring_twenties 5y ago
    Sure, it's theater. So the proper response is obviously to flip out on the teenage girl making $7.50 an hour, obviously it's all her fault.
    - logicalmonster 5y ago
      Who said anything about flipping out on the teenage girl making minimum wage being the right thing to do? Is that how you interpreted my comment even though I very explicitly denounced what happened? I think actions such as politely voicing displeasure at the policy to the worker so they understand that many people think the policy is dumb, asking to speak to the manager or owner, and leaving so the restaurant doesn't get your business are the right thing to do in this case.
- anm89 5y ago
  Absolutely do not believe this. There is something in this story you arent saying.
  - detaro 5y ago
    > Absolutely do not believe this. Which part?
    - JaimeThompson 5y ago
      If I had the guess it would be the part that might make them rethink their view on things.
  - lovich 5y ago
    Have you worked shitty retail/food services jobs before?
  - gaspard234 5y ago
    I live in Texas and this happens all the time. Here is a case that happened last month over a parking spot. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2021/12/02/corpus-christi-woman-accused-of-threatening-people-with-gun-over-h-e-b-parking-spot https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/20...
fundad 5y ago
The mass-formation-psychosis among anti-maskers and COVID-19-deniers is so far beyond what we're prepared for.
- ravenstine 5y ago
  Because mass-formation-psychosis can't happen to people who obey.

lotsofpulp 5y ago

I assume many people also looked around at friends and family with computer friendly jobs and saw them be able to work from the comfort of their own home in the event of a public health emergency, while they had to still go out and deal with the public face to face. If I was in their position, I would be demanding a hefty premium for having to leave my house to earn money.

djohnston 5y ago
Yeah but it's a labor supply issues, they don't have the leverage to make those demands, at least not yet although hopefully this is changing now.

dexwiz 5y ago

My sister was a hostess for an upscale restaurant and had a gun pulled on her because she asked someone to wear a mask. The worst part, instead of calling the cops or asking them to leave, her managers still had her seat the party. She doesn't work there anymore.

ekanes 5y ago
Yikes. Pulling a gun like that is a serious crime, isn't it?
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]
- boring_twenties 5y ago
  Definitely. Simply displaying the firearm is a crime (usually "brandishing"). If he actually pointed the gun at another person, well, IANAL but that sounds like assault with a deadly weapon to me.
pavon 5y ago
Honestly, that is probably the best way to defuse the situation and prevent people from being shot. Collect license plates, credit card info, photos etc, and call the police after they have left the building.
- fundad 5y ago
  I'm sure they did not do any of that
- cgriswald 5y ago
  Even if that were the case, the manager should be the one seating them. He shouldn't be forcing his victimized employee to seat them.
logicalmonster 5y ago
I'm not saying that pulling a gun on anybody for this reason is in any way reasonable or proportional. What happened to your sister sounds horrific and her former-employer sounds awful beyond words. But I have to say, I understand why people asked to mask up in some cases flip out. Does it make sense to anybody that society has somehow decided that the way to be safe in restaurants is to put on a mask so a host can walk you 10-15 feet to your table for 10 seconds where you then proceed to take your mask off for over an hour? The mask ritual especially in this case is dehumanizing performative theater that doesn't make a lick of logical sense. Most people wouldn't be so uptight about the Covid rules when they make any sense: but many of them are beyond nonsensical.
- cecilpl2 5y ago
  Theater or not, the reasonable thing to do in this situation is to understand that the host is not the person making the rules. You do the thing because that's the script, whether you agree with it or not. In fact maybe the host doesn't even agree with it, but they are also just doing their job. Now that said maybe there are valid reasons why it's riskier to have people walking around a restaurant unmasked, like say HVAC might pull air up from the tables, but you walking around past a bunch of tables spreads droplets into their airspace. I don't know, I'm not an expert, but I can think of reasons that seem to make sense.
- boring_twenties 5y ago
  Sure, it's theater. So the proper response is obviously to flip out on the teenage girl making $7.50 an hour, obviously it's all her fault.
  - logicalmonster 5y ago
    Who said anything about flipping out on the teenage girl making minimum wage being the right thing to do? Is that how you interpreted my comment even though I very explicitly denounced what happened? I think actions such as politely voicing displeasure at the policy to the worker so they understand that many people think the policy is dumb, asking to speak to the manager or owner, and leaving so the restaurant doesn't get your business are the right thing to do in this case.
anm89 5y ago
Absolutely do not believe this. There is something in this story you arent saying.
- detaro 5y ago
  > Absolutely do not believe this. Which part?
  - JaimeThompson 5y ago
    If I had the guess it would be the part that might make them rethink their view on things.
- lovich 5y ago
  Have you worked shitty retail/food services jobs before?
- gaspard234 5y ago
  I live in Texas and this happens all the time. Here is a case that happened last month over a parking spot. https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/2021/12/02/corpus-christi-woman-accused-of-threatening-people-with-gun-over-h-e-b-parking-spot https://spectrumlocalnews.com/tx/south-texas-el-paso/news/20...

fundad 5y ago

The mass-formation-psychosis among anti-maskers and COVID-19-deniers is so far beyond what we're prepared for.

ravenstine 5y ago
Because mass-formation-psychosis can't happen to people who obey.