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I think the part that many people find frustrating is that Andre is still _choosing_ a life of crime, despite being given the incredible gift of a free place to

I think the part that many people find frustrating is that Andre is still _choosing_ a life of crime, despite being given the incredible gift of a free place to live, when it's unarguable that both under the table and formal employment is bountifully available in a place like Seattle.

blacksmith_tb 5y ago
I am skeptical that someone who has no job history in his adult life (and a rap sheet) can easily find formal employment - even if he had an absolute change of heart, it would take a pretty big-minded boss to trust him with the keys to the register. And it's a hard sell as a career change - sweeping out a fast food joint for hours and hours is not exactly living by your wits, even if you don't have to worry about getting arrested for doing it.
- honkdaddy 5y ago
  Would it surprise then that a massive, massive chunk of Americans have never had formal employment and have worked under the table their entire lives? It's far more common than we like to think in our cushy tech bubble. These places aren't running background checks or taking SSNs, these are gigs where you unload trucks or chop vegetables for 8h and get paid at the end of your shift. Workers who are undocumented actually make up almost 5% of America's workforce - cash pay workers are probably an even higher percent. It's an almost comically bourgeoisie myth that one needs an SSN and job history to get paid in America. Go to any Home Depot outside the city around 6am and ask any of the hard-working, skilled, day labourers making $100/day to support a family of five if they think the government of Seattle should be happily giving out free apartments to life-long criminals.
  - blacksmith_tb 5y ago
    I'm sure that's true. But then working under the table makes them 'life-long criminals' also? If anything they should be able to take advantage of social services that having to hide your income probably locks you out of? And clearly the undocumented are 'illegal' too, though I think it'd benefit everyone to establish a formal guest-work program that would cover them better, since the demand for their labor isn't going away.
AnimalMuppet 5y ago
"Choosing" is a bit strong. He's more just kind of drifting along, and that's his default behavior. (Yes, ideally he would have enough moral backbone to not do that behavior, but that's asking a fair amount.) What he needs is to be encouraged to change defaults, and a new default that is better than the old one. And he needs someone to help him see the value in the new default, and to encourage him to consistently choose the new over the old.

blacksmith_tb 5y ago

I am skeptical that someone who has no job history in his adult life (and a rap sheet) can easily find formal employment - even if he had an absolute change of heart, it would take a pretty big-minded boss to trust him with the keys to the register. And it's a hard sell as a career change - sweeping out a fast food joint for hours and hours is not exactly living by your wits, even if you don't have to worry about getting arrested for doing it.

honkdaddy 5y ago
Would it surprise then that a massive, massive chunk of Americans have never had formal employment and have worked under the table their entire lives? It's far more common than we like to think in our cushy tech bubble. These places aren't running background checks or taking SSNs, these are gigs where you unload trucks or chop vegetables for 8h and get paid at the end of your shift. Workers who are undocumented actually make up almost 5% of America's workforce - cash pay workers are probably an even higher percent. It's an almost comically bourgeoisie myth that one needs an SSN and job history to get paid in America. Go to any Home Depot outside the city around 6am and ask any of the hard-working, skilled, day labourers making $100/day to support a family of five if they think the government of Seattle should be happily giving out free apartments to life-long criminals.
- blacksmith_tb 5y ago
  I'm sure that's true. But then working under the table makes them 'life-long criminals' also? If anything they should be able to take advantage of social services that having to hide your income probably locks you out of? And clearly the undocumented are 'illegal' too, though I think it'd benefit everyone to establish a formal guest-work program that would cover them better, since the demand for their labor isn't going away.

AnimalMuppet 5y ago

"Choosing" is a bit strong. He's more just kind of drifting along, and that's his default behavior. (Yes, ideally he would have enough moral backbone to not do that behavior, but that's asking a fair amount.) What he needs is to be encouraged to change defaults, and a new default that is better than the old one. And he needs someone to help him see the value in the new default, and to encourage him to consistently choose the new over the old.