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> The area I worked was very wealthy and the only way I can describe it is these types of people, for one reason or another, are having a bad day and you’re the

by tivert 2y ago

> The area I worked was very wealthy and the only way I can describe it is these types of people, for one reason or another, are having a bad day and you’re the last thing they’re dealing with. They don’t seem to see workers as human beings, so they use that as an outlet for whatever they’re dealing with. I know people who treat their family members kind of like that, so I don't think it's so much a case of not seeing the workers (specifically) as human beings. I think the behavior is probably more about thinking of some person as being "safe" to take anger out on: that could be a low status stranger or someone close who won't/can't dump them. > You can even hear in this woman’s interview that she’s only barely ashamed of what happened, and seems to see the action as somewhat justified/heroic. > 60 hours of mandated therapy would likely be more effective, but I admire the goal here. Doesn't therapy only work if the client wants to change? So that probably wouldn't be effective either, at least not by itself. So maybe jail time with good-faith engagement with the therapy as a condition of release? The jail's there to make the person hit rock bottom, disabuse them any thoughts of superiority, and hopefully put them in a position to want to fix themselves. Then the therapy is there to give them the tools to do that.

JohnMakin 2y ago
> I know people who treat their family members kind of like that, so I don't think it's so much a case of not seeing the workers (specifically) as human beings. I think the behavior is probably more about thinking of some person as being "safe" to take anger out on: that could be a low status stranger or someone close who won't/can't dump them. I thought about this and think you're right and getting at what I was trying to say - they're in a position of power over the worker, and they know it, so in a sense that means they're "beneath" the abuser - and you're absolutely right, the fact that the worker cannot fight back at all is a factor in these types of cowardly attacks. One of the worst things I wish I could stop doing is any time I see abusive behavior out in the wild towards a low wage service worker, I flip my shit on the abusive person, because it is so infuriating to me as someone who has been in the worker's shoes that they cannot do a single effing thing about it or get fired. The reaction is typically shock from the person being abusive, but I hate the fact I'm unable to control myself because eventually I'll get stabbed over it or something stupid, and it's not worth it. It feels really good though.

by tivert 2y ago

JohnMakin 2y ago

> I know people who treat their family members kind of like that, so I don't think it's so much a case of not seeing the workers (specifically) as human beings. I think the behavior is probably more about thinking of some person as being "safe" to take anger out on: that could be a low status stranger or someone close who won't/can't dump them. I thought about this and think you're right and getting at what I was trying to say - they're in a position of power over the worker, and they know it, so in a sense that means they're "beneath" the abuser - and you're absolutely right, the fact that the worker cannot fight back at all is a factor in these types of cowardly attacks. One of the worst things I wish I could stop doing is any time I see abusive behavior out in the wild towards a low wage service worker, I flip my shit on the abusive person, because it is so infuriating to me as someone who has been in the worker's shoes that they cannot do a single effing thing about it or get fired. The reaction is typically shock from the person being abusive, but I hate the fact I'm unable to control myself because eventually I'll get stabbed over it or something stupid, and it's not worth it. It feels really good though.