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I went to university in Australia; there McDonald's et al employed primarily high-school and university students. The feeling was that a fast food job was somet

I went to university in Australia; there McDonald's et al employed primarily high-school and university students. The feeling was that a fast food job was something you did part-time while studying. The employees are generally people on the way up to a degree and a career. Some of these people were also on welfare; specifically a government program that augments the income of students from not-too-wealthy households. I then visited the US, and was surprised to find a completely different group of employees at fast food chains. The staff seemed to be older, more permanently in the fast food industry, and often seemed like they had been beaten down by the daily drudge of many years.

gadders 13y ago
When I was a student, 20+ years ago, I had a summer job in America selling aerial photos door to door. I got chatting to an older guy serving in a MacDonalds who asked me a lot of questions about what cameras were used etc etc. I told him he knew a lot about cameras, and he said "I used to be a professional photographer, but I went out of business. Now it's either this or suicide." Poor bastard. I always wondered what happened to him and I hope he got back on his feet.
- stevoski 13y ago
  Now that is one terse but powerful anecdote.
- ChrisNorstrom 13y ago
  He lives in the USA and he thinks his only options are McDonalds or Suicide? That is the true definition of a sad loser. There's billions of people who wish they had the same opportunities he had. People dye trying to sneak into this country through shipping containers and makeshift rafts and he's already here and unable to weigh the endless options he has. From Target to Walmart, Kmart to Macy's, Taco Bell to Burger King, Gas Stations to Jiffy Lubes... I'm sorry, I just can't feel sorry for him. There's too many other people in worse situations, in worse countries, who deserve more sympathy.
  - JonnieCache 13y ago
    It sounds to me like he was just exercising a bit of morbid humour to cope with having gone from professional photography to burger flipping.
  - gadders 13y ago
    There are billions of people worse off, but they weren't standing in front of me. He was.

gadders 13y ago

When I was a student, 20+ years ago, I had a summer job in America selling aerial photos door to door. I got chatting to an older guy serving in a MacDonalds who asked me a lot of questions about what cameras were used etc etc. I told him he knew a lot about cameras, and he said "I used to be a professional photographer, but I went out of business. Now it's either this or suicide." Poor bastard. I always wondered what happened to him and I hope he got back on his feet.

stevoski 13y ago
Now that is one terse but powerful anecdote.
ChrisNorstrom 13y ago
He lives in the USA and he thinks his only options are McDonalds or Suicide? That is the true definition of a sad loser. There's billions of people who wish they had the same opportunities he had. People dye trying to sneak into this country through shipping containers and makeshift rafts and he's already here and unable to weigh the endless options he has. From Target to Walmart, Kmart to Macy's, Taco Bell to Burger King, Gas Stations to Jiffy Lubes... I'm sorry, I just can't feel sorry for him. There's too many other people in worse situations, in worse countries, who deserve more sympathy.
- JonnieCache 13y ago
  It sounds to me like he was just exercising a bit of morbid humour to cope with having gone from professional photography to burger flipping.
- gadders 13y ago
  There are billions of people worse off, but they weren't standing in front of me. He was.