“We already in the ghetto…whatever them Waste Management people need, they need to give it to them.”
– Oakland resident interviewed on the news.
The union workers employed by Waste Management, the company that picks up our trash, are locked out. The local news let us know that our garbage pick-up might be delayed. I thought to myself, “They can’t just leave the trash. They’ll find a way to pick it up on time.” (Can you sense the attitude of entitlement?) Each week since the strike, we have put our trash out on the curb. The interruption we experienced? The recycling can was emptied in the afternoon, rather than the morning. Oh yeah, and I saw a man driving a Waste Management truck stopping to ask for directions. He was blocking the driveway to our complex, so I had to wait for him. That was kind of annoying.
Tonight, the news featured pictures of piles of filth on the streets of poor, Oakland neighborhoods. They interviewed people who were fed up with the disgusting, trash-filled streets. I ran to my window to check our view. Yep, still no trash on the streets. Can this really be happening?
NPR reports on the disaster.
One woman in the piece mentions the fact that those who live in the poorer neighborhoods don't know that they have the right to have their trash picked up.
What do you think?
6 comments:
Being around my clients that hardly ever have the "entitlement" attitude has made me realize just how much I take for granted...it's hard to realize that I have it SO much better than a lot of people and that I probably complain more than those same people.
It's really happening...I've seen it first hand. The worst part is that they are picking it up in the hills of Oakland, but are just leaving the "lowlands". There is definitely something wrong with this!!
Wow. Seeing it on the news is one thing. I'm sure you feel outraged, as it's affecting your students! I'm proud of you and your work, Jessica.
Crazy, but not surprising. Another example of how the poor are more easily oppressed and unjustly treated.
It has a lot to do with money and power it seems. The places where the most tax revenues come from get the attention, so the people that spend the taxes can hold onto their power.
Also, I have a feeling the people in the poorer neighborhoods are very frustrated. They may even be complaining as much as the people in the richer neighborhoods. But people just don't care as much about the complaints of the poor. Sad.
I think it is high time for a riot. I'm serious. The proletariat need to rise up in angst and show that their humanity is as important as anyone else's. Otherwise, they will be ignored for the rest of their lives, just like the trash in their front yards. Sometimes it becomes a matter of, not how loud you can be, but how hard you can hit. It is sad, but true.
The garbage gridlock ended today. They're back at work.
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