Post#3
In Mikes Lefevre’s interpretation on his view of working he feels upset with the fact that he is a blue collar and that he deals with operating a matching that pick up and put down heavy metal; this become a routine for Mike he feels upset that he does not have time for his wife or 2kids.mike holds in a lot of stress and is on the verge of a major break down; Mike lets some of the stress go in a bar with a random person who picked up a fight with him. You can also tell as you read ‘’who Build The Pyramids’’ by studs Terkel that he does not hold back Mikes feeling by the way he used Mikes profanity you can actually feel Mikes pain. Mike lets the reader know that he wants his kid to be effete snob. Mike sets himself as an example as what not to become. Mike also wants to feel like if he has done something important in his life so as he constructs he breaks and makes dents on walls so he can look back and say that he did that so in a way he takes a little pride in his job because he also says who else is going to do it.
Watching the movie ‘’Born Rich’’ is hard to compare with Mikes story in Studs Terkel’’ Who Build The Pyramids’’ for the fact that the kids in the movie just inherits money unlike hard working people. Yes they feel isolated because they are only to associate with their own kind. But the truth about this movie is that these kids are brought up to become paranoid. These kids suffer form depression not stress because they don’t have any task to look forward to considering that they are set for life. One of the kids in the movie actually tries to get a job but he gets laugh at when he explained to the guy that he was rich and needed a job. These kids feel stuck in a way that they want to be able to accomplish something and make there parent proud but there is no strive to improve or make better because they have it all. Rich kids would rather earn their money instead of inheriting it.
The connection I had conclude from both Mikes story and the movie born rich is that people want to be able to feel as they have accomplished something in life and that no matter what you do in life with money comes great stress depression and fear.
What a great post, Wensis! I agree that the desire for meaning and to feel like you've accomplished something is what these folks in such different situations share, even if there are very different obstacles to getting there. The distinction your draw between stress and depression is very interesting!
ReplyDeleteThe point about putting a dent in something to show you were there is also key, I think. Worker sabatoge and theft is a *huge* issue for many businesses - people will find a way to express themselves one way or another!
The emotional connection that you draw between Mike Lefevre and the "rich kids" is interesting. Mr. Lefevre is suffering because the necessity of working to feed his family separates him from his family: staying alive takes away his connection from the things that give his life meaning. Some of the rich kids are suffering because without work, their lives too seem to lack meaning. I wonder, what do you think this suggests about the way that labor and wealth are distributed in our society? Would the rich kids have better lives if they were to take on some of the work that it takes to "build the pyramids"? Would Mike Lefevre have a better life if he were able to enjoy a share of the wealth?
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