Waitress Lives Matter

Just to start things off, this prompt reminds me of that classic scene from Reservoir Dogs where Steve Buscemi's character is explaining why he doesn't tip waitresses. While Mr. Pink recognizes waitressing as a real, stressful job, his point is that only servers who do an especially good job deserve a tip. So it isn't exactly the same concept, but kind of similar. Having read a few other blogs, it seems as though everybody is on the same page: working in the restaurant business is no easy task, and these workers should earn as much respect as any other Joe Schmo working any other random job. While I agree to an extent, I guess I'll play devil's advocate for a quick sec.



My sister is currently a waitress, and has been for a number of years. While she is extremely qualified and knowledgeable, I don't think she is very happy doing what she is doing. Nor do I think she wants to be a waitress for the rest of her life. She is constantly unhappy with working conditions, pay, and management. Due to monetary concerns, her need to work two jobs has cut in to time she could be using to go back to school and earn her degree. I'm not saying she has to go to school to be successful and happy, but earning her degree in something that she truly enjoys has been her end goal for a while. Without diving too much deeper into my sister's personal life, here is the deal for her and a lot of other waitresses: Serving is not something they want to be doing for the rest of their lives, isn't always the most secure way to earn a living, and might be the only way for them to earn enough money to continue their education. I'm not speaking for all waitresses, just some. Being that many of these people have not had an opportunity to finish school, or simply do not desire to earn a degree, I think the assertion that some servers lack the education needed to be knowledgeable in many different fields is true to an extent.


Now, before I'm burned at the stake, let me explain. None of what I said above is a bad thing. Knowledge is relative, and any occupation that somebody wishes to hold is valid. While it may be possible that waitresses might not know as much about the stock market or business trends, for example, it is likely that they have a higher emotional intelligence than most and understand how to interact with people in intricate ways. Again, these are all examples (maybe there are a lot of waitresses who are good with stocks, I have no idea). Anyway, what I mean to say is that every job has its pros and cons. Its all about the individual in question. What is their end goal? What makes them happy? What skills do they value? That's all that matters.

I disagree with the idea that waitressing is an inferior occupation. This is not to say, however, that I am disgusted with and completely reject anybody who holds this idea. Just like waitresses have the right to serve and be happy, people have the right discuss the merits of certain occupations. If some guy tells me that being a waitress is less important than being a doctor, NASA researcher, teacher, or firefighter, I can't say I'm going to be up in arms. However, I do know that there is no definitive answer, and once again, it all depends on the person and their values. I also know that being a waitress requires extensive memorization, being able to handle extremely stressful situations, and maintaining a certain level of energy and emotion for extended periods of time. It is not easy to be a good server by any stretch of the imagination, and it requires hard work and practice. Just like all other occupations. Similar to many other current issues, this one can only be solved by acceptance. There is no right or wrong. Or maybe people will just have to agree to disagree.