The Importance We Give To Money
Greavu 1
John Greavu
WRIT 1301
Mr. Anderson
13 DEC 2011
Exploited
In a world where money is king, people are often the joker. The quote, “There is no such thing as a free lunch,” nearly encases the world’s consumption in a nutshell. A consumer cannot benefit from lower prices without causing lower wages or mistreatment to an employee somewhere else in the world. We, as Americans, seem to love saving money in every which way we can and often don’t see nor realize our impact. It really bothers me that ethics and business seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum most of the time. In my life, I’ve got to only touch on, thankfully, what it feels like to be physically and mentally mistreated in a work environment in my life thus far. As a 16-year-old kid, working my first job at Gertens caused disappointment as well as a feeling that I’ve previously never felt before: exploitation.
Knowing the right people goes a long way in life. After filling out multiple job applications unsuccessfully and wondering why some of my friends had jobs and I didn’t, I realized that, especially at the young age of 16, having “connections” can sometimes help you out much more than a long list of credentials would. Many of my friends landed jobs before I did, which was a head-scratcher to me, simply because of a family’s friend or a neighbor they knew or something that happened to be hiring. They say that in college it is as important to “network” as it is to get good grades. Interestingly, having a quality list of personal connections could be more useful in life than being an Honors student and on the Dean’s List eight semesters straight.
Greavu 2 Luckily enough, my dad’s old friend came into play in my life at just the right time. My dad happened to be acquainted with one of the primary co-owners of Gertens, one of the most well-known and respected local garden goods stores around of which I’ll get to later. His name was Gino, a tall, dark, Italian man whose slicked-back
John Greavu
WRIT 1301
Mr. Anderson
13 DEC 2011
Exploited
In a world where money is king, people are often the joker. The quote, “There is no such thing as a free lunch,” nearly encases the world’s consumption in a nutshell. A consumer cannot benefit from lower prices without causing lower wages or mistreatment to an employee somewhere else in the world. We, as Americans, seem to love saving money in every which way we can and often don’t see nor realize our impact. It really bothers me that ethics and business seem to be on opposite ends of the spectrum most of the time. In my life, I’ve got to only touch on, thankfully, what it feels like to be physically and mentally mistreated in a work environment in my life thus far. As a 16-year-old kid, working my first job at Gertens caused disappointment as well as a feeling that I’ve previously never felt before: exploitation.
Knowing the right people goes a long way in life. After filling out multiple job applications unsuccessfully and wondering why some of my friends had jobs and I didn’t, I realized that, especially at the young age of 16, having “connections” can sometimes help you out much more than a long list of credentials would. Many of my friends landed jobs before I did, which was a head-scratcher to me, simply because of a family’s friend or a neighbor they knew or something that happened to be hiring. They say that in college it is as important to “network” as it is to get good grades. Interestingly, having a quality list of personal connections could be more useful in life than being an Honors student and on the Dean’s List eight semesters straight.
Greavu 2 Luckily enough, my dad’s old friend came into play in my life at just the right time. My dad happened to be acquainted with one of the primary co-owners of Gertens, one of the most well-known and respected local garden goods stores around of which I’ll get to later. His name was Gino, a tall, dark, Italian man whose slicked-back