Why My Generation Doesn't Want to Work

I have a very long answer to this, but today I had a very short experience that captured it perfectly. Brought back all the memories, and the ache in my stomach. Why don't we want to work? This shit.

Today I noticed that a small flyer for a job hiring event had been slipped into one of my bags at Kroger.

It is January 25th, 2:55pm.

I've been looking for a little extra money in between jobs, and a temp job day-stocking a brand new store would be perfect. So I threw on some clothes, grabbed a resume, and flew out the door to make the last hiring event.

I get there at 3:27pm, no cars, no nothing, just this sign on the door:

Here?? Where "here"??! There's nothing fucking here!

The building isn't even finished!

No indication of today's events, but there's a bunch of info about future events. Wondering, "WTF?", I look around, reconsider a white tent by the Kroger gas station, and decide drive over there to ask if this is it. There are no signs or indications of any kind on or near the tent.

I park, get out and approach a lady near the tent. She's probably in her 50s, dressed about as casual as it gets.

"Is this the Hiring Event?"
"Yeah" (with attitude)
"Oh ok there--"
"Did you fill out the online application?"
"No I did not."
"You have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Oh, that's required?"
"Yes, you have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Oh, okay, I'm sorry, the flyer didn't say it--"
"You have to fill out the online application before we can interview you here."
"Okay thanks."
"There is a schedule of future hiring events posted on the door of the store over there."
"Okay thank you."

I walk away, pissed and offended. As I drive away, I notice the bitch is still staring at me. Seriously?

Let's go over all the communication errors that occurred in this hour:

1. The implication on the flyer that this was the last hiring event.
2. The implication on the flyer that the online application was optional. (Standard connotative meaning; "Pre-Apply Online", not "Must Apply Online") How about "Must Apply Online", and then don't even mention the hiring events to the applicant until after the application process, totally digital. Might also be a good time to mention the white tent.
3. Communication inconsistency concerning dates and times from the original flyer to the window poster.
4. No indication that the hiring event still even existed on the window poster.
5. No indication on the tent on the other side of the parking lot that it had anything to do with Kroger or the hiring event.
6. Don't even get me started on tent bitch.

I can already tell this is going to be yet another quality-of-life-draining job if I take it.

I hate having my time wasted and being treated like I don't matter, while simultaneously being forced to kiss the ass of those people or companies who regard me that way. They have no intention of making those things better. Oh I'm sure there are people in management trying to make it better, but the big guys really don't care if they do. They only care about their numbers. And as long as every other company in our country that these people can get jobs at treats them the same way--"worship thy ass, for thine ass has no choice"--the numbers will not change, and growth will continue. The big guys will continue to ignore pleas from management and spurn their great ideas.

You might say, this is why we have unions. But unions can go bad, too. And you can't just apply unions as a fix-all band-aid to everything. A unified, healthy, alive society and culture would be more than enough to counteract abusive employers. But this is an aching, decaying culture.

Communication. Accountability. Respect. Things our society is severely in need of.

There are many more facets to this answer that have a lot more to do with post-modernism/post-functionalism, and especially the information technology that has allowed us to find out just how easily technology could take care of so many problems and replace the worst low level jobs, but also just how much the system and powers that be have been keeping these technologies from us, starving our economy, wallets, and souls. Suffice it to say there's a lot of shit that doesn't work, and we just don't see the point in participating. There's no point in living your life if you can't LIVE life. We don't have the answer, but we know this isn't it. Maybe if our culture had a little accountability and a little less ego, we could at least stomach these jobs when we had to.

I hope I never have to deal with one again.