#like I would’ve thought north rich south poorer

[worthwading]

Posting here for writing purposes. Have no idea where this is from sawry

[groundramon]

Okay so I really need to work on art but I wanted to mention something I just randomly thought of-

So for someone who leaves the house like once - twice a week for therapy and maybe church, I’ve actually traveled a lot in my life.  I’ve been all the way north to Canada and Alaska and all the way south to Australia, and to a whole bunch of other states in the US.

But I remembered this thing that happened to me and my family one time on a road trip around the continental US.  I suppose we were in a poorer area of whatever state we were in - and I only mention this because it’s relevant to my point.  Also relevant: I live in a upper-middle-class city, no I’m not rich and in fact my family is below average income for where we live but we’re still pretty well-off.  Anyways, we needed lunch so we walked into a McDonalds.  There was no one at the counter, but they quickly came out when they saw me and my family.  I suppose I thought it was a little strange but I didn’t really think much of it.  McDonalds are usually super busy in my white suburban neighborhood so there’s no chance for them to go into the breakroom unless they literally leave in the middle of a customer ordering, but this McDonalds wasn’t very crowded; all there was were a couple people sipping on drinks and maybe one person who actually had some food.

Anyways, we got our food, everything was fine.  Later on, I happened to glance at the counter, and the employees had left again.  Except this time, there was someone standing at the counter.  He had a $5 bill (or so i was told later; my eyesight is bad and it was far away) and was tapping his foot impatiently.  He then swapped the $5 bill for a $20 bill (again, so I was told later).  But the employees still didn’t come out.  After that we finished our food and left so I have no idea if he ever got his food.

“Yeah, they don’t want someone without any money to order and then not be able to pay, or some homeless guy to just sit around with a cup of complementary water and scare off all the paying costumers” I remember my dad approximately saying.

I’m not going to get into how I reacted bc man I just like mcdonalds, i wasnt really concerned about the homeless population in the city that we stopped at to eat lunch.  I mean, I suppose I would rather have paying customers than nonpaying customers as well, and if there is a high poverty rate I understand why the employees might not always think everyone has any money, but I really didnt care either way.  But tonight, I was thinking about something else my Dad told me about.

Apparently there was a fairly big story (I say that bc my dad loves to repeat this story) about a restaurant in communist Russia.  Since communist Russia means assigned jobs with assigned payment no matter your output of work, the employees were sitting around only serving a few people as the line outside the restaurant grew longer and longer.  At the rate they were going, it would’ve taken the journalist (who was in the line) hours just to be seated, let alone fed.

And the point of that story is to be a perfect example of why communism doesn’t work, according to my Dad.

Now I’m not a communist, I hate capitalism too but I’m a capitalist light years before I’m a fookin commie or a supporter of any other form of economic system tbh, but I do want to point out that...what’s happening in both of these scenarios is largely the same.

I’m sure the man I saw in the McDonalds was eventually served, but the journalist would’ve been too if he was willing to wait 5 hours for a meal (which he might have, cant remember).  The reasons may seem to be different on the surface but in either event, someone’s service is being delayed due to the actions of the economic system (because yes, capitalism causes poor people to exist)

I dont really have a closing thought to end this with, but basically: capitalist or communist, it’s not going to stop people from being shitty.