Entry # 8: Introduction, Dolores Dante, and Phil Stallings

I found this chapter of The Studs Terkel Reader to be incredibly interesting and perhaps the most relatable of all the sections of this book. He focused once again on the lives of everyday people, but it was on their occupation as opposed to certain hardships they faced. He seemed to see the task of working differently than most people. Through his many interviews with average citizens working in average jobs, he drew some very interesting conclusions about what kind of job makes someone truly happy. One woman that he interviewed, Nora Watson, added an interesting perspective when she said, "I think most of us are looking for a calling, not a job. Most of us, like the assembly line worker, have jobs that are too small for our spirit, Jobs are not big enough for people." She was one hundred percent right. People want to find purpose and meaning in what they do. The happiest people do not seem to be the highest paid men in a law firm, but they are the artists just able to pay their rent but doing so by spending everyday doing what makes them happy. People edit their titles to make themselves sound more important and they feel a need to impress society with their responsibilities in the workforce, but this is not what gives their work meaning. To enjoy their lives they need to be passionate about their jobs. One man was comparing the work of a banker with the work of a fireman and he really makes it clear that what people want most of a job is something to make their lives fulfilling. He said, "I worked in a bank. You know, it's just paper. It's not real. Nine to five and it's shit. You're lookin' at numbers. But I can look back and say, 'I helped put out a fire. I helped save somebody.' It shows something I did on this earth." What people need is a sense of purpose. What good does it do to waste our time here on earth doing a job that makes us miserable and does nothing to really help society or the people around us? Dolores Dante added some very interesting insight into this idea of fining joy in your work no matter what it is you do. She had been working as a waitress for the last twenty five years and she was well aware that people did not think of this job as anything too impressive or fulfilling. She, however, did. She gives her opinion to her customers on whatever they may be discussing, from politics to her own personal philosophies. She said, "I just can't keep quiet. I have an opinion on every single subject there is. In the beginning it was theology, and my bosses didn't like it. Now I am a political and my bosses don't like it. I speak sotto voce. But if I get heated, then I don't give a damn. I speak like an Italian speaks. I can't e servile. I give service. There is a difference." I found it fascinating to hear her talk about her job this way. She really put thought into everything she did and said. She would not call people ma'am, but instead calls them milady. She does not simply ask people what they want to drink, but asks in fun and interesting ways to keep herself entertained. She is not concerned so much with tips, but with the personal enjoyment she can bring herself out of her day. That's all she needs. She actually cares about the people she serves food to, sometimes going as far as mixing their salads herself because she knows how they like it and what will satisfy them better than the cooks do. It is an exhausting job to her but she loves it. She does not see herself as 'just a waitress' but as a loyal friend to her customers and finds true joy and entertainment out of her job. A very different interview on the subject of working in ordinary jobs was done with a man named Phil Stallings. He had a very different perspective on his job than Dolores Dante. He worked in an assembly line at a factory and did not find his job fulfilling in the slightest bit. He did not love his job at all. In fact, he found it to be almost painful, saying "repetition is such that if you were to think about the job itself, you'd slowly go out of your mind." But he found the solution. He believed that "if you involve yourself by yourself, you overcome this." He knows that as a worker in the factory he is not really treated with respect or valued by his employers. It cannot be easy to look at lifeless, mechanical systems and know that your bosses value these more than they value you. He said that "If the machine breaks down, there's somebody out there to fix it right away. If I break down, I'm just pushed over to the other side till another man takes my place. The only thing they have in their mind is to keep that line running." Stallings knew that he was mistreated at work and he hated the way employers abused him and the other factory workers. He knew that he could get a job somewhere else, but the pay was best where he was. The most curious part, however, was that although he hated working in the factories, he actually really enjoyed the job itself. He said, "Funny thing is, I don't mind working at body construction. To a great degree, I enjoy it. I love using my hands- more than I do my mind." He knows that he does good work and he tries to find ways to make the best of his situation at the factory. Dolores Dante loved the job that she did. She knew people did not think of it as a very fulfilling job, but she found her own joy in it. Phil Stallings, in a way, did the same. Even though he hated the way his employers treated him at his job, he found ways to enjoy the job itself and loved that it allowed him to use his skills to accomplish something. Work is about more than getting a paycheck, it is about finding joy in your days and it is important to see that you can do that in any job you have, but only if you find a way to truly make it fulfilling to yourself. It will do you no good to simply work a job for high pay, but you will live happier if you can find a way to enjoy the job you have so it seems less like work and more like a lifestyle.

Tom Kearney and Dennis Heart

I loved reading about Dennis Heart's answers to the different questions he was asked. He had such an honest and open way of looking at the world. He came from a poor family but grew up to be a sensitive and hard working man. The portion of his interview that struck me most was when he was asked, "Do you ever cry?" In trying times, many men try to remain strong and put on a facade that says they are brave and nothing can shake them. Heart does not believe this though. He believes that "in order to be a man, I have to have a heart also. This is part of his composure. Every time I cry, I feel more like a man later on," (240). This outlook on life and how men should behave illustrates how brave this man really was. He was comfortable in his skin and was not the kind of person who put on false fronts to try to impress others. This honesty is also seen in his relationship with African Americans. In his day, there was still strong prejudice attitueds against blacks and many of his closest friends held these racist attitudes. Heart, however, was able to look beyond the color of other men’s' skin and see them as equals. The way he speaks about African American men shows how much respect he had for others regardless of their race. He treated everyone with kindness and dignity which was a rare trait in such difficult times, when racism still ran strong through the country. Heart knows that white men do not all hold the same values of honesty and kindness that he does, but he feels that blacks are more capable of this openness. He said that, "I've known white people who make it a habit to cry to gain whatever they want to get. But I've yet to see a Negro cry for his own personal gain. If a Negro cries, he cries because he's truly hurt," (251). This goes to show how much admiration he had for African Americans and how deeply he respected how they lived their lives. He talked about how he believes there is good in everybody. He sees potential for greatness in each person he meets and looks for the positives. Dennis Heart was a caring, honest, and respecting man, making him a wonderful example of the brave souls who changed the functions of American society through his open-minded loving treatment of others.

Tom Kearney also saw the world through an interesting perspective. He did not see everything necessarily as positively as Dennis Heart did, but he still saw things with a very open mind about what was right and what was not. He was not racist against African Americans and was not judgmental of others' behaviors. He was actually quite respectful. I noticed the way he referred to African Americans as 'colored people' and referred to whites as 'Caucasians'. This seemed to be a more respectful way of distinguishing the two groups from each other instead of simply referring to them by blacks and whites. He talked about his views on demonstrations and protests. As a police officer he was opposed to any violation of the law, obviously, but he still supported people's right to protest and speak their minds. This said a lot about his character and his ability to see different people's points of view. He acknowledged everyone's right to speak out against what they found unjust. He also had a very interesting view on his duties as a policeman. He had a very difficult job with many risks to it. He came home exhausted and covered in bruises on a regular basis, but he did not complain. He simply accepted that this was how things worked. He knew what a difficult and dangerous job he was entering into when he joined the police force and he accepted the risks that came with the job. He is a very respectable man because he has such an unbiased outlook on life. He accepts things for how they are and deals with whatever situation comes his way. He works past the obstacles that challenge him and shows respect to others, whether he agrees with their opinions or not. I think he was a very admirable man, not only at the trying times he was reflecting back on during this interview, but also for who is now in present day. He has still maintained that honest and unbiased perspective on life and that is truly something to admire.

Entry #6: Peter Ota and Betty Basye Hutchinson

Peter Ota and Betty Basye Hutchinson had two very different experiences during the war. They came from families, different backgrounds, and different cultures. Both took part in the war, but only one by choice, the other by order. Peter was a Japanese American and his family had already been ripped apart and taken to concentration camps. The paranoia in this country destroyed his family. His father was arrested, which sent is mother into a depression and she soon became ill with Tuberculosis. When he, his sister, and his father, were evacuated to concentration camps, she had to stay behind in a sanitation area. She died alone, with her family spread out and far away. Peter's father was moved around from camp to camp and he was left, at the age of fifteen, with nobody but his twelve year old sister. They lived in the camp together, making the best of the horrible situation. But soon he was moving around for work, leaving his sister in the camp for the entire duration of the war. When he finally reached the age of a soldier, he was drafted into the military, forced to fight for a country that was holding him and his loved ones as prisoners. Looking back on how well behaved he had been during the war, following the orders of the government that suppressed his family and friends, he imagines that he would have been more resistant. But this was not his culture at the time; he was raised to be respectful, honorable, and obedient. The government took advantage of such a well mannered and dedicated group of young men and forced them to fight in a war that was only harming the people that they loved. Does this seem fair? Does this seem just? Does this seem American? Definitely not. But the rest of America was blind to this obstruction of justice as they focused on their own roles in the role. Betty Basye Hutchinson for example, became a nurse in the war. She did not know what else she could do to help, and wanted to be a part of the solution. Soon, she became much more than just an ordinary war nurse. She posed for a few pictures, and to her astonishment, she became famous. She was one of the most admired pin-up girls in America. She would receive boxes of letters each day from men who saw her picture and wanted to believe that they would meet up with her once the war was over. She was able to give these hardworking soldiers a hope for the future and to distract their tragic minds from the horrors of war, letting them focus instead on the idea of returning from the war to have a beautiful woman waiting eagerly for them.
Both of these two young Americans took part in the war, helping America succeed, but one was forced to do so while the other was simply encouraged and motivated to do so. Betty Basye Hutchinson was a young woman who was rewarded for her actions during the war. She was loved and adored by men all across the nation. Peter Ota on the other hand, was punished during the war. His family was locked up and separated and his was forced to fight in a war to preserve the government which held him prisoner for so long. How is it that such different experiences could have existed between two people in this nation during the war? How is it that two young adults, still teenagers, could have played such different roles in the war and been treated so drastically different? It was about their appearances. He was a Japanese American and looked like the enemy, therefore giving the government the 'right' to treat him as one. She was a beautiful, young, All-American girl, letting her be praised for simply taking a few photos to bring enjoyment to the soldiers. Who knew something so artificial as one's appearance could be the cause of such injustice?