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.