Analysis Of Working At Mcdonald's By Amitai

Ashley Figueroa-Lozano

Professor Spilka

ENG 114

16 October 2017

Fast-Cash and Fast-Food

Almost everyone, especially middle-class families, face financial struggles during their lifetimes. It mainly starts when the children grow older and most likely, will want to attend college. As soon as they are able to, students want to find a job, such as a fast-food job, to possibly take a load off of their parents or jump-start their independence. Amitai Etzioni, a very well-known educator amongst prestigious schools who has a Ph.D in Sociology from University of California, Berkeley, touches upon this subject. All throughout his essay, Etzioni uses multiple tactics to justify this opinion that teenagers working in fast-food chains affects their academics. In the essay titled, “Working at Mcdonald’s”, Etzioni claims that teenagers tend to focus on instant gratification from money instead of what could be beneficial in the long run along with the interference of fast-food jobs, that could be detrimental to their educational and work careers.

Primarily, Etzioni gains his readers respect by connecting his ideas of work with that of the Founding

Fathers. The majority of the Founding Fathers were respected entrepreneurs and some went on to become Presidents of the United States. This means that these men were self-made, dedicated humans, and valued the importance of education because they set the standard for America to be a successful country. In order to be a successful country, it is important to educate the citizens who live in it. He ties this into what he is saying to show that the framework within our society, is to push out of the comfort zone we rely on. Etzioni uses this tactic to get his readers to side with him by using the historical context of how being “self-reliant, work-ethic-driven, productive youngsters” is a potent characteristic within the American society (Etzioni 240). This gives the audience a sense of the importance of how valued education is since the formation of The United States.
In addition to his claims of a work-driven society, teen jobs today are lacking stimulation and teenagers are lacking motivation to educate themselves. Etzioni states that the ambition in job choice is incoherent when it comes to working teens because when they do attain these fast-food jobs they are acting almost like robots (241). This strengthens Etzioni’s claim because it gives his text not only credibility but a clear picture of what it is like to work in a fast-food establishment. These teens have to accomplish matters within a certain time, press the right buttons, ask a set of questions and are made to do this repetitively. Etzioni puts an emphasis on the youth of today not being challenged when it comes to job choice. He adequately presents his argument by implementing education. Due to the age that teens try to get these jobs is difficult because they have no job experience at all. Etzioni makes it clear that fast-food jobs, for almost anyone, is a fallback when there is difficulty finding a more prominent job.
In the essay, Etzioni argues that teens use fast-food jobs as a way to make fast-cash while averting from higher education and finding “shortcuts” to adult capitalism (242). With the quick reward, teens are more likely to abandon school altogether to start making more money to fulfill all their desired wants rather than using it for their education. It is made clear that students out of high school with a fast-food job are less likely to continue with their education because earning income is more important than furthering their knowledge. Having a fast-food job allows students to forget about adult responsibilities and gives them a quick sense of gratification. This argument strengthens the authors claim because young people today are only focusing on the money they are receiving as of their current status. The current status where teens relying on their parents for essential financial support such as, rent, electricity, and gas. Etzioni argues that students are not thinking about buying materials to help them with college. Young people today are only thinking of what trend they can keep up with or what new invention they can get their hands on. There is no financial responsibility of their own and they tend to not think about what comes after they graduate from high school or what happens later on in their life.
Furthermore, Etzioni expresses that “large amounts seem to flow to pay for an early introduction into the most trite aspects of American consumerism: flimsy punk clothes..” (242).

This consumerism is what has a hold on their paycheck, saying they use it on clothes and essentially stuff that they do not necessarily need. With this claim, Etzioni does not include statistical evidence to prove that teens purchase unnecessary items to fulfill their satisfaction. This claim debilitates his purpose and credibility. Without factual evidence, his petition is jeopardized and has no support to back it up. Also, being the astute, brilliant, knowledgeable individual he is, the speculation he makes about the use of the money earned by youngsters, interferes with his credibility. This explanation invalidates his appeal because it solicits

bias.
Lastly, Etzioni strategically uses emotion by bringing up his son, Oren when he was working at Baskin Robbins (Etzioni 242). By allowing the audience to empathize with having children of their own, he allows himself to have the upper hand on his own reader. Parents want their teens to have a bright and fulfilled future. By listening to what Etzioni has to say would be practical. He wants parents to feel the need to give their child better than the classic fast-food job in order to increase the possibility of a better future. It convinces the readers to prevent the recurrence of comfortable teens trying to earn money. Parents want nothing more than to pass down a more challenging and successful life than what they had growing up. For some, college was not an option to people back in the day as it is now. Etzioni knows exactly what to say and who to make his comments to.
Etzioni values the progression of the youth of today and wants them to strive rather than seek what is in front of them. He makes a valid argument throughout his writing and meticulously arranges his attack as to how he will get his readers to adopt his thought process. His ideas although, were thought out carefully and were supported by cited sources fell only slightly short of evidence, which involved statistics and analysis of data. Etzioni reached his goal of validating his argument through various tactics that amplified his point. It is people like him who are challenging the norms of society today and allowing others to see the potential they have beyond the surface.