I think the true anger is at the top execs but the anger drifts down to the middle person like lda when they see things through their narrow perspective. Most can agree that at the exec level they really don't give a damn about anyone and they are in it for the their own personal wealth. But then there is this middle layer, like lda who unknowingly can annoy the crap out of the store level worker and I will tell explain why I believe so.
First the execs, the Eddie's, Leena's etc, they are in the top 1% and live in a world that the rest of the 99% ers do not understand.
Then there is the middle and upper middle folks that work at headquarters, they take orders and endure job stress but they do get compensated pretty well. Salaries are decent, raises and bonuses are available and they tend to work Mon-Fri with an occasional weekend or a check in on the computer etc. Sometimes they are called on off hours or days if a problem erupts that needs to be fixed. Most are not angry at these people until they insert themselves and pass judgement on the plight and complaints of the working class.
The working class folks can be found at the store level. People in the retail jobs at the store level come from all walks of life, they are a pretty diverse group of people. Some come from difficult backgrounds, broken families and maybe didn't have the chance for college. Some made mistakes and yes they are paying for it now. Others work at Sears as a second income. We have had teachers who work evenings and weekends, retired military veterans who were also pulling in a military pension, college students, people with degrees who were between jobs, wealthy housewives who were bored and wanted a little part time job and single moms with kids to feed. Many different backgrounds and scenarios at the store level. My situation, I'm married, college educated, middle aged, family income includes spouse's pension, rental income, and spouse (formally ret) and I each work a part time job. When my child is fully independent I plan to work full time again. I worked at Sears until they pushed me too far and I resigned about a year ago. I sympathize and empathize with many of my former Sears coworkers who are considered working class Americans. They live paycheck to paycheck, skip medical care, skip meals, ride their bike to work at 6:00 am and after a full shift ride their bike to a second job and ride home again at 10 pm. Some employees come and go quickly and didn't seem to be to good. Others are desperately trying to make it. They are working themselves ragged and never have money for a vacation or any kind of treat. They struggle terribly. And when a mid level person comes on the boards and passes judgement without knowing one's background or what they've been through and tells them to s--- it up or just quit and leave as thought there are so many great offers out there waiting is just plain rude and inconsiderate.
The mid level person is probably getting paid about $40-50,000. They don't know what it is like to see hours cut to 6, and earn $48 for the week. They don't have the empathy to understand a person working 3 different jobs balancing 3 different schedules and putting up with corporate crap like unreachable metrics, cancellation of employee discounts, etc etc, I don't have to mention the laundry list, we all know. Oh, they have all the answers, just quit, just go back to school, or just pull together and smile and the job will be so great. If you worked with the working class folks you would see people who are working damned hard and trying to survive in an economy where food prices are rising, rents are rising, everything you do is more expensive but hourly wages are stagnant and interest rates are practically nothing at the bank. They can't even keep up with inflation. These people are trying to survive in their jobs that treat them like a piece of garbage. These companies cut back the smallest things like an employee discount, a holiday party, no pay after midnight on Thanksgiving, salespeople had to pay for the memorial day ad in the newspaper advertising mattresses last year by taking a cut in their commission etc etc. And they get away with it because these people are desperate.
I know this is the corporate think, I have a niece who works as a dm for a large and thriving chain. She once told me she would not hire me for one of her stores. I couldn't believe it and asked her why. She explained that she knew her company did not treat low level employees well and that I was not desperate enough and would walk out at a certain point. Managers hired desperate people who had no other choice but to put up with the crap. That is pure evil.
So, there is deep anger at the exec level. Anger comes in at the mid level when some poster lectures to pull together and work harder and tries to compare the fact that they work 1 day a month at a store level to the life of one in the working class putting up with the crap because they are trying to survive. The mid level guy gets to drive home to his modest but nice home in the burbs and return to his office on monday. The store level guy gets to ride his bike home in the rain and get up on sunday at 5:00 am to do it all again, 7 days a week.
The gap between rich and poor is widening and i would imagine that there will be consequences in the future if things do not change. History has shown this to be true.
Reposted from @OIw2DRd-dpc for excellent commentary.