this post was submitted on 11 Mar 2025
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Orphan Crushing Machine
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I feel like the person is failing to see beyond the scope of immediate surroundings. They're seeing the manager as the village in this case. The manager being about as good as they're in a position to be (because let's face it, a McDonald's shift manager isn't exactly the 1% and has only probably been there a few months longer and can't tell them to just go home and they'll get paid regardless) looks a lot like "support" if you don't look around for the missing friends, family, community daycares, social programs or charities.
An actual community would see you being supported to be with your child when they weren't being otherwise cared for. Like a year of parental leave from the government, guaranteed job to come back to, and daycare for when you get back.
If it never occurred to you to look for those things, the closest person in authority you can see not being as bad as they could be can look an awful lot like a favor.
I actually would give the manager as much cred as possible here. They're probably two years older than she is, what the hell can they do besides let her work and keep their head down about it? Within their scope, they really are trying to help.
Everyone else has failed this child.
Oh, 100%. I had hoped to make it clear that the manager is just another person without any actual power. The only power they have is to not send them home and have them work the register instead of the fryer. That maybe the lowest tier power possible granting the largest yet meager favor they can stands out is, as you said, everyone else failing them.
Totes, I meant that as agreement and elaboration on what you were saying.
Maybe if we paid people living wages they could actually afford childcare. Shit is expensive.