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I don’t understand why people hate baristas so much or especially why we’re often trashed as some kind of “cultural elite” by fashy (including and especially post-left) types.

Anytime there’s a discussion about tipping in the US people crawl out of the woodwork and talk about us like we’re some privileged class of people trying to shake them down for their hard earned salaries and dilute the meaning of real labor (whatever the fuck that means).

Shit like this

Or

Like one of my coworkers is currently homeless and crashing with our manager until he finds a new apartment. Another brings free coffee to the dentists office next door (and comps the Dr.’s espresso drinks) in exchange for affordable dental work. What about this screams privilege?

Just like any physically demanding job we’re facing a high risk of disabling repetitive motion injuries and yet the industry standard is zero health benefits unless your shop is part of a corporate chain and it’s legally required at which point benefits are technically available but functionally near impossible to access.

Don’t get me wrong the coffee industry is fucked from farm to table. The perception of the “not just anyone” that gets to be a barista is accurate to an extent. But that has more to do with the type of person who owns coffee shops. The trope of the Owner/Manager who only hires baristas they would drink with or fuck is not without merit but in what world is the barista benefiting from that? Short shifts and the promise of flexible hours attracts grad students and artists but I assure you the Queer Studies PhD candidate waiting for their big break as an adjunct and the bassist spending their nights playing in a rotation of 5 local punk bands bc they love the scene have no systemic power over you.

People hem and haw about servers and bartenders too but it seems like baristas specifically are the scapegoat of the food service industry and i genuinely do not understand what kind of bath salts these people are smoking.