Privilege

When I worked at a country club I got to see a lot of class-based privilege. As one of the workers I wasn’t in the same class level as the members. And I was made it realize it everyday when I had to cater to the member’s every wants. The high-income members run the show since they elect the management, and if there are enough complaints from them you are fired. But because of their superior class status to all the employees who worked there they took advantage of us all the time. I worked as a hostess and there was one couple with an elementary school aged girl. The couple would want to eat in the nicer part of the restaurant that was 18 and up and had a dress code. So they would and they would leave their daughter at the hostess stand with me while they ate. They acted like it was part of my job, never compensated me for babysitting and never said thank you. Stuff like this happens all the time at the country club because the members feel like it was their right to do so. They feel that they are paying to belong here so they can do as they please. I felt powerless. I could not complain to the management because they will not stand up to the members. It is a bad system that I don’t support. It’s almost as if the members are living in a mini-bubble when they come there. They can do as they please, act however they want and they aren’t punished. I guess that’s how it works when you have money.