Member-only story
Standards, Self-Respect, and Ambition are Not Universal
I went back to work, and let me tell you, what I learned was frightening.
When I was 18, my first boss, Steve, sat me down for my first job performance review. He said, “Kristi, if you don’t lower your expectations of people, you’re going to be disappointed your entire life.”
Truer words were never spoken.
I went back to work last July. I got a job working as an administrator in the food and beverage industry. This gave me the opportunity for a gigantic social experiment as our company ran four different restaurants and had a staff of over 120 people — from Gen Alpha to Boomers.
I was not prepared for what I would experience. It was the worst-case collision of economic hardship, cultural isolation, generational apathy, addiction, and a post-pandemic unraveling of social norms.
Small-Town Isolation at Its Worst
I went to work in a small, tourism-driven town. Although its total population is less than 1500, the town has numerous hotels, casinos, and tourist attractions.
However, the town is isolated — one road in, one road out — people who travel here do so with intent. This isn’t one of those towns that you drive through by…
