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What you said about what we said last week
From the parking lot of the Rhode Island Avenue Home Depot to the cover of Washington City Paper: Mike Paarlberg’s story on the margins of the D.C. labor market introduced readers to low-wage workers regularly exploited by employers and the groups working to help them. @jlupf tried to put the piece in perspective for the more fortunate Washington worker: “If your worst problem w/ DC is that you had to intern for 6 mos, see @mpaarlberg’s @wcp piece on the DC labor market.” @TulaConnell had a similar thought: “Next time you see day laborers in a parking lot waiting for work, think of this.”
After complimenting Paarlberg on the piece, Daniel Buck questioned via Twitter whether the shady contractors in the piece could be publicly shamed: “I wonder if the names of offending contractors, e.g., based on complaints filed or adjudicated, could be posted publicly, like restaurant health violations, so that consumers would know who not to hire.” The lone negative comment came from dead labor organizer Samuel Gompers (or some person using his name to leave online comments): “If labor laws are so much better in El Salvador and everywhere else, how come workers will try anything to get into the United States?” Really makes you think.
Rest In Fleece
Naturally, commenters were more inclined to discuss the death of D.C.’s bro bars instead of unfair and illegal labor practices. City Paper intern and Georgetown junior James Constant bravely infiltrated the youth drinking scene to find out where local college kids are DFMO-ing (look it up) now that McFadden’s and Rhino Bar are gone.
“Try Rhino,” @Sammysams15 helpfully said. “This is good service journalism about which bars to avoid, cleverly disguised as service journalism for college kids,” tweeted Mother Jones’ Tim Murphy. art wrote: “Brohibition? DFMOs? Fratty, hard-partying GW set? I could tell this was written by a college student!!! [Ed. note: Well done.] Too bad Georgetown zoned itself out and only tourists and 50 year olds are trying to so-called party there. Does Jack Evans do Sex on the Beach shots?” @GoldbergLawDC singled out Georgetown’s new on-campus pub: “Georgetown U is smartly loosening its alcohol policies, to push drinking back onto campus, where it’s safer for all.”
Clearly concerned, FluxGirl commented, “Go back to the dorm and study!! And stay off my lawn!” while Ward 4 D.C. Council candidate Acqunetta Anderson advised students looking for a place to drink to “visit the library to prepare for your future.” Jim_Ed1 offered hope to the sober GW and Georgetown students: “Eh, something will pop up eventually to fill the void. When I was in school 10 years ago our haunts were Porters, My Brothers Place, and Lulus, all of which went to that sticky floored resting place in the sky. So long as there’s a market of 20 year olds looking to volume drink cheap hooch, someone will figure out a way to make money off of it.” Politico’s Kendall Breitman accused Constant of not being hip to the scene: “Shocked that this article is written by a fellow ~*~millennial~*~ …seems strangely out of touch w DC bar scene.” Constant plans to respond by doing a keg stand while wearing a baseball cap backwards.