i think my point is actually that maybe there's nothing inherently wrong with being a "poor asswipe", that is to say -- if you frequent gas stations, and interact with said jockey, then said jockey is necessary for your way of life. why degrade him for filling that role? why does he need some kind of redeeming 'not a gas jockey' thing? if you don't make use of said jockey, replace with a fast food employee, etc.

as soon as you're a patron, you sort of lose your moral ground for condescension, as the employee is necessary in order for you to complete your transaction.

your attitude seems to have its roots in the idea that service sector jobs are so monotonous that no decent person could possibly be just a service sector worker, because it's just too unfair and makes me feel bad blah blah blah.

the problem is that this idea is a close friend of another idea, which is there must be some 'sub-class' of person that takes these jobs, that way i don't have to feel guilty/bad for them because they probably deserve it somehow.

unfortunately, this isn't the case, and i would argue that it is kind of a glum reality that everyone participating in a capitalist economy is forcing some certain segment of the population into the monotonous shit jobs, and the related lack of opportunity/relatively shitty life that a low income and back-breaking work brings. the only real (short-term) solutions seem to be 'treat every worker like a person, instead of a tool for your use', and maybe 'fight for better public education and healthcare so that people's lives are a little better'.