My friend and I have been having a lot of conversations
recently about stereotypes people have of other cultures, religions, races,
creeds, etc. Being of the Jewish faith/culture I told him that, although it is
unfair, I feel that Jewish people have to be extra careful not to do things
that perpetuate stereotypes. Now remember what I just said as its relevance
will become clear soon.
There is a real issue in Ontario with unregulated alcohol
and drug treatment centres. If you have enough money, buy a house/building in
the right zone, you can open your own treatment centre. Hire whomever you want,
charge whatever you want and do any type of crazy treatment you want. I’ve
worked at three really unethical places. These places care little for the
clients and even less about their employees. I have a friend who currently
works at a treatment centre that fits this description to a tee. These
treatment centres are usually opened by people new to recovery who decide it
would be cool open one. They know nothing about addiction or mental health but
think they can help people. Eventually they just end up wanting to make money.
Now I know my story is anecdotal but three of the
four places I’m familiar with are owned by Jewish people. The owners try to get
clients to stay longer in treatment by getting counsellors to persuade them to
stay longer – a longer stay means more money. They try to get employees to do
it even it won’t benefit the client. I remember being told to say the following
if any client ever inquired if longer treatment would be helpful: “A longer
stay is always beneficial”. I had to say this even if the person was doing well
and I was confident they were ready to re-enter the real world (meaning they
did well in treatment and had a good recovery plan for when they left). The
same owners have a history of bouncing employee cheques, not paying proper
vacation pay, not providing pay stubs and other labour law violations. If they’re
not called on it they don’t give a crap. One time I was working for this
totally unethical place and the head guy (he is Jewish) took all sick pay away.
When I asked why he told me it was for my benefit so I would have an incentive to
stay healthy. Can you say scumbag?
You’re probably asking, “yo Dave, why don’t you name
these places you speak of?” Well due to non-disclosure agreements I was forced
to sign I can’t. You see they know they are scum and don’t want it advertised.
So getting back to my original point, as I said
three of these four places are owned by Jewish individuals. I really feel they
have a responsibility not to act in such an indecent, dare I say it – Trump-like,
fashion. The responsibility is to their Jewish brethren as their actions
reflect poorly on the rest of us. I know that an overwhelming majority of
Jewish people are great people and upstanding citizens. I’m sure if you look at
all races, creeds, etc. you’d fine the same percentage of scummy people versus
great people. But as a business owner who deals with people these guys should
be extra careful and treat people well so that gentiles leave with a feeling
that Jewish people are great people to deal with. This is just my humble
opinion.
Dave the Dude
