It’s Nicolas Cage in a Cagie Wagie

Are we stuck for eternity in a wage cage?

Last week I posted about creating my creative space, little did I know the internet would be sizzling with talk of wage cages. So right now I am writing from my newly created wage cage.

A wage cage is a space where an employee does one’s work. A “wagie” generally refers to a person who is poorly treated and doesn’t like their job.

Wage cages are seen in memes, and a particularly hilarious Nicolas Cage in a wage cage.

I’ve worked in lots of wage cages in my life and I was certainly tuned into the fact they were sucking my energy and zest for life. Like Dilbert, going to work every day became a exercise in a futile attempt at nonconformity in a conforming space.

Yes, the metaphorically round peg in a square hole. That’s me.

I’ve had to stay in my wage cage and have to be “relieved” by someone if I was going to the restroom. I’ve worked in a 5x3 foot space in a game at an amusement park. In some of my jobs, I have often felt trapped just like a lion at the zoo, looking out at all those free people wondering how the hell did I get stuck in here?

I’ve paced back and forth in a cube with grey cloth covered panels. I have worked in a factory, where my cage was a small spot on the production line. I’ve been a vendor at events and conferences, where my space was lined out with masking tape. Heaven help me if I put anything over the line!