I stupidly got into a Reddit spat with some guy, very polite, but I have been thinking about it. I wrote this out and thought some here might find it interesting. Let me preface by saying, for fucks sake, I have nothing against doctors, and the division between ‘us and them’ when it comes to a doctor and a working stiff reeks of the same classism and oppression and astroturfing which is exactly the focus of my point. But regardless,
Let the doctors speak for themselves. Of course they work hard and long – and stressful! – literally life and death. But they are REASONABLY FAIRLY COMPENSATED FOR THEIR LABOUR.
Let’s reform the medical industry, and literally every industry. The abuse they experience! Both in the normal expected course of the job, and in the absolute ridiculous crushing beuracracy and penny pinching and disregard for human life and happiness that is inflicted upon all of us by the 1% in their absolutely endless quest for, what? What is it exactly. I don’t know but I think it can be summed up by: MORE.
But here’s the thing. If you’re a doctor – you have a house, you have a car, you probably have an excellent pension and benefits plan, you can buy all the little things that you want. You probably take many paid vacations to progressively nicer destinations. You can afford to live. Afford to live.
What the issue is of course, what we’re talking about and why and how you have so grieviously missed the point (sorry Reddit guy) – are all the people, us, who do jobs that we have ‘discovered’ (lol) are absolutely integral to the functioning of society – as absolutely integral as everything a doctor does.
And yet they live in squalor.
Think of this person. We’ve thought of the doctor, now let us consider the average joe. I am an average joe and I am a chef so our average joe will be a chef.
I don’t have a house, I dont have a car, I have no pension or benefits plan nor ever have nor probably ever will. I can buy some of the things I want, but with careful planning and consideration and stress. I don’t really take vacations – I can’t afford to – both in the sense of the cost a trip, and the loss of income from my unpaid vacation. I am at every point vanishingly few paycheques from destitution. I save and I plan, and here and there I’ve managed to put away a good chunk of change, but then, as we all know, something comes up. Life happens. I cannot afford to live.
We are not mindless robots, automatons, who one turns on at 9:00 am (or 11:00am or 6:00am or 2:30am or 11:00pm or any of the other ridiculous shifts or a combination thereof that I for example have worked in the hospitality industry and that many many other people do too) and off at 5:00pm.
And when one too many things come up, all at once, as they always do, I always find a way to make it work. I’ve borrowed so much money in my life – from family and banks and friends and the government. But eventually there will come a time when I just cannot do it anymore. There is no more money for me to be found. And then I will become one of the shuffling destitute. There but for the grace of god go I.
And it’s all so wrong. What are we doing.
I have no great conclusion, except to say, surely we can do better. Surely, this is not the way. Everybody knows it, everybody thinks it, so what are we doing.