2 ms·
"The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic" I was talking to a bloke today, nice guy, very capable. But he's out of work and his lic
by Stormbringer 16y ago
"The death of one is a tragedy, the death of millions is a statistic"
I was talking to a bloke today, nice guy, very capable. But he's out of work and his licence was suspended for excessive speeding. He says it is simply not worthwhile looking for work at the moment because without transport it is just too impractical.
Now, the Libertarian in me wants to say that the sequence of bad events that happened to him is simply the result of the consequences of his bad choices. Perhaps I would feel differently if he and his partner were in a truly desperate situation (they're not starving, they're not going to lose their home). Perhaps I'm less sympathetic because of his obvious bad choices that led him to this.
But what if the things that led him to this point weren't (or weren't so obviously) his fault? Bad things happen to good people too. The rain falls on the righteous and the wicked alike.
Of my circle of acquaintances, I think every single one of the blokes has been unemployed at some time in the last year except for this one guy who somehow hangs on despite having a really terrible boss.
On the other hand, of the working women that I know, none of them have been unemployed in that same time span (some have taken maternity leave and then come back to work at reduced hours).
This gives me pause. Because in the workplace, especially large corporations, I always see the women being given the shitty demeaning jobs. Go post some letters for me, go get the birthday cake etc. It is never a bloke that gets sent to buy the birthday cake.
Oh, no, wait, there is one girl who keeps losing her job, but she is a mentally handicapped.
Anyway, the moral of the story is; unless you're willing to tug forelock and suck up to the man start your own business (doesn't mean you are immune to being fired, but generally if you do a good job the golden parachute is a better option than the leather boot on the neck).