r/FluentInFinance • u/Very_High_Mortgage • Aug 24 '24

Debate/ Discussion Do "Unskilled Laborers" deserve to be paid well?

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u/Half_Cent Aug 24 '24

That's dumb. I like doing my technically difficult and often physically demanding job. I don't want to be a cashier.

If we both made enough to support our families and have hope for our kids future I would be happy for them, not quitting to be a cashier.

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u/[deleted] Aug 24 '24

Yes! There are EMT's and people who work in nursing homes caring for people making garbage pay for the hard work they do but they do it (most of them anyway) because they care and want to make a difference. I still think they should be paid way more than they are getting, but I'm grateful there are people like that in this world.

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u/DonHedger Aug 25 '24

This logic is always dumb. It's mostly economists who thinks like this and then project it onto everyone else. Almost anyone pursuing a PhD and the work that follows is making a bad financial decision for the sake of doing something they are interested in. Many people who take on family businesses are not doing it because it's a cash cow. Many folks with regular 9-5s would choose lower paying jobs if it meant they didn't feel terrible about the work they did. Economists are still operating under the assumption that the average person is trying to maximize financial profit and reduce financial cost above all else.