> there next to me) because the salesman's time is more
> valuable. The task took less than a minute to
[...]
> Any thoughts on any aspect of what I'm saying?
Hi Heather, I have been thinking about this a lot over the last couple
of years. My uneducated opinion (ie I haven't read Marx and all that
stuff) is that profit/greed-driven capitalism is basically fatally flawed.
Unequal wages are a consequence but in fact I have a problem with the
entire idea of people spending most of their time doing something they
don't enjoy for somebody else, so that they can be considered worthy by
our society of eating and having basic living standards. I'm finding
this a bit hard to express but maybe I will try again when my thoughts
are less jumbled. But yes, I do very often feel guilty being served by
shop assistants -- especially if they start calling me sir.
I suppose it is all tied in with the protestant work ethic ...
in your specific example, firstly the salesman's job is entirely a waste.
His job is to convince people by mild forms of deception to purchase
your product. But regardless of the ethical value of the jobs, the salesman
sits on is butt all day in an office whereas the storeman or assembly
line worker or whoever works much harder! And for less pay!
cheers
Russell
