Do you believe that a person who takes orders at a fast food restaurant deserves the same income as a medical doctor?
I believe that, as a society, we have enough resources to feed and house everyone; each person should be provided with a livable minimum that will allow them to secure a comfortable and happy existence. I believe that many jobs arenβt necessary in the grand scheme of things as well, and that ultimately food services should be automated or reworked so that people donβt have to spend huge chunks of their lives flipping burgers for the profit of fast food millionaires. If we were to actually employ some know-how as a society (possible in a society steered by democratic planning and worker/community control of industry), we could employ everyone, utilize machines to help workers with their jobs (rather than as competition for the benefit of the rich), drastically cut down the work week, and allow people to pursue whatever their interests and talents push them towards. Socialism isnβt about βthe fast food worker and the surgeon making the same amount of moneyβ. Itβs about pushing society towards a state of affairs where money isnβt the plutocratic arbiter of our life choices, by decommodifying the social realm as much as possible.
Likeβ¦.I want you to understand that there arenβt just some inherent castes of people who flip burgers or perform surgeries; those castes are shaped by the way capitalism stratifies people and funnels them into jobs and opportunities. In a more just society where people had more free time and qualitative access to education and resources, weβd probably see millions of people tied down to no particular job in the capitalist sense of today. βBurger flippersβ would also be artists, builders, farmers, etc. Specialization would still happen, definitely, but where it does occur would likely be accompanied by social prestige and intense satisfaction for the craft β that comes with the territory when the people involved actually make the decisions (rather than submit to the decisions of bosses or property-owners). Iβve seen it argued before and Iβll reiterate it: Iβd rather be entrusted to a surgeon who cares about helping people than one whoβs only involved to become rich. And itβs not like surgeons and doctors will be destitute under socialism or something β theyβll be as able to self-actualize and enjoy the fruits of society as anybody else, if not moreso in some small ways (through that aforementioned prestige and respect and all that stuff).
This βyou want everyone to be paid the sameβ argument misunderstands what socialists are aiming for; itβs too myopic and canβt help but assume socialism is just capitalism with hyper-redistributive taxation. Think outside of the box a bit, anon.
jacobvanloon
stormborns
gummygunk
dededos
annaxmalina
pixelskylines
