July 29, 2013 by David K. Sutton
Resentment Of Low Wage Workers
You can consider this an addendum to my earlier article titled (“Tyranny Of Self-Interested Wealth“).
We will not see greater economic equality until we stop resenting people who make less, who have less, and who represent the bottom of the economic ladder, through no fault of their own.
I’ve said this many times, but there is not a good paying job for every American who wants one. There will always be lower paying jobs that we expect people will do for society to function. But just because we accept that unfortunate fact, doesn’t mean we have to accept a poverty wage. Multi-billion dollar corporations, with wealthy executives, should not be paying their employees a poverty wage, propped up by government assistance like food stamps.
But when these low wage workers call for better pay, organize and strike for a fair wage, why are so many in this country so quick to demonize them? And this is particularly true of the conservative Right. Why do people show such disdain for people who simply want a fair wage? And a common refrain might be to tell “these people” to get a better job. But I return to my statement above — that there is not a good paying job for every American. There aren’t even enough jobs for every American. These conservatives cannot with a straight face tell us the economy is still bad — which they say is Obama’s at fault — and then turn around and tell low wage workers they need to get a better job.
This country, particularly many on the Right, need to stop this acrimony now. It’s not constructive, and if you are guilty of this resentment, it only shows how truly horrible a person you are.