There is a lot of talk today about raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Nearly every worker in America that makes less then $15 an hour is for it. Many oppose it too, many based on their view of some form of the "theory of economics". However there is a large group of people, many that make more then $15 that are very passionately against it for seemingly no reason. You would think anyone would be for poor working people to get more money. Yet, many oppose it, with a zeal and passion. Why? Well, here is a very dark truth. A reader warning is advised.
Adam is a typical middle class guy. He has a wife and a couple of kids and a nice house. He has plenty of money to live comfortably, save money for the future and plenty of free spending money. His house sits on a nice plot of land and is a huge multi story with a garage and barn backyard pool and front lake. His house has large spacious rooms, large windows and two fireplaces. In short Adam lives in his dream home with everything he or his wife wants at a whim. He owns a recreational vehicle, a boat, and a vacation house. Like everyone in his family he has all the stuff he needs or wants. Whatever he likes or has an interest in, he can simply buy. His house is full of his stuff: collectable war memorabilia, photos of classic cars and a well stocked library of books.
Adam's life is great, except all that stuff, from his large house down to his first printing author autographed book, is just stuff. It is just stuff. Walking into his vast library to put yet another first printing author autographed book on yet another bookshelf does feel good, but not all that good enough. Worse the good feeling fades quickly. Everything he owns is just stuff, and does not make him feel good in the long term: it does not make him feel alive.
Adam then heads off to work Monday morning. He leaves his home and passes through his neighborhood of people around his own income level, and gets on the highway. He does not feel anything yet, but that changes as soon as he gets off the highway. The exit he gets off at is in a much lower income neighborhood. He drives past houses that are at least half the size of his own house and that have tiny yards. This right here is where it starts. Deep in the core of his being, Adam starts to feel good. The good feeling spreads all thorough his body and he very much loves the feeling. As he drives along the houses get smaller and much more run down. One high light of his drive is passing the house with a blue tarp over the section of it's roof. The tarp has been there for over a year, and he feels good every time he sees it. As he drives the houses give way to apartments. Tiny, tiny apartments. He gets a good feeling thinking that people live in those little apartments that are smaller then his library. Turning another street and Adam sees something not seen in his neighborhood: people walking around on the sidewalks. Sure in Adam's neighborhood some people walk for fun or exercise, but he knows the people he sees out now are most likely walking to work. He passes a bus stop full of people, zooming by in his nearly band new car, and feeling great about it
Adam pulls into the company parking lot a little bit before eight in the morning. He is in on real hurry as he has the freedom to start work any time he feels like it. He casually finds a parking spot and parks his car. Across the parking lot he can see other employees of the company, ones on a good day he might call workers, rushing to park their cars and run inside the building. Adam strolls in at his own slow pace, watching the workers run by him. He knows they must punch in before eight, and he gets a good feeling that he does not have to live by that rule. He makes a note of one worker he sees from his department, Joe, pulling in the parking lot. Adam smiles as he knows Joe will never make it to the time clock before eight.
At just one minute past eight Adam is on the floor screaming at his workers to get to work, and of course, to work faster. The good feelings as Adam walks around and yells at his workers are nearly endless. He feels good, even better then good, he feels great. He loves yelling at his workers, his drones, his numbers, and his slaves. After verbally abusing everyone under him is sight he goes to his office for even more good feelings. He calls up the time clock data and sees that, as he well knew, Joe punched in at two minutes past eight. Adam screams over the PA for Joe to report to his office and gets himself a cup of coffee while he waits. When Joe comes in Adam can't wait to unload on his pathetic slave. He goes all into how this is Joe's last tardy and he now has eleven points. Adam goes all out and gets on his high horse: why can't Joe just make it to work on time? Adam has no problem doing so: he walks up well rested every morning and drives his nearly new car into work at whatever time he feels like it. Joe tries to offer some pathetic excuses: he had to work his second job and his 27 year old car would not start. Adam just laughs and gleefully reminds Joe that at twelve points the company will automatically fire him and tells him to get out of his office.
Adam spends the rest of his morning relaxing in his office, going to a netting or two where he sits around, and yelling and screaming at his worker drone slaves. At lunch time he orders whatever he wants from the local fancy restaurant as he is free to spend thirty or forty dollars on his lunch. He makes a pass by the worker lunch room to see what sort of pathetic lunches they have and he is never disappointed. He sees a mix of cheap fast food and thin homemade sandwiches, but the best is watching Bill reheat a plastic container of macaroni and cheese with a couple cut up hot dog bits in it. After lunch Adam yells at his workers some more and relaxes some more in his office. If he is lucky one of his drone worker slaves might come in a beg to go home early for some reason: pick up their kid, go to a doctor, or get some car repair done. He can just sit back and laugh as he tells them they can't leave without getting points. More so as the end of the shift approaches he loves to go out and surprise his workers with mandatory overtime. Few things feel better then ruining a person day with something like that. Adam, of course, leaves work whenever he wants. He has a couple of middle people to stay and watch his worker drone slaves and yell at them. He has a relaxing drive home where he relaxes even more, and lives his great life.
So, what do you see in the above? What is the one thing...the only thing that makes Adam feel not just good, but great and makes his whole life worth living?
It is: The thrill of knowing he is better off then someone else.
To judge another person and to judge them to be worthless and inferior to yourself is one of the greatest feelings a person can get out of life. Sure, it is a very negative feeling, but it sure feels great and makes life worth living. It feels great to sit down to a gourmet lunch of whatever you want, while you watch someone else eat a plain cheese sandwich. And knowing that it is not because they like that plain cheese sandwich: it’s the knowing that that is all they can afford.
This brings us back to money and wages and the minimum wage. For anyone making less then $15 an hour life is almost always a struggle. This struggle is often very obvious to anyone observing as the person who only makes a little money only has cheap things. People have a deep dark desire to feel better then others, this is a very much a human thing. It is the basis of friendly competition and a number of other good things. At least for good people. If you’re a horrible person, of course, there are lots of negative ways to feel better then someone else. The fancy car is nice and makes you feel a little good. Though nothing makes the bad person feel as good as when they drive past someone with a junker car and they know that person is stuck with that car forever. Eating a nice meal for lunch tastes much better when you watch workers eating little more then bread and water.
You don’t pity their poverty but you blame them for it, certain in your belief that they’re simply much lazier than you and if they would only work harder or were more intelligent they wouldn’t be here. You forgot about your own dumb luck, your privilege, your status, your wealth. You decide because you’re that much smarter and wealthier that they don’t deserve your respect or your kindness and so you lash out. You convince yourself that this type of behavior is okay, because after all, it’s their fault.
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