this post was submitted on 14 Apr 2024
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When the term "essential worker" was coined, it made many of the people it applied to feel flattered. They were considered essential! However this is a misunderstanding of what a capitalist is saying. The term "essential" doesn't actually refer to the worker. They consider the work essential. It is very important that those jobs are carried out. The worker that does it though is irrelevant, and considered fungible.
You know how corporations have a department called "Human Resources?" That's exactly the mindset. Your job is essential, but you are expendable.
Never heard anyone be flattered when called an essential employee. Mostly they just say "if I'm essential then pay me more."
True. It also shows how most humans tend to think in social hierarchy where money and status are interlinked.
That's actually one thing capitalists (as you call them, I'd call them managers) are good at. Their focus on money allows them to ignore status.
This is also why workers need unions. Workers need experts that understand the inner workings of corporations to lobby on their behalf.