this post was submitted on 21 Jan 2024
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The meme isn't saying that they should be paid the same, it's saying that just because you're a janitor doesn't mean you deserve to be living off of ramen packets and 4 hours of sleep every day.
A janitor is skilled labour though.
So the issue is already moot because people don't even understand the nuances in the job market.
A janitor can kill people if they don't do their job properly, or themselves, if they use any of their tools improperly. It can take several years for a professional cleaner to become well trained.
An unskilled labour position would be a cashier or barista. A farmer requires years of training and should be paid according to the amount of effort it takes to become a trained farmer. The cook (used to) require a red seal, which is several years training, now days it's microwave/fry/flip and is thus unskilled into robot replacement.
The examples even used in the meme suck. The landscaper and construction workers are absolutely skilled labour.
This is trying to 'equalize' the job market but you can't do that. Different jobs require different training and you should be paid accordingly. The only people 'justifying' poverty wages are the billionaires, no one else thinks that 7 dollars is appropriate, however, by trying to push this meme the OP and a lot of people in the replies are trying to pretend like 'any job that doesn't have a degree associated is 'unskilled labour' according to capitalists' but that's not the case, and even the investing market doesn't believe that, i.e. 'da capitalists'.
All labor involves skill. You can be skilled at anything and experience enhances that skill. The only question is if people value that skill. Most people value a skilled janitor; a skilled gardener; a skilled customer service representative; etc. I know I do.
A batista can kill by using incorrect cleaning chemicals, wrong ingredients to those who may be allergic, or who knows wtf. Food workers have food safety.
Don't be so silly.
You are missing the point of what I said or are intentionally misrepresenting what I said.
I think I was trying to point out that unskilled labor isn't always unskilled. Some do require higher skill by a significant amount but there is seldom a job where no skill can get you by.
You can't go in to a job and do it with zero experience anywhere, therefore it is skilled labour.