I like this sentence: 'With some exceptions, capitalism does not reward teachers, journalists, researchers, social workers, public servants, healers—the careers I tend to identify as the most “worthwhile.”' This is an issue I've been grappling with for a long while. I'm always angry that capitalism doesn't reward careers that are most worthwhile. It's a universal problem.
First, I think everyone struggles with who they are in relation with their identity with their work. Some do put more emphasis on money than the actual work. It's all personal preference. I'm assuming that you are not tethered to one area by a significant other or children. So, why not take a chance and move to a more social democratic country that supports your beliefs and your pocketbook? People become ex-pats and enjoy living abroad and gaining different perspectives.
We have long tied the idea of "good" (or honest) work to moral character & American Exceptionalism. It's been exploited and wielded as a cudgel against the working class, with phrases like "pulling one's self up by the bootstraps," used as justification for hollowing out the social safety net.
That is such an important point, one I definitely hope to explore more in future writing. Thank you for bringing it up. I think the fact that "good"/"honest" work is so normalized as a way of framing labor is part of why it took me so long to interrogate my own understanding of labor in the context of capitalism. I still certainly have work to do in terms of unlearning and complicating my understanding of work and morality, but I am heartened by the increasing power of the labor movement in the U.S. at this very moment.
I like this sentence: 'With some exceptions, capitalism does not reward teachers, journalists, researchers, social workers, public servants, healers—the careers I tend to identify as the most “worthwhile.”' This is an issue I've been grappling with for a long while. I'm always angry that capitalism doesn't reward careers that are most worthwhile. It's a universal problem.
First, I think everyone struggles with who they are in relation with their identity with their work. Some do put more emphasis on money than the actual work. It's all personal preference. I'm assuming that you are not tethered to one area by a significant other or children. So, why not take a chance and move to a more social democratic country that supports your beliefs and your pocketbook? People become ex-pats and enjoy living abroad and gaining different perspectives.
We have long tied the idea of "good" (or honest) work to moral character & American Exceptionalism. It's been exploited and wielded as a cudgel against the working class, with phrases like "pulling one's self up by the bootstraps," used as justification for hollowing out the social safety net.
That is such an important point, one I definitely hope to explore more in future writing. Thank you for bringing it up. I think the fact that "good"/"honest" work is so normalized as a way of framing labor is part of why it took me so long to interrogate my own understanding of labor in the context of capitalism. I still certainly have work to do in terms of unlearning and complicating my understanding of work and morality, but I am heartened by the increasing power of the labor movement in the U.S. at this very moment.