I remember the first time I found out that my parents are paid less than a major league baseball player. I also remember how infuriated I was at how idiotic America is. You see, my parents are both surgeons. My dad is a trauma surgeon, saving the lives of people who are injured in accidents and other distressing circumstances. My mom is a breast surgeon (please boys, no snickering), saving the lives of many women who would otherwise fall to cancer. And these good people are paid less than some idiot who can swing a bat or run with a ball. Personally, I think that there's something HIDEOUSLY wrong with that. Also, I heard that airplane pilots are paid less than your average bartender. Again, my point is proven. The man keeping you up in the air and alive is paid less than the man who makes you your alchoholic beverage. If you were old enough to drink, that is. And if you're reading this and you're not Mrs. Cardona, what are you doing with that whiskey? Put that away. '
I think that this unfairness of monetary distribution is probably part of America's overemphasis on leisure. We put our own comfort above our safety or the wellbeing of others. I won't deny that I myself have been guilty of this. I have. Quite frequently. I am also aware that if I don't stop, this post will make me a hypocrite. This is a sacrifice I am willing to make. I think that America has to get off its butt and pay more to the people who matter. Johnny Depp isn't going to save your life if you get in a car accident. Brett Favre isn't going to fly you safely from Minnesota to Florida. Kayne West isn't going to teach you how to calculus. But he will do this. So we need to pay essential jobs more than nonessential jobs.
And if you disagree, I'd like to have a conversation with you. No, that wasn't intended as a threat, I'd honestly like to hear your reasons why you think that sports stars and celebrities should be paid more than the hard working people who keep us alive and make our world work.
PS: Look at the bottom of the page for my awesome campaign poster!
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I agree, especially with our economy going down the drain right now. i don't really know anything about managing money, but I know this- to pay $9 to watch a movie is ridiculous. Why can't they just pay the actors who make millions less? Seriously, when I was in Australia we stayed at a hotel for a week. As we were talking to the manager, he said one time there was a film director who stayed there for a whole entire year while he was making a movie, and paid for it in a day's pay. We need Robin Hood to steal from the rich and give to the poor.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with your viewpoint- it's absolutely ridiculous that people are being paid more money to entertain us than to save our lives. But I look at it this way- entertainers entertain because it's what they like to do and it gets them a lot of money. Doctors, surgeons and the like do what they do because they want to make a difference in the world. In all honesty, money shouldn't be an issue. The world is too materialistic anyway... A good counter-argument for this though, would be that sometimes sports stars and musicians are capable of saving peoples' lives aswell. How many poor kids from Central America were able to make a living for their family by utilizing their talent to catch a ball? And how many times have you been depressed and listened to a song that may very well have saved your life? My point is, all jobs are important, whether we like to see them that way or not. I still stand on your side of the fence though when it gets down to it all, but it's definitely something to think about.
ReplyDeleteI think it was a few weeks ago that I was reading an article that aid that EMT’s get paid around minimum wage. This is appalling. They are the people that are keeping you alive as you are rushed to the hospital for treatment. For this reason I agree with you because celebrities don’t truly have important jobs. While they may be role models, many of their actions are not ones that should be mimicked. People whose careers involve saving lives, educating impressionable young adults, and people that keep us safe should be paid more because they truly have a greater impact on the lives of ordinary Americans.
ReplyDeleteWell said. It is enfuriating what we consider "noteworthy" in our culture.
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