Post your unpopular opinions

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I can see how this is an unpopular opinion considering most jurisdictions in the developed world have laws/rules/regulations about what constitutes the minimum fair compensation for labour.

These amounts aren’t always set appropriately, especially as times change, but in most locations they do exist so people do have an expectation that if they’re working full time they should be able to at least afford the basics of life where they live.

As for improving skill sets; sure - but often there are constraints of time & money at play. Someone working full time + and commuting long travel times via public transit just to tread water, or slip slower into debt, doesn’t have the time/money/energy or other resources necessary to gain new knowledge or practice new skills. This is very, very, common and people end up trapped on their dead end job with almost no option for change - especially in small towns that are dependent on only one or two employers, or a single industry etc.

It’s not impossible to change/improve, but it’s easier said than done for many that’s for sure. It’s great when someone has a never give up do whatever it takes type of resolve to better themselves and find a way via sheer will, etc etc, But a better job/career path should be open to almost all - not reserved for the very few that can manage to escape their underpaid routine through a combination of disciplined hard work and a whole lot of luck. This is why most struggling people would tell you to shove this unpopular opinion. IMO

They are in the UK:

https://www.gov.uk/national-minimum-wage-rates

Even for a job like grocery bagger?

Yep, everyone

We also have minimum wage laws here, too, but some sectors still manage to pay less - like piece rates for harvesting fruit that are impossibly low and don’t add up to minimum wage.

Minimum wage isn’t a living wage, though. Minimum wage, as far as I understand it, was originally set at a living wage. Now, not so much. Even with a recent increase to $15.20/hr, it’s still far from a living wage.

Currently, the so-called living wage here is $20.52/hr. However, that’s based on 2 full time working adults each earning $20.52/hr to support a family of 4 while taking the bus. “The living wage is calculated as the hourly amount that each of two working parents with two young children must earn to meet their basic expenses (including rent, child care, food and transportation) once government taxes, credits, deductions and subsidies are taken into account.”

So, for a single person it may be higher as there’s no one to split rent/bills with and unless you Costco bulk buy food like me, you’re paying way more for groceries etc.

But yes, even grocery baggers are guaranteed at least the minimum wage of $15.20/hr. They probably pay more than that right now and it’s still not enough in many neighbourhoods. There was a restaurant advertising a full time dishwasher job for $25/hr $50k/yr because they can’t get anyone to take the job.

Even skilled workers and professionals of all stripes can’t earn high enough incomes to truly afford to live here - which is why so many are leaving and the ones that come/stay do so accepting a rapidly declining quality of life & ability to save/invest for the future.

Blah blah blah, dunno about the UK, but here, minimum wage is no longer a living wage - not be a long shot.

Some people are not fit for working.

That is not my problem.

Even if it isn’t your problem some people can’t work. It’s really greedy when some people (not necessarily you) say only people who can work full or even part time deserve a salary that’s decent.

When unwanted people follow you on an obscure part of the internet, where you hope they are not listening, but they're like the freakin' KGB with how quick they mobilise themselves to come and be an audience.

I have 1 social media account now because of this, after being chased around the internet by several sets of eyes that make me feel like a tortoise in a box, being peered at.

My detractors probably have like 10 social media accounts, none of which I follow or care about.

I literally think about them a few times a year, yet they always seem to find out about any message where I don't even mention their name, like they are keeping a track of my thoughts.

"If there is no problem, we will make a problem for ourselves, and then blame it on the 'crazy' guy."

Last edited by blitzkrieg on 21 Nov 2021, 6:35 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ok how is this about your unpopular opinions?

Because the sets of eyes who follow this will feel it criticises them, and it is thus unpopular from their perspective. I am doing something non-Autistic here and speaking as if in their 'shoes'.

1 - Fast Food chains serve nothing but trash; (a suggested warning: this establishment serves high fat and high calorie food and can lead to weight gain and health problems)

Rats and mice are cute to look at. :O)

Some people are proud that their mindset is essentially sociopathic in nature. That's what Ayn Rand encourages in her works, it's the core of 'social darwinism'.

Axeman, say you have an accident like christopher Reeve, you end up paraplegic. you cant work. but you need very expensive medical care to keep you alive, you cant pay. If i'ma doctor, should i let you die a slow death, and tell you "That is not my problem" or should i help you, assist you, even though you are not "fit for working." and cant possible pay the medical bills.

Businesses exist to make money. They are under no obligation to do anything else. With a doctor they have a skill set same as any professional. It's to make them money. They aren't obligated to care for anyone outside that context.