Pandemic and Class Divides
I see a lot of talk about "privilege" and those who are able to work from home and how the pandemic affects different classes differently.
Generally though, the response is almost vitriolic.
Yes, this pandemic is affecting people of different classes differently. Though, the pandemic isn't strictly attacking along class divides and the virus and it's spread gives no concern to such artificial barriers.
A lot of graphs look to drops in traffic in wealthy areas and the timing vs. poorer ones as a sort of fuel for their fire.
I think that there are legitimately two sides to each argument in these situations. But, the notion that this cuts most deeply along class lines, I think is shortsighted.
As many are learning weeks into this, self-isolation is not a recipe for good mental health for most people. And, those who were able to work from home and did, did so mostly for the benefit of those who couldn't.
Those who were able to work from home and do so soonest, are also those who will deal with the impacts of self isolation the soonest and longest.
The other problem with this notion is that all jobs which can be remote are inherently "high class jobs".
I'm a software developer. When I started out, I worked on a help desk, changed jobs into development. And grew my career from there. At every job since University I could work from home. For the first 2-ish years I was barely above minimum wage. After that, I wasn't making proper upper or even middle class wages for probably about 10 years.
If were a contract worker, it could be even worse. Many IT jobs are undervalued. Call centre workers are often some of the lowest paid across the board. Our office admins are working from home. I'm sure data entry clerks are as well.
I won't deny that jobs which can be performed remotely DO skew away from minimum wage and that range. They almost inherently require technology and thus specific skills. But, as shown above, that doesn't mean they are high class. It also doesn't mean that non-remote workers necessarily have it worse.
In fact, for many years, my brother in law was an unskilled laborer at Honda and made more than me. He still works in a similar job, and is similarly paid. He is a factory worker. He is often lumped in with low class workers in terms of job type. But, he makes a good living. He can't do his job from home. He's still going in every day. The particular company he is with now manufactures an "essential product".
Honestly, at this very moment, he even has greater job security than I do.
Jobs are being shed across the board. And higher paid jobs are larger liabilities. So, there are some who were home self-isolating earlier, protecting the rest of society and facing the social impacts of that withdrawal and are losing their jobs on top of that.
Everyone, from all walks of life is impacted by this. Petty squabbling over class lines is worse than useless.
Generally though, the response is almost vitriolic.
Yes, this pandemic is affecting people of different classes differently. Though, the pandemic isn't strictly attacking along class divides and the virus and it's spread gives no concern to such artificial barriers.
A lot of graphs look to drops in traffic in wealthy areas and the timing vs. poorer ones as a sort of fuel for their fire.
I think that there are legitimately two sides to each argument in these situations. But, the notion that this cuts most deeply along class lines, I think is shortsighted.
As many are learning weeks into this, self-isolation is not a recipe for good mental health for most people. And, those who were able to work from home and did, did so mostly for the benefit of those who couldn't.
Those who were able to work from home and do so soonest, are also those who will deal with the impacts of self isolation the soonest and longest.
The other problem with this notion is that all jobs which can be remote are inherently "high class jobs".
I'm a software developer. When I started out, I worked on a help desk, changed jobs into development. And grew my career from there. At every job since University I could work from home. For the first 2-ish years I was barely above minimum wage. After that, I wasn't making proper upper or even middle class wages for probably about 10 years.
If were a contract worker, it could be even worse. Many IT jobs are undervalued. Call centre workers are often some of the lowest paid across the board. Our office admins are working from home. I'm sure data entry clerks are as well.
I won't deny that jobs which can be performed remotely DO skew away from minimum wage and that range. They almost inherently require technology and thus specific skills. But, as shown above, that doesn't mean they are high class. It also doesn't mean that non-remote workers necessarily have it worse.
In fact, for many years, my brother in law was an unskilled laborer at Honda and made more than me. He still works in a similar job, and is similarly paid. He is a factory worker. He is often lumped in with low class workers in terms of job type. But, he makes a good living. He can't do his job from home. He's still going in every day. The particular company he is with now manufactures an "essential product".
Honestly, at this very moment, he even has greater job security than I do.
Jobs are being shed across the board. And higher paid jobs are larger liabilities. So, there are some who were home self-isolating earlier, protecting the rest of society and facing the social impacts of that withdrawal and are losing their jobs on top of that.
Everyone, from all walks of life is impacted by this. Petty squabbling over class lines is worse than useless.
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