Avatar

Do we need more reasons to dislike Blizzard? (Gaming)

by Cody Miller @, Music of the Spheres - Never Forgot, Tuesday, August 04, 2020, 14:18 (1332 days ago) @ CruelLEGACEY

Not making enough money to raise kids is a serious problem, and increasingly more so over time. But on the flip side, the majority of people throughout human history lived on so little money that we today can’t even comprehend it, yet they managed to raise families and survive through hardships far worse than we typically encounter in modern times.

Because people in the past had a hard existence, we in the future should too! Maybe we could… progress?!

I’m not defending companies for under-paying their employees, just pointing out that a lot of people these days love to say they “can’t afford” things that people have done with far less for hundreds of thousands of years. Growing up with the expectation that our lives should be at least as comfortable as our parents’ is a thoroughly modern luxury.

The idea of your life being comfortable is literally the entire point behind civilization in the first place. The idea is at least 18,000 years old, not a 'modern luxury'. It's been a driving force behind every generation: "My kids will have it better than I do."

Back to the point though, I think the sticking point here for some of us is that this piece and Cody are steamrolling over questions like “are these people’s wages comparable to similar positions at other companies across the industry?”. Because if their wages are roughly on par with industry standards, that means they’re predictable. Which means people can and should know what they’re getting into before taking these jobs.

Does it matter what other companies do?! If YOU don't pay your employees a living wage, YOU are in the wrong. That is a choice YOU can make.

Personally, I just find it useless to get all outraged by the idea that a mega corporation is acting greedy. Like, OF COURSE THEY ARE. That doesn’t mean it’s ok, but what do people think they’re going to do, rid the world of every vice that exists? These employees are adults who willingly took jobs. They got themselves into it. If they’re being unfairly treated, they can leave.

You have people saying they can't even make ends meet WHILE WORKING THERE. How can they afford to LEAVE?! You don't get unemployment if you quit. COBRA for healthcare is expensive (and you have to apply, and can even be denied!).

I sympathize with anyone and everyone facing these challenges (this lockdown cost me my job and home, so I know well enough that times can be tough) but there’s a whiny and entitled undertone to arguments like the one Cody is trying to make that I find simply unhelpful.

The people who are working full time but can't make ends meet would not find it unhelpful at all. I've stood on the picket line for people who wanted a decent wage and working conditions before, and every time they've been called entitled. And yet, every time they've gotten what they've struck for.

Every time my financial situation has improved, it’s because I stood in front of my boss and argued that I was worth more money, and my work performance compelled them to agree. There are times where I tried to make that argument, and my boss didn’t agree. So I left those jobs and went elsewhere. We’re all ultimately responsible for our own career choices. And when we end up in unfair situations, some of us complain, and others actually DO something about it.

The old "Just work harder" excuse.


Complete thread:

 RSS Feed of thread