@Dwalrus @Radical_EgoCom@kolektiva.social
You’re earning what someone can get away with paying you.
It isn’t about what you “deserve” or about what you’re “worth”, it’s an exercise in maximizing the amount of money that flows up to the top.
There’s no way that you’re average CEO contributes more to society than your (to pick some random professions) average paramedic or nurse does.
You could argue that unfettered capitalism is the least worst system we know of but I’d say even in that framework there’s a hell of a lot of room for improvement.
@Dwalrus @Radical_EgoCom@kolektiva.social
I think I’m mostly reacting to your use of the word “worth” (and probably even more viscerally to the word “deserve” in your original posts). I feel like your average paramedic has more worth to society than your average CEO but that’s a statement of my values and is completely subjective and I’m absolutely willing to believe that I’m misunderstanding your use of the word.
Is there a pharma CEO that contributes more to the well being of society than the worlds best paramedic? Probably. Does capitalism generally raise the world’s standard of living? I’d say so. Does that mean that Jeff Bezos “deserves” to be billionaire while running a company that treats its delivery and warehouse workers like disposable cogs? I don’t think so
As a volunteer EMT I feel like I’m making more of a contribution society for free than I do in my day job as a programmer where I’m well paid.
If I get a raise tomorrow it doesn’t mean your paycheck get reduced. I can make as much as I’m worth and so can you.
Free market, CEOs who find the right balance to make a product accessible to enough people while still making a profit is the core of our US system.