Re: Economic musing, or a theory of deservation

Mary wrote:
> 
> On Mar 18, 11:42 am, Dover Beach <moon.blanc...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > Mary <mrfeath...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote
innews:99a1e0c9-323c-43b4-ba8e-ee43d71c7e6f@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >
> > > But yes:  I do.  I worked my tail off to get where I am:  worked on
> > > acquiring marketable skills, worked on making myself valuable to the
> > > company, and I continue to work to keep up in my field.
> >
> > Well, that's kind of the point that the writer is challenging.  We can
> > mostly agree that some of your earning power can be attributed to
being
> > white and middle class and having decent parents and access to decent
> > schools and so on.  The writer's point is that the part you're
> > attributing to free will and hard work are also attributable to either
> > nature or nurture, and either way, you don't get moral "credit" for
it.
> 
> You can have the moral credit.  I'll take the money.
> 
> Seriously, I think there's a fine line.  Yes, many of the
> op****tunities that I had/have were open to me because I had good
> parents, a good education, and was lucky enough to have been born into
> the American middle class.
> 
> But that's no guarantee of success either.  I know lots of people with
> the same op****tunities who are in jobs they hate, or jobs they're
> overqualified for, or both.  And while it's not always because they
> were just unlucky.
> 
> Some people make decisions that delay or obstruct their ability to get
> jobs they want.  Some people never learn that certain behaviors aren't
> acceptable in the cor****ate world.  To the extent that Lisa Ann knows
> that she can't stand in AnnieB's cubicle and scream "YOU'RE AN IDIOT"
> at her, Lisa Ann's choices drive her success.  And I've known people
> who act like that, so it's not like it's not a choice.
> 
> And then there are people who overcome disadvantages.  One of my co-
> workers here is from Uganda.  He emigrated, attended college and grad
> school here, and worked his way up in the company.  Does he get moral
> credit?
> 
> Or me, even.  My hearing's awful - if you have normal hearing I hear
> about half what you do.  Any success I've had is despite that.  Do I
> get moral credit?
> 
> > > I also just plain old work hard.  We all work hard here, and it
> > > shows.  Our company is well-run and very profitable, and it's fun
> > > working here.  Honestly, this is the job I've been working toward my
> > > whole life, and it's great.  It really is.
> >
> > Man.  I wish I liked my job that much.
> 
> At the risk of sounding really smug, this has been the best year and a
> half of my life from a career standpoint.
> 
> Mary

::clap clap:: happy for you!!

I've had years like that. It's fun.

Actually, the past ten days have been some of the happiest days
of my life, by contrast with the previous eight months. :-)