DOES WORK DEFINE HUMAN VALUE?
In the United States and most of the world, work is considered the major factor in determining the value of a human being. People speak about needing to work to gain self-respect and dignity. But who decided this?
The Corporate world has been selling this concept since Corporatism was founded. Workers have, for the most part, bought this lock, stock and barrel. Corporatism has always pushed for the concept that the worker gains more value as a human being by working longer hours for less wages. How does this activity elevate one human being over another? It doesn't. Buying into this philosophy benefits the Corporations that scrape off most of the money earned by the workers and gives it to the share holders. It is true that when you buy into this, you are more valuable to the corporate world. But this value has nothing to do with your value as a human being.
Why do most people work? The 'Working Class" (a horrible term), work so they can buy food, shelter, support their children and basically survive. Most people do not 'love' their jobs. A select few are able to work in jobs that they actually want. But if you are like most of the workers, you take what you are given.
So what value do the disabled who are unable to work have in this culture? The answer is known by those of us who experience it but not by others. The answer is that there is virtually no respect for the disabled and part of the reason is that many of us can not work or are not allowed to work by bigoted corporations and businesses.
So, the answer in this culture (US) is that the huge majority of people believe that their value is tied into the job they do.
WHAT SHOULD DEFINE HUMAN VALUE?
The greatest factor defining human value is simply being human. Everyone should be viewed as having innate value. Can we demonstrate greater positive impact at work? Sure. But that is defined by how you treat your co-workers and others at the place of work, not the product that you make or the service you provide. How we treat others is how we improve the world, not how many hinges we made or burgers we flipped or anything else. When we think of work in this manner we avoid many biases such as one job being superior to another and thereby making one worker more valuable than another. Not true. Every job is there because the product or service is desired by people. One is not more valuable than another including management.
But outside of work, what defines value? My view is that it is the way we treat other people and the effort that is made to change things for the better, even if just a little bit at a time. You don't have to work at a job to accomplish this. Disabled and unemployed folks demonstrate effective efforts to improve the lives of others every day of the year. So why are we treated like third class citizens? It is the work ethic that this culture has bought. Almost everyday I am accused of being a lazy taker for not working. Just to be blunt, you can take that and stick it where the sun don't shine. That is pure ignorance and ableism.
WHY DON'T MANY DISABLED PEOPLE WORK?
Most people with disabilities could be working if our culture would stop throwing barriers in front of us. The unemployment rate for the disabled overall in the US in 2014 was over 65% and the unemployment rate for the physically and intellectually disabled was over 75% The number in poverty is almost 29%. And any thinking persons know how low the poverty levels are set. The number should be well over 50% Those numbers do not occur because people cannot do a good job, they occur because the culture (general population, businesses, corporations, etc) intentionally make it impossible by refusing to make simple accommodations. I won't speak for others but I would love to have a part-time job so that I could live without the constant fear of becoming homeless or worrying about how to pay for medications and health care. I have tried twice. Both times the employers added tasks requiring greater physical tasks knowing I could not do them. In addition, my co-workers for the most part were obnoxious and not only were they not helpful but they worked against my success. Legally they cannot do that, however, the reality is in this country there is NO enforcement of disability laws.
There are some who are disabled who may not be able to do any job because of the severity of their disabilities. Before I became disabled (the date I became a real expert), I worked with and advocated for the disabled for over 33 years. Those who were unable to work often gave more to me than any non-disabled person could ever have done. Although dealing with incredibly difficult situations, most carried on in a positive and kind manner. How would the rest of us deal with that? Not well, I believe.
One last note: Let's not forget the 1938 Fair Labor Standards Act that gave permission for employers to pay sub-minimum wages to the disabled under certain easily met conditions. Disabled folks at agencies like Goodwill, ARCs and many other places make as little as 10 cents/hour while the CEOs make millions. I have tried numerous times to get support from anyone to start a movement to overturn this law of legalized indentured servitude but there is virtually no support (yes I'm looking at you, Unions).
WHERE ARE THE UNIONS AND OTHER SO-CALLED PROGRESSIVES?
Let me answer the above question in one phrase: MISSING IN ACTION. I have severed my ties with most union officials and unions in general because of the blatant refusal to support issues relating to people with disabilities. The Unions don't care. Here is an example of the treatment I personally received in Mishawaka, Indiana by union members (many of whom were AFL-CIO and others). While protesting in front of a local Congresswoman's office I asked that the issue of abolishing sub-minimum wages for the disabled be included with the tipped wages that the union was urging the congresswoman to consider. A former union member and leader of the local 'Jobs with Justice' organization began screaming at me and going up and down the line of protesters demeaning my position and myself. The other lovely union members stood there and said nothing. They still support that leader. In my opinion, most unions have become nothing more than top down corporations themselves and care only about raising membership to increase funds. Could that be why their membership is collapsing?
What about the other so-called progressive groups? Yep, I've contacted them all and they verbally say, yeah we support the disabled and then continue to ignore every request we make for visible and actionable support. Indifference is worse than blatant, in your face, ableism.
CAN WE PLEASE GET RID OF THE WORD 'WORKER' IN THE ORGANIZATION NAMES THAT CLAIM TO SUPPORT AVERAGE PEOPLE?
By using the word 'worker' in so many organizations, you intentionally or otherwise, demean the disabled who cannot work. I personally get a visceral response to organization names like that. My reaction is 'so what if we aren't workers? What does that make us? Nothing, that's what' That may not be the intention, but it is the result. I know many other disabled folks that feel the same way.
We, the disabled, are 18.7% of the US population and we are not going anywhere. We intend to put your feet to the fire and begin to use the power we have in numbers to affect change. The problem as is the case for many minorities, is that no one supports us. Millions of the disabled are tucked away in Nursing homes where they do not belong. What could we accomplish if the non-disabled world would get its boot off our collective necks? We may never know.
One last comment and it is meant for all political parties and entities. I don't care if you support us in your platform. That is just too easy. You need to quit being invisible in terms of action. Words mean nothing; actions mean everything.
Please don't ever say that you support the disabled unless you actually DO SOMETHING.
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