What Are You Owed? If Anything…
I recently read an article about college grads working at places like Starbucks and Amazon who feel they are not getting paid salaries commensurate with who they are.?
Not surprisingly, the unionization efforts at these businesses are being led by these highly qualified young people who want to get paid more, want a clear path to more, and are not happy with the way the system currently works.?
I find it fascinating that they hadn’t discovered this incredible inequality before, and equally puzzling that UBER and the 15-minute delivery schemes seem to have escaped their scrutiny.?
I hate to be cynical, but I am… and I certainly don’t want to be negative…I’m not…but, in my view, there is a huge issue of elite entitlement at play here, and I’m not sure how the outcome will help the less educated or less fortunate.? In fact, it might actually hurt them.
Many companies, American Eagle among them (full disclosure, I’m on the board), offer advancement programs, incentives to go to college, and other programs to get ahead. So does Starbucks, by the way—look it up.?
You come in as a trainee, learn to be a barista or whatever in their system, excel at your job, and they help you get a degree and get ahead…if you want. Not everyone does.?
Now college grads want those jobs, want more money, and guaranteed pathways to more. If that doesn’t sound like entitlement, I don’t know what does.?
Interestingly enough, the same crew wants all of their student loans forgiven. Think about this…how do the kids who couldn’t even afford to get a loan, but are working hard at Starbucks or wherever to get access to a college program feel? And BTW…who pays for it? Tax money…much of it generated by the same hard-working kids without a degree who are nevertheless working towards one.?
My late grandfather, my Zaydeh, escaped the pogroms of Ukraine to come to America and freedom. He always taught us to expect nothing. It’s not hard to imagine that was his experience in life. He worked hard, always of modest means, served his country, and sent his kids to college and higher education.?
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He would say in his thick Russian accent, “The world owes you nothing…you owe the world.” He didn’t know the word entitlement, but if he did, I’m sure he would have used it in the same way.?
Our family had many unionists, not surprising for those times. They were focused on better working conditions, as in safety—no sweat labor (think Uber, Amazon) and respect for their humanity. I don’t think many of them would have understood the demands of entitlement.?
I worked hard to get to where I am. Most people I know did too. Does that make us dinosaurs? Out of touch? Stupid that we hadn’t thought to demand more? I don’t think so.
For years, I have been writing and speaking publicly about the terrible inequalities in our system. The kind of inequalities that have been called DISRUPTION and wrongly linked to digital technology. UBER exploits workers and regulatory environments. So do Amazon and others. And yet, as I have noted many times, the most purposeful of us use Uber and Amazon and don’t seem to be put off…
I am an unabashed foe of entitlement for anyone and a passionate supporter of equal access for all to pathways for success. And KNEE JERK ALERT…all means all.?
Equal access means, BTW, a level playing field…meaning that we need to get all of us on one…whatever it takes. I want to elevate everyone, not the reverse. Society will be transformed by inspiring all, not by de-motivating some.?
So what are we owed? The right to succeed. Nothing more, and certainly nothing less.?
What’s your view??
I run a global all-girl think tank driving the next wave of Intelligence, Innovation, technology and consumer growth. 0. 12.24 THE ASCENT BEGINS.
2 年David Sable men much smarter than any of this outlined in in the CONSTITUTION... and i will say advertising's dark history with Bernays et al.. has done a number on confusing the human psyche.. the industry needs to clean this up that is where brands for good starts
nuva manpower services
2 年BB bb bmhhhúbmu
Licensed Real Estate Salesperson at Compass
2 年Another thought provoking read. Times change, but fundamentals rarely do. Few will remember the Paine Webber (who?) commercial..."We Earn It". Earn, not Entitled. This isn't to suggest that the playing field is always level...it isn't. This isn't to suggest that life and business are always fair...they're not. And, ambitious young workers are almost always impatient to move up...I was. All this said, learning, having a strong work ethic, adding value, contributing, asking for more responsibility, achieving measurable success, focusing on yourself and what you can control...these are qualities that never go out of style. Speak up if something is truly wrong, but the solution is often within.
Civil and Human Rights Advocate, Mental Health Advocate, Retired Human Resources Executive
2 年I can't help but think that you have overlooked that the current system is emphatically NOT based on a level playing field...therefore some people more than others have to contest for any gains in terms of employment rights and benefits, including compensation. The unlevel playing field did not occur by chance...it was/is prearranged. It is not the result of innocuous proceedings. I also sense that your sentiments might reflect what I recognize as an American enigma. That is, rugged individualism is so revered that it obliterates any privilege, or right, to collective bargaining. Therefore, a tool to level the playing field is rendered useless, even poisonous. It also seems to take a swing at democratic processes. The use of the word "entitlements" creates quite a storm. It has become a political wedge. It almost screams that an impropriety is evident so defensiveness is an immediate response. What if "rights" or "privileges" or "opportunities" were considered instead? At the core of this topic, lurks the ownership and the use of power.
Brand Strategist/Graphic Designer: Designing & building brands that answer consumers' Qu. 'why do business with you?'
2 年I agree... the young generation's sense of entitlement is infuriating. I recall those days of paying my living expenses to scrap by while I was at college (university) and working part time at cafes etc. on weekends to fund those living expenses. I recall painstakingly paying off by college debt $50 at a time once I started in my chosen career after graduation - and not having much pay left after this. And I did this for years!! My opinion was that this is part of the journey. You put in the hard work consistently to advance and work towards success! Here in Australia the young generation were interviewed last night about their opinions on the fact purchasing a home is out of reach. They felt it completely unjust that they needed to move out of the city to be able to afford house prices. That they might have to commute! Gosh.... this is what I did and commuted for 10 years! Once again - the sense of entitlement is inflated beyond any sense of humbleness... I agree... the important question here is: what are you going to contribute? Not what you are entitled to?! You get what you give.