The Herit Age

[Sith]

Our commenter is a paramedic working the busy nightshift in one of the roughest and most dangerous inner cities in the country. And did I mention the voluntary work at the orphanage…?

Bully for him then because he is one of the VERY few people who can claim to be essential.

Tricky one, this. There are some jobs such as nursing, teaching or farming that can clearly be considered to occupy the moral high ground, in that they're both socially useful and poorly paid. Similarly doctors, though it's less clear-cut as they can earn huge amounts, meaning that there are probably at least some practitioners who entered the profession on the basis that it'd provide them with a good living. There are other jobs such as plumbers and refuse collectors, without whom society couldn't function - I know it's a crude comparison, but if all the archaeologists in the country went on strike, it's doubtful the public would notice, but if all the binmen (bin persons?) stopped work, we'd be drowning in rubbish in a week.

An interesting collection but I would venture to point out that nurses and teachers are generally better paid than archaeologists, the latter in particular to an level that should preclude them from complaining about their lot. Don't get me started on doctors - GPs earn an average of between ?50,000 and ?80,000 a year basic. Similarly, I don’t know many poor plumbers.

This whole thing is getting close to making me weep as a stark example of how society has become fixated with the cost of everything but appreciates the VALUE of nothing.