There are times when I look back at my childhood and wish I'd watched much less television. I mean, I'm pretty sure I could have found something more enriching to do than watch reruns of Rerun visiting "Roge" on What's Happinin'? or, sadly enough, on the spinoffed sequel, What's Happinin' Now? N'ertheless, I did spend those long hours, chin in folded hands, lying flat on my stomach, watching Who's The Boss and Small Wonder and Diff'rent Strokes, and Mr. Belv...you get the picture. In any case, I sit around sometimes and wish I'd used some of that time for other, more worthwhile pursuits. Yet today I remember something I doubt I would have recalled had I not watched as many hours of the telly:…
Article comments
26 - Eric Olsen
EG, super job "objectifying" such subjective thoughts. Thanks! And I am a CEO, though not one that is well paid.
27 - Antfreeze
I hate to say this but someone has to: From the title I thought this would be a Michael Jackson story.
28 - Steve
Michael Jackson? I doubt many people would have thought that.
29 - Eric Berlin
EO - Next thing you're gonna tell is that you don't know anything about any kind of hatch out in the jungle...
(Did I just watch Lost? Yep, sure did...)
30 - Dave Nalle
Tom French: "They serve a function in THIS consumerist society that only serves to expand the gap between rich and poor. In a society where people grow their own food, they don;t have to be slaves to fat cat CEO's. "
And what society would that be? Some small polynesian island as yet undiscovered by civilization? An Amish enclave in Pennsylvania? Most of the world isn't self-contained and self-sufficient agrarian communities. Do you propose tearing down civilization, making all the urbanites serfs on new plantations, and turning the world over entirely to agriculture? Or maybe we could use the excess manpower to build pyramids.
Tom French: "PS and while your hard working example of a CEO may be a small reality, my guess would be that most of them are benefits of nepotism."
Absolutely not. Nepotism can get you a job in a company or a spot on a board, but it can't get you a position actually running a company unless you've proven to also be competent. You can't have the Ted Kennedy's of the world running major corporations if you want them to keep turning a profit.
Natalie Davis: "Oh, and if someone is on unemployment, going to McDonald's is a totally irresponsble use of limited funds."
One of the common characteristis of people on unemployment is that as a group they're not known for their financial management skills.
Parker: "I just wanted to say thanks for the thought provoking article. I have always wondered why the actual labor decreases with an increase in pay."
The level of labor as a whole does not decrease, the physicality of the labor decreases while the intellectual element increases, as do the working hours in most cases. You don't see a lot of MacDonalds workers pulling 16 hour days and taking paperwork home on the weekends.
Dave
31 - Michael B.
"The level of labor as a whole does not decrease, the physicality of the labor decreases while the intellectual element increases, as do the working hours in most cases. You don't see a lot of MacDonalds workers pulling 16 hour days and taking paperwork home on the weekends."
This may be true, but I don't always agree with the increase in "working hours" assertion. In many industries the top is a nice place to watch other people do your work for you.
Furthermore, those people working "physical" jobs are often so tired at the end of the day that their work DOES, in its way, come home with them.
Just a thought.
32 - Dave Nalle
Every job is different and the pay doesn't always seem fair, but in America we have the freedom to look for a new job or seek training or promotion, and all it usually takes is a little effort and ambition.
As for CEOs who slack off. How long do you think they keep their jobs if they don't throw the parties and make the deals and play golf with the right people. It may look like they're not working, but just by existing and interracting with their peergroup they are doing work which is essential to the company by providing it with a public face and access to the world high finance and investment which businesses must interface with to survive.
Dave
33 - SFC SKI
Or they get fired with generous severance packages.
I am not advocating that ditch-diggers and CEO's get paid the same amount, but don't try to tell me that CEO's don't receive compensation above and beyond what is reasonable. I understand "what the market will bear" but I still think they get over and above what they actually earn. Not that I want any legislation to enforce a salary cap, I think the priorities are just skewed, and that is a reflection on all of us.
34 - Thompson
Very thought-provoking writing. Thanks!
35 - Phillip Winn
And of course, CEOs are faking it.
36 - Jsmooth
ORLY?!