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Thread: White men

  1. #91
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    I think it must be non-profit or government to qualify

  2. #92
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    Quote Originally Posted by Teacher Terry View Post
    I think it must be non-profit or government to qualify
    I guess I'm not thinking so much about the regulations of a specific program as the basic definition itself. We seem to grant an air of nobility to certain jobs simply because they are supported by taxes or charity. Do social workers provide more of a public service than farmers? I think it could be argued that bankers and plumbers are no less important to society than teachers or judges.

  3. #93
    Yppej
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    Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
    What distinguishes public service? A government paycheck? Plenty of people do work that serves the public without one. Both on a for-profit and non-profit basis.
    There is also an assumption by some that work must be paid to qualify.

    My critic here has claimed because I work in the private sector I do not contribute to society, but I have volunteered by traveling to a swing state to canvass for a progressive candidate, worked in the call center for a local progressive candidate, and engaged in a variety of activities relating to energy/environmental matters: spoken at public hearings, lobbied legislators, written guest editorials and letters to the editor published in the local paper, called into public affairs radio shows, filed regulatory complaints, participated in protests, collected signatures for a petition, collected data from consumers, worked with an attorney team seeking injunctive relief, and probably a few other things I am forgetting.

    I have also helped out homeless people, giving them rides and in several instances letting them stay in my modest one bathroom home. One I assisted financially in getting back his license so he could work again. I also was his road test sponsor.

    And I have done all this with less money and, as a single parent, less free time than my critic.

    I am not listing here activities I did on company time to give my employer a public relations boost, but I have participated in those also.

  4. #94
    Senior Member Teacher Terry's Avatar
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    Ldahl, yes as a social worker I have worked for profit agencies also. Same work as non-profit. There is value in all work.

  5. #95
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    We seem to grant an air of nobility to certain jobs simply because they are supported by taxes or charity.
    Really? I have one of those jobs. Mostly it feels more like an air of hostility that is granted.

    Teacher Terry, I think also that there is value in most all work!

    I am however wary of privatizing work that is mainly in the public services sector, having seen some very negative results. I don't think everything that we value needs to be based on the for-profit model.

  6. #96
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    Quote Originally Posted by Yppej View Post
    There is also an assumption by some that work must be paid to qualify.

    My critic here has claimed because I work in the private sector I do not contribute to society, but I have volunteered by traveling to a swing state to canvass for a progressive candidate, worked in the call center for a local progressive candidate, and engaged in a variety of activities relating to energy/environmental matters: spoken at public hearings, lobbied legislators, written guest editorials and letters to the editor published in the local paper, called into public affairs radio shows, filed regulatory complaints, participated in protests, collected signatures for a petition, collected data from consumers, worked with an attorney team seeking injunctive relief, and probably a few other things I am forgetting.

    I have also helped out homeless people, giving them rides and in several instances letting them stay in my modest one bathroom home. One I assisted financially in getting back his license so he could work again. I also was his road test sponsor.

    And I have done all this with less money and, as a single parent, less free time than my critic.

    I am not listing here activities I did on company time to give my employer a public relations boost, but I have participated in those also.
    thank you for your public service

  7. #97
    Yppej
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    Quote Originally Posted by Tybee View Post
    thank you for your public service
    Thank you Tybee. I have tried but discovered how much special interests control politicians, and how bad the revolving door is between regulator and regulatee, so I haven't accomplished nearly as much as I would have liked.

  8. #98
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    I know in the Buddhist world we talk about 'right livelihood'. When I have led talks on this topic I emphasize that it is not always the job but the intention you bring to it. My high price divorce lawyer was awesome and saved much of my sanity, although we generally think that divorce lawyers are not serving public good. Pretty much any job can be done with a positive intention and have an impact. Many companies support their employees in volunteer work or are flexible so they can have a lot of positive impact.

    Personally I do not consider my 'do-gooder' job to make me a better person than anyone else,

  9. #99
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    Quote Originally Posted by Zoe Girl View Post
    I know in the Buddhist world we talk about 'right livelihood'. When I have led talks on this topic I emphasize that it is not always the job but the intention you bring to it. My high price divorce lawyer was awesome and saved much of my sanity, although we generally think that divorce lawyers are not serving public good. Pretty much any job can be done with a positive intention and have an impact. . . .
    +1

  10. #100
    Senior Member Ultralight's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LDAHL View Post
    What distinguishes public service? A government paycheck? Plenty of people do work that serves the public without one. Both on a for-profit and non-profit basis.
    What? A better question is who. And the answer is our government.

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