- cross-posted to:
- iwwunion
- unions@sh.itjust.works
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“The mine owners did not find the gold, they did not mine the gold, they did not mill the gold, but by some weird alchemy, all the gold belonged to them.” -Bill Haywood
“If one man has a dollar he didn’t work for, some other man worked for a dollar he didn’t get.” -also Big Bill
A big peeve of mine is when someone says they did something, “I remodeled my floors, I painted the walls, I fixed my car, i put in a fence”, when they really mean they hired people to do these things. It’s straight up taking credit for other people’s work and it’s normalized.
I grew up poor where hiring help was rare so when someone said they did something, they always said it proudly and they meant they did it themselves.
Now I always ask and point out they didn’t do anything. I’m really fun that way. But honestly i think the language matters. For big jobs i personally say I had the walls painted or I got the car fixed since that implies getting someone else to do it.
Normal people work to earn the money in order to pay professionals for the work they aren’t able to do themselves, there is no shame in that.
There is shame in claiming that they did it though. It’s called a lie. It others the workers you did pay for. And it denigrates their expertise and experience. Instead say you got someone to do it for you. Or you hired someone. Or you got the experts in. Don’t lie - that’s shameful
I agree that there’s a small but significant difference between " I’ve had my garden fence painted" and “I’ve painted my garden fence”.
I dunno, that’s very nitpicky. In the end, if you’re someone who earns their money directly without employing anyone, it’s your hard work that paid for the professionals’ work anyway.
And yet, you still didn’t lift a hammer or a paint brush, or any tool. The pen and chequebook are not the same, and if you say you did something: you better have actually done more than sign for it in my book. Taking ownership of others’ creations is fine, we aren’t communists, but to deny workers respect shows your snobbery. Be in solidarity with your fellow workers, pay them their worth, champion their abilities, and tell others that you got someone else to do it.
Do not be embarassed by not having the time or expertise to do it, we can’t all know how to do everything. Do not be embarassed by having enough money to pay for someone else to do it, it’s why you have a job also, it’s called the economy. Do not take credit for others’ work.
I still believe you’re reading too much into that grammar
I agree, I also pay pros for work I can’t/won’t do. But I don’t tell people that I did it. It’s just something that bugs me.
I’m a vegan and I want to eat the big cheese…
The only animal that it is ethical to eat
Just a casual: (Usually dies in poverty.)
