We have a problem. In this country today there are more than 10 million jobs and more than 8 million unemployed workers, yet employers are having a hard time finding employees. Why? It is a difficult problem. On this hand, with enough jobs to go around, the problem should solve itself. But on the other hand it appears most of those jobs to be had are of the working-class variety in which (under capitalism) someone else profits from your labor which is the definition for exploitation which in turn equates to low wages and (often) undesirable working conditions which has (partially as a result of the pandemic) brought about the realization by many that they are tired of being exploited. But then back on the first hand some will argue that work is not supposed to be fun and they need these good-for-nothing, lazy so-and-sos to get back to work and make their hamburgers and deliver their pizza and shorten those grocery lines. And then back on the other hand some/many/most of those lazy so-and-sos would challenge those looking for shorter lines at their grocery store to also shorten the distance between the top 20% and the bottom 20% in wealth and income. We could continue back and forth, but to what end? Those at the extremes are already dug in. Change, for the better or for the worse, is usually a result of one extreme being forced to move due to greater pressure from the other extreme; and typically the more powerful extreme wins. In this case, will the top 20% crush the bottom 20% into submission by pressuring the middle 60%? Or is there a chance the bottom 20% will be able to reach through the middle 60% wave a hamburger at the top 20% and pull them closer? Our thoughts have one opinion; our actions another.

Looking at Country A and Country B below, where would you prefer to live?

Country A Distribution of Wealth:

• Bottom 20% - 0.10%
• Second Quintile – 0.20%
• Middle 20% - 4%
• Fourth Quintile – 11%
• Top 20% - 84%

Country B Distribution of Wealth:

• Bottom 20% - 11%
• Second Quintile – 15%
• Middle 20% - 18%
• Fourth Quintile – 21%
• Top 20% - 36%

Dan Ariely (Duke) and Michael Norton (Harvard) found that when polled regarding wealth distribution, 92% of Americans said they would prefer living in Country B. I am pretty confident, having an idea where this question was going the 8% that said they would prefer Country A were in the Top 20% of Country A. It appears that 92% of Americans would prefer to be Swedish. So perhaps we do need to reassess the working conditions endured by the working poor and perhaps this job scarcity thing is a necessary step toward reducing that wealth gap; or at least influencing some perspectives. Or perhaps not; especially as long as our elected representatives continue to come from that top 20%.

My head is swimming in statistics. One chart, the same chart, can be interpreted by different factions to suit a specific agenda. For example we can see that workers, wage increases in the past 50 years appear to have sort-of kept up with CPI inflation and have even been growing more rapidly in recent years, so one could claim that no one is worse off. Yet (looking more closely) most of the increase has landed in the pockets of those already in the upper income bracket, thus widening the already ridiculous wealth gap. Further detail reveals, in this land of opportunity, the increase in the cost of two paths to multi-generational financial security (home ownership and education) has (in real dollars) inordinately outpaced that wage increase / inflation dynamic. To make this circumstance even more unjust, using various methods and for various reasons, home-ownership and education have long been blocked and/or the paths made more rocky for the lower income segment of our population; capitalism today is merely carrying on that tradition. So regardless of data interpretation, the reality for more than half of us today, (and I might argue more like 80% of us), is that we have spent between one and two generations continuing to believe in the American Dream but are finally waking up to the realization that it is someone else’s dream. And America is no longer our America; it belongs to the top 20%. So now 8 million of us are staring down 10 million jobs in a standoff. Who will blink first? Will the jobs come to the workers? Or will the workers be forced to come to the jobs? I for one am working very hard to find an employer who understands the need for education and change and is at least aware of the exploitative nature of capitalism. From where I sit, my current employer (a large state university) hides behind education to practice capitalism; (i.e. exploitation). And though my current job (in the medical school) is often meaningful, I am with the 8 million; I am tired of being exploited. This weekend, at her request, I am also going to check into the feasibility of early retirement for my wife. I am not ready for retirement, and if I find the right circumstance, do not see it in the foreseeable future. But if I am unable in the next few months to find an employer who is making a difference, I will reconsider. And though neither one of us would probably win a blue ribbon at the state fair, we are both responsible, hard-workers whose production will be gone.

So again, why? Why are so many of us opting out? I am not sure if I have adequately answered the question. The wealth gap? Exploitation? Injustice? Unrestrained power? Tradition? Bureaucracy? Ignorance? If not directly, by reading between the lines, I have touched upon all of these factors. And I am sure an ultimate answer would include some degree of all of these elements and some others I have not considered. The trigger does appear to have been the pandemic. Perhaps this mishandled crisis simply opened our eyes to what we really value and to the ineptitude of our confused systems of governance in our nation, states, cities and workplaces.

A couple of additional points I want to touch on.

Organizations today must simplify the employment application process. Each time I sit down to apply for a position, I can count on at least 2 to 3 hours to tweak my resume, customize a cover letter, and answer all the questions they require me to answer that (if they would look) have probably been answered in my resume and cover letter. And then after all that time and effort, I visualize the guy in the corner of the HR office weeding out applications because their system auto-filled a number to a field that required a job title and I didn’t spend 4 or 5 hours instead of 2 or 3 in order to catch that mistake. Or the job is posted only because HR insists it be posted even though they know before it's posted that they're going to hire the friend of the nephew of the CEO's great aunt. I know of (at least two) companies in my backyard with literally hundreds of openings, and applications submitted from qualified candidates who never get a response due (I believe) to this kind of disrespect and bureaucratic ineptitude. It is not much better to get an automated rejection and I know it is far too much to expect any feedback or suggestions. If this standoff is even partially due to disgruntled workers tired of being exploited, is it a good idea to abuse and manipulate them even before you have permission to do so? STOP MAKING IT SO DAMN DIFFICULT AND DON'T WASTE MY TIME! Please.

There is a difference between exploitation and injustice, but they are next door neighbors; living in a duplex; with an adjoining door; that is always open; and a shared roommate; oh, and the landlord is capitalism. Exploitation, from dictionary.com, is “use or utilization, especially for profit.” Exploitation (as implied) engenders feelings of being used which creates an intimacy with abused (the roommate) which is (at best) a borderline injustice. Within our system of capitalism, a certain amount of exploitation in the workplace is (by definition) unavoidable, but if my analogy is even close, it illustrates how our system of capitalism is (at best) unjust.

In this past week I actually did receive a polite, respectful rejection from a real person at a company that I was excited about. No feedback or suggestions for making my application more attractive, and I am certain it was a standardized response, but it was timely (only two days after I submitted my application) and I can (if I choose) actually respond, which tells me that I am in the right neighborhood, searching organizations who are trying to make a difference. So though I was rejected, I was also encouraged. I believe I will send (in reply) a copy of this written thought. I am pretty confident I will not receive a return reply but who knows? Perhaps persistence is high on their list of sought-after qualities.

I began by saying, we have a problem. I have submitted this written thought, (as I do every week), to help me to better understand how I might aid in some progress and/or resolution. I don’t believe anyone in the top 20% will be influenced by my words, but for my part, within the next year, I will have made a decision to either go all in with an organization whose actions are consistent with empathy and understanding, or I will opt out of the system as much as is reasonably possible.

I actively hope to renew my faith. I will forever continue to work toward personal progress and understanding, but I am nearing the place where I decide my too little is too late.

And this makes me sad.