To ask what jobs people secretly (or not so secretly) look down on and why?

[ForBreezySloth]

We’re always told “all work is valuable” and I do agree in principle, but if we’re honest, most of us have a job or two we side-eye, even if we don’t say it out loud. Is it how people behave in the role? The pay vs attitude? The ethics of the job itself?

AIBU to think it’s okay to admit we have judgements - as long as we’re willing to examine them?

career landlords. I know someone who makes money off people in HMOs, the conditions of the houses are bare minimum to be legal. Always seeking ways to “maximise profit” while “reducing costs”. The tenants who pay insane rents suffer. And because all HMO landlords are seeking profit there is no other options. while he gets a nice big house in a nice area and always extending or doing part of it up. Using his work contractors cheep (I suspect free as put through the books). Flexible hours and minimal effort. He thinks he’s the dogs bollocks and his worth is tied to his money. Looks down on the people who are HMO tenants.

my sons carer lives in an HMO. He works so insanely hard on minimum wage in a very challenging and emotional job. His help has saved my sanity and my family from imploding. When younger I would have looked down on carers as I was raised to see such jobs as easy and jobs for the uneducated. I’m educated and caring for my son alone almost broke me. Carers are fucking saints

Um, .... what?

Have you never read any history?

Nope, you are! Nevermind!

Pastor in an evangelical Church. After one offered to pray for me, because my child is Gay 🤬

Disgusting, did you tell where to shove his bible?

Of all the things I have ever paid someone to do for me, this is the most important thing ever. Looking after my child and helping them develop. So I think people who work in childcare are amazing - all the people I've met at my daughter's nursery have been.

Although is not the profession, is the human who said that. They are everywhere.

I respect anyone who does an honest days work. However, I look down on anyone who pierces the ears of babies and children for a living.

You asked why companies would manufacture jobs that do not create clear value for the company. You even included regulation.

DEI is an example of how that happens. It does not actually matter if no direct value is created because there has been an expectation of some kind of intangible and often difficult to measure value either generated from within due to cultural ideas, or imposed from without.

It's no accident that these kinds of roles (not just DEI stuff, but also things like safety, for example, or more and more indeirect roles in public organisations, certain types of workplace consultants) have multiplied exponentially over the years as university grads in humanities and social sciences have proliferated.

Debt collectors and parking wardens. I get it someone’s go to do these jobs or it would be mayhem but you do have to wonder why someone would choose such a job.

Yeah, I’m sure it’s the POC are ones that kidnapped white people from their homes and forced them to be slaves.

They wont though... because they don't make money. Footballers do.

So your comment on my post did make me think a bit. But I do respectfully disagree with the accusation that I used race as a "slur" or negative descriptor. Generalisation, perhaps. Maybe I was ageist and sexist too! But the top 14 richest people in the world are in fact white middle-aged to older men (number 15 is actually a rich old white woman, hooray?).

I really don't want to derail the thread further (I don't think OP wanted a debate about white male privilege) when there have been so many interesting and thoughtful perspectives on topic, so going to leave it there I think.

Thanks for your respectful reply.

I appreciate your feedback and think you still have very valid points in your original post

I'm not getting at you personally. I've just seen that description "bandied" about a lot on this site and it just makes me 'wince' a little, as I think it gets repeated without remembering that "white" as a slur for rich folk doesn't need to be in there as a descriptor. I personally feel it causes more divisions by race. Anyway, as you rightly say, it's a whole other issue. I can see it wasn't your main point and I appreciate you replying respectfully, so thankyou.

How is saying white a descriptive slur? It’s fact. White Nazis killed millions of Jews. White English men killed millions of Irish people. White American men killed millions of black and indigenous people. White South Africans killed millions black people. I could go on.

Influencers. Non jobs that the world managed to live with quite happily without until very recently.
Accountants. Yes I know they're very well qualified. But in the main, with a few exceptions, they exist and are paid according to how well they rip the public purse off by enabling private companies and extremely rich individuals to hide their money and avoid taxes (in full accordance with law, I should add). It really annoys me how popular this career appears to be with middle class women.
Any high level bankers/ traders, for similar reasons. Far too much non-money floating around. We urgently need to start valuing real jobs that do real work more.

And oh yes, landlords. I don't mind 'accidental' landlords or those with just one or two so much, but the more property you own the more you are stealing from working tenants. As someone who was forced into private rentals - no family support, no state support - I frankly hate those who stole my life's productivity and work.

I’m sure you know this bit everyone - no matter who they are - has the right to a fair trial.

Skill and demand

Yes I took time out from my career to work in a retail type job (for health reasons, I needed to work very part time). It was absolutely eye opening. The exact same people who would have talked to me so respectfully doing my normal job couldn't even treat me as a human. They would carry on talking on their phones, hand money too me that was still mixed with disgusting crumpled up tissue, barely acknowledge my existence. I didn't need us to be besties but just the most basic human politeness would have been nice.