Tag: entitlement

October 6th – Labour Shortage

by annemariedemyen, posted in News & Views - October 2021

In Canada, as well as the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and parts of Europe, employers are struggling to meet adequate staffing requirements. This article from CTV News is one of many that is taking a look at this problem.

This labour shortage is more pronounced in the service industry – food industry, accomodation, transportation, recreation, tourism, manufacturing, construction, meat processing and packaging, and retail. As demand for these industries get back to pre-covid levels, finding the necessary employees to fill vacancies is an ongoing issue.

Media and business groups have been looking at the issues driving these labour shortages. These issues include – retirements as planned or moved up due to Covid, movement to careers offering work at home options, workers leaving the job market, and workers receiving pandemic benefits.

My view – One issue never discussed, is one that affects society as a whole these days. Division driven by special interest groups – in this case labour unions to a point but, most notably Business Groups. I worked as an employee for decades. For the most part, especially up until the last decade, companies worked together – owners/management, and employees. This was especially true in smaller independent companies. In the past decade, business groups have become more and more aggressive about recruiting business owners/managers to join their organizations. I have seen and heard their pitch and I have seen the results. Owners/managers are convinced that they are being used and abused by their staff and taken for granted. They are convinced that they are hapless victims who do so much and get so little in return. They are convinced that their only hope for regaining their power, to which they are obviously entitled, is by joining an organization, with like-minded business owners/managers. Having joined, and with ongoing encouragement from their Business Group, they lose all respect and appreciation for their staff and treat them accordingly. Covid has given these employees options and they have taken them. Some employers are now offering higher wages, benefits, and better work conditions. For many, employees, it is too little, too late.

That is my News and Views for today. As always, feel free to comment below!

Take care and have a great day! šŸ’ž

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White Privilege

by annemariedemyen, posted in Social Issues

When I was growing up, a privilege was something that was earned.Ā  It was also something that could be revoked if it was misused.Ā Ā 

I am not quite sure what ‘white privilege’ is supposed to mean now days but I do not agree with it.   I do not believe that it should be a ‘privilege’ to have access to education,  healthcare, employment, justice, respect or kindness simply because of the color of one’s skin – or their age, sex, sexual orientation, weight, physical or mental abilities or any other  superficial reason by which they are judged. These things should be human rights.

I have known many people who have felt ‘entitled’ to special treatment for any number of reasons (being white, being male, being wealthy….).Ā  As more people realize how wrong prejudice and discrimination are, the moreĀ  dangerous and delusional these people areĀ  becoming.Ā  They are angry and afraid that they are losing their position of entitlement. They feel threatened and people who feel threatened becomeĀ  defensive to the point of being aggressive.

Different movements have been created and have grown to protect and support those who do not have the same rights that all humans should have. Personally, I believe their success will always be limited. I believe this because those who are the focus of these movements are not the problem.

As a white (privileged?) person, I believe for real changes to happen in our society, we must focus on ourselves. We are the problem or we are at the heart of the problem. We must look at ourselves. We must look at our children, our siblings, our parents, our cousins, our friends and our neighbours. We must question and change our own dangerous entitled beliefs and challenge the dangerous entitled attitudes of those around us. We must hold ourselves and those around us accountable for mistreating or misrepresenting those who want nothing more than the human rights that we already have.

There is nothing to be lost and everything to be gained by accepting and encouraging those who are being deprived of the rights and benefits that many of us take for granted. It is not them against us, nor should it be us against them. As they thrive, we all thrive. We are one humanity.