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Comment by perl4ever | Hacker News Reader

Right now a lot more meals than usual are being prepared at home, and a lot of people who had jobs doing that are out of work. On the other hand, essentially the entire accounting system for the state hardest hit by coronavirus is run by "nonessential" employees, because that is what we are calling people who can work from home.

Right now, there are definitely lots of people who can't work from home that are enormously essential in the ordinary sense. For instance, say you have a plumbing emergency. But, you know, your unemployment check is pretty essential too.

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The plumber example doesn't hold up here (https://www.contractormag.com/around-the-web/article/2112665...)

As someone who had a plumbing emergency I can attest it was essential also. I can also say I am sure we would have been able to get the repair done regardless, as humans want to help (and make money).

It is correct that those who are working remotely are no longer supporting the cooks, child care workers, etc ... while also having hardship due to the lack of these services. These hardships however are temporary. Our society can't really afford to live with these disparities. I spent a first career in the restaurant industry before learning to work with computers. I can say for certain in my case the first career was much harder and had much less rewards. However, I don't see eating out as essential, but a privilege. I am not sure how we walk back this system, but it seems the time has come that more people raise their own children and cook their own food regardless of their jobs.

I can't figure out what you are trying to say, particularly about plumbers. You seem to be disagreeing with me about something, but your link supports them being essential, which is what I wrote.

There is a division between people whose jobs are secure right now and those who are (or soon will be) out of work.

There is also a division between people who can work remotely and people who have to be at a job site in person.

My point, or one of them, is that these are independent of each other, so all together there are four types of people/jobs.

My apologies, I misinterpreted your remarks as saying plumbers were essential but not able to work. I was therefore defending plumbers necessity and showing their status based on it. Thank you for the clarification on your point for me.

I do agree with you. Those that are able to work now are certainly lucky (as long as the work allow proper social distancing) whether remote or essential.

My last point was on remote workers, especially those in tech which I am most familiar with, is that one should realize how pampered that role has become at the cost of others. Many of the new stresses those situations involve now with cooking and child care that was done by the service workers who are not essential and can not work remotely are the same stresses those service workers encounter all the time, not just in a pandemic situation. If one is able to work remotely now you should take this time to count your blessings and re-evaluate your own internal definition of struggle and what you are entitled to as part of society.

Also, as you may have alluded too, remote does not necessarily mean job security, rather it could be quite the opposite in the long term. It is times like these I wish I was a plumber.

Cooking at home is not stressful like working at a restaurant, come on.

My point was many lower wage workers can not afford the luxury of prepared meals or child care. I was in no way comparing cooking professionally to cooking domesticaly. As someone who worked at every job except baker in the food service industry for a decade and changed careers because of the stress I can not agree with you more. Restaurant work is hard and in my opinion underpaid.

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