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Comment by pradn | Hacker News Reader

Also notable is the Broad Museum in Los Angeles. Their guards are also docents, so you are encouraged to talk to them about the art and ask them questions. After experiencing this more human interaction, it was a bit of a shock for me to go down the street to the Museum of Contemporary Art, where I asked a guard a question and they flat out rejected my asking, haha!

Arts workers need to be paid well and also have enriching roles in the museums. And I don't think this sort of thing necessarily requires a 4-year degree or whatnot. I believe people are naturally curious, and we need to lean into that.

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Docents are usually volunteers, so it's not like there are general budgeting concerns. There's also usually bodies to fill these positions since it's almost like a title/labor of love for someone who doesn't need the money or a resume builder for someone who does in the art world, where good paying jobs are hard to come by.

It must put a lot of pressure on a security guard to do double duty like that. What if someone defaces a Warhol while they're talking to someone else about it? I'm sure The Broad probably has redundant controls in place, but in general, you shouldn't really expect to be able to bother or distract security guards.

It's not about leaning into a person's natural curiosity; most museums take care of all the staff with regards to entrance & tours if requested. It's about liability, insurance, etc.

They don't produce anything of value, they provide a service that basically anyone can do. They're free to take the job or not take it. Who doesn't need to paid well in your utopia?

Everyone should be paid well, which imo means healthcare, retirement, and not crazy hours to pay for room and board. Utopia right?

Paid well is a relative concept. One is paid well relative to other people, who are not paid as much. "Everyone should be paid well" - yes, that is exactly the kind of deluded thinking that "Utopia" refers to.

Humans need food, water, and shelter to survive. One can define an absolute concept of "paid well" meaning that these needs are met within a 40-hour work week. It is sad to me that this goal is considered a utopia by many.

Most people would call that a liveable income - not "paid well".

Yes, though once you factor in expenses like healthcare or contingency savings — both of which are also arguably necessary for a secure life — the line becomes more blurry.

Healthcare should not be tied to employment. Basic retirement is already provided by Social Security. We can also improve the ability of people to afford room and board by lowering the cost of them, for example by letting people build more housing. Without increasing the supply, providing an ever-increasing amount of money to pay for something will only raise its price.

> by letting people build more housing

Are people not allowed to build houses currently?

In many places, no they are not.

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