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Checking the Privilege at the Door [1]

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Date: 2023-08-18

You ever catch your amount of privilege in check? Because I did today. I'm in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. It's hot outside. Like really hot. Somewhere between 105-110 Fahrenheit, depending on what thermometer or app you believe. Except for a brief reprieve last week (where it was merely in the mid to upper 90s), it's been this way pretty much since July 1st. It's really freakin' hot.



So, like most people I know, I'm concerned with what the electric bill will be. It's also too damn hot to use the pool during the day. And jeez, just going to the mailbox to get the damn mail is a foot burning experience without flip-flops or something. This is ridiculous. And then, in a 7-11, it hit me.



I stopped in there to get cash and a six pack. It was roughly lunch time, so it was sort of busy-ish for a convenience store. And I'm looking at everyone in the line. Mostly lawn care people, some painters or construction type workers. Almost all of them Mexican (or at least South American). Every single one of them is in long sleeves and long pants, and work shoes, probably steel-toed. They are in there maybe to get a soft drink, to use the microwave to heat whatever meal they have. If they want a paycheck, regardless of how fair or unfair that check might be, they have to dress that way. In 105+ degree heat.



The reason for that is insurance. When you are cutting a lawn, or building a house or other building, or even painting, you have to have full body coverage. When your cutting/edging a lawn, crap can kick up and give you a cut. Same when your building a house or carrying the wood/sheetrock/bricks around. It's easy to get a scrape or whatever. But it's less likely if you're fully covered, temperature be damned.



Those people work hard, everyday. Not that I don't, but I work from home. In an air conditioned house. And I have a pool. I teach my son piano six days a week. On our own piano. The other day, he goes to a professional teacher. My wife and son spent the month of July in Europe for the second year in a row, and I joined for 10 days as that’s what I could do work-wise with PTO. Who actually has it worse here? I don't think the answer is hard to conclude.

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[1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/8/18/2188164/-Checking-the-Privilege-at-the-Door

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