As I hear more on the earthquake that struck Nepal my heart goes out to all affected.
An associated story on Yahoo yesterday told of a chief executive at Google who was killed while making a climb on Mt. Everest yesterday, due to an avalanche that was triggered by this same earthquake.
It's just a terrible event all 'round and I am saddened by what has transpired as are most other folks.
Not to denigrate this natural disaster that has left many dead, homeless or worse, but this event got me thinking about something else in regard to that mountain climbing executive in general.
I am not casting aspersions at him personally.
This is rather a commentary on our society and the way it operates.
In regard to this American who was killed in the avalanche.
He's a highly placed Google executive.
I'll bet he's very valuable to the company and worth a lot of money.
And he engaged in a highly risky hobby, mountain climbing.
And his company was "a ok" with that evidently. I'd go so far as to say they probably encouraged him in this pursuit seeing as it lent an air of excitement and glamor to him but also attached itself to his company.
Now suppose you are a lowly peon in a company, not an executive making fists of money, and slogging away in a job, being a cog in the wheel and making a modest salary.
It's a sure bet you can't afford to traipse off to another continent to play adventurer. Get your employer to allow you to have that kind of time off from your job? Nope. Not to mention you having the sort of disposable income that mountain climbing in far off lands would cost you.....passports, plane flights, accommodations, guides, equipment, etc.
So maybe you have another risky hobby.....like smoking cigarettes.
Hey, it relaxes you and it's something you can afford to indulge in and something you don't have to fly somewhere to engage in.
But practicing this hobby also had consequences.
Consequences that the company that you work for and provides your health coverage deems "bad".
So your employer puts pressure on you in various ways to give up this hobby.
Your fellow workers who don't smoke get health bonuses while your rates to go.
The company bans smoking on their job site which makes your job experience unsatisfying.
A peer pressure culture at the office against smoking takes hold and you are made to feel bad about yourself and this company pressure even extends into your lifestyle outside of the office I'll bet.
And this all "a ok" with the people who run your company, because they are among this upper, elite class of society....and they make the rules.
IMHO-This is just another case of our society having a double standard.
The Elitist Class is admired and encouraged to engage in risky behaviors and are seem as glamorous. And we, the unwashed masses, are told by the elitist media to look up to these folks and their behaviors.
Why am I not surprised?
The elite in this country run our companies and make-up our governing bodies.
Over 50% of the current sitting legislators in Congress are millionaires-271 of the 533 members.
The wealthy have everything in this country locked up.
They are not looking out for you or I.
We are on our own out here.
The Double Standard is alive and well in America in 2015.
Sluggy
