Why don't Americans support the people who make their country a better place to live ?

Question

Why do Americans sit back at watch as their entertainers and athletes make millions of dollars a year while people such as truck drivers, teachers, military, police, firemen, emt's, and people of the like get paid barely enough to survive ????

Answer 1

They've taken for granted how easy these people make it for us. Growing up here we have more luxuries than most countries.

I personally do no think too highly of entertainers and athletes. They do what many people can do without paying much mind to the rest of us. They do not contribute to our country the way others do and they think they are exempt from regular civilian laws.

Answer 2

Because most people aren't drivers, teachers, military, police, firemen, emts, entertainers, or athletes. If someone doesn't like their paycheck, they should change jobs. Think about this: Entertainment performer's pay per presentation, over $40,000. Fast food restaurant worker's pay per order: $6 divided by an aproximate of 30 orders per hour, about a nickel. Plus, if an artist sings like crap at a concert, or or she can say that they had a sore throat and we forgive them. How many times have you cursed someone at a drive thru because they forgot the ketchup? Someone who gets paid a nickel for serving you. When someone gets caught for piracy, they give them the full extent of the law, BAM. If someone shoots a drive thru cashier and kills him or her, most likely they'll never get caught, since the security cameras barely work. Unfair?

Answer 3

Supply and demand. The rule of the market.

There are a lot of people who can drive trucks, teach, etc but very few that can consistently perform well like entertainers or athletes.

Same as the water versus diamonds explanation of scarcity. Water is much more necessary and useful, but diamonds are far more expensive even though they have limited use. Adam Smith pondered this and came up with scarcity as his answer. And who am I to argue with the father of economic thought?

Answer 4

That's a hard question to answer...Personally, I think it's a reflection of our society. We "idolize" those who entertain and tend to take for granted those who make our lives more convenient. It's easy to forget about the farmers who provide us food and the truck drivers who transport it especially since it's not plastered on the news or in newspapers 24/7. The media (e.g. television, the Internet, and yes, even tabloid magazines) is highly influential to the American who not only wants information, but wants it fast.

Answer 5

Because Americans have been indoctrinated to believe that their goal in life is not to be intelligent, healthy, safe, contributors to society. Madison Avenue has successfully brainwashed us into believing that to be entertained, either through sports, movies, the Internet, or TV, is to be happy and complete. Therefore, those who perform those functions are well compensated.

We are taught that being lazy is a "right" and we are over in the middle east fighting and dying for that right.

Answer 6

Our priorities are really messed up. None of those professions in themselves have the potential to generate any revenue, so in the eyes of the people who control the money, they're not important. However, I'd like to see people get along without them. As a teacher, I'm not in it for the money. I love teaching and want to be there. I imagine it's the same for all the other professions you mentioned.

Answer 7

Like I'm not one of those people who gets paid barely enough to survive?

Answer 8

Capitalism, supply and demand, materialism.

It ain't perfect, but it's still the greatest country on earth!!!!

Answer 9

I donate money to my local state troopers every year.

Answer 10

Sad, isn't it?