Should you have a job to become a productive member of society?

Question

This asker seems to think so...I wonder what she does for a living?
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20070725070011AA9Yul6&r=w#MYxvIDLrBDB7dC_9CRwk

Aunt Acid does not distinguish between able to work or not.

State colleges are subsidized by tax dollars...paid by those of us who work...Whether or not we decide to stay at home, not pay taxes and have a bunch of kids, or choose to go to work and pay taxes.

Answer 1

Jobs come in many forms... Some pay and some don't. Being a stay at home mom is a job, I think the man that sings on the corner for money is working pretty hard for his wage as well. He is providing a service is he not?
Productive doesn't always mean "money making" in the traditional sense. I would rather the woman with 5 illegitimate children receive welfare than have to worry about where her kids next meals will come from or if she can even afford a babysitter if she did work. Being a mother is hard enough work, especially to five children. Everyone makes mistakes and/or life throws a curve ball from time to time. Just because I had an education and plenty of social capital from my family doesn't mean the mother on welfare did. Her rich husband just happens to be the govt... You can only work with what you are given...
What about the 70 year old barely making ends meet that requires assistance to buy the medicine that they desperately need ? They worked their behind off for 50 years, don't they deserve the help that society OWES them?

Not everyone is fit to hold a steady job for whatever reason (psych issues, health issues, addiction). As a productive member of society I feel it is my job to help my fellow man. In the long run it helps me out as well because when people are getting food and a place to lay their head at night they are not out committing crimes of desperation because they are physically/mentally incapable of holding down a traditional job/career. Crimes I don't know that I (or anyone else) can really blame them for. Desperate people do desperate things. I think more people need to put themselves in the other persons shoes before they pass judgment, or presume to know what is right and wrong for someone with a life experience they know nothing about.

Answer 2

I don't understand how you can be a "productive" member of anything without work.

Whether the member of a club, cult, society, or anything else; if you do not contribute you are not productive.

Some people are more successful than others and that is understandable; it doesn't matter to me what job a person has. I just think everyone that can physically and mentally sustaine a job should.

ps. Just because you don't get paid or work 40 hours in a cubicle, doesn't mean it is not a job. My mother is a stay at home mom. She raised me to be a productive member of society. She has since adopted 5 more kids and is raising them the same way. Trust me she definetly has a "job."

Answer 3

What about being a stay-at-home mom? My sister is one. She does not have to work because her husband is an electrical engineer and makes enough money for her not to have to work.

BUT she volunteers at a Community Center and at the Red Cross. She is definitely a productive member of society and helps people through volunteerism. Not to mention that she is doing a wonderful job raising a great kid. ;-)

AND, I know some people who have jobs that are not nearly as productive to society as she is.

Answer 4

My JOB is to take care of my family.
My husband has a great job and I am blessed to be able to stay home with our kids and put our family FIRST.
We pay 100% of our kid's expenses until they graduate from college. We have 2 done, 1 in the process, and 1 in High School. We are making THEM productive members of society also. When THEY have kids I will watch my grandchildren. That's the way it is SUPPOSED to be. Families helping each other - NOT the Government.

I do a LOT of volunteer work in our community and everyone at my kid's schools knows who I am. My children's FRIENDS call ME when they are sick at school or miss the bus because they know I will come and get them. Pretty awesome contribution to society if you ask me.

Answer 5

A job is one way of being a productive member of society. You can also be productive by doing volunteer work or contributing in some other way. Point is, you have to produce something or give of your self in some way. If you do nothing to help society, then you are not being productive.

Answer 6

I so agree with you on your negative feelings toward Nicki,,Has she forgotten where she came from???TO look down her nose like she does toward ANYBODY besides Sharon ,,,,She talks down to everyone except her children,,Katheryn and for a time David,,,What has made her so "special '' that she can do this??? Now on Brad,,,he is a SNAKE,,and I don't care how gorgeous he is??I have hated him since he was a Abbott Poll Boy,,come on???Tracy,,that should have been a #1 clue as to what he was after!!! Heather,,,I haven't liked her since the day she has walked into Genoa City,,,WHY does she feel that Paul and everybody "owes" her,,like you said it was a decision made by April & Paul,,, I've gone from not liking Gloria ,( actualy its been a love hate feeling for her) But I am loving the Gruesome Twosome living with Jack and Sharon and have even started to let my guard down with SharHo,,,,,(she does have a funny side with Phyliss) With Amber,,,I've been a fan since she wrecked HAVOC with The Forresters and was the only one to cross Sheila AND live to tell the story,,, I went from Negative to Positive feelings with Victoria,,,just since shes been with JT have I liked her,,It seemed like she never smiled while with Brad ( which I can understand ) I like the New Colleen much better than the old one because everytime she spoke,,,it seemed to be more of a whine than speaking and again,,,,never a "happy face" All done and said,,,I Love Young & restless and have been a fan since 1974 ,,,,,

Answer 7

Depends on your definition of a job. Does a member of an iterate band have a job? How about the buskers on the subway station? The artist who starves to buy more paint? I say yes the people I describe were Wagnor, Willie Nelson, and Picasso so I would say Yes you do have to have either a job or an avocation!

Answer 8

The most important job in America is our stay at home mothers.
Giving their children the healthiest environment to grow up in. I understand this is not a possibility for most. The equal Rights Amendment was a good thing, yet it forced inflation up because more homes were making more money. Now few mothers have the choice to stay t home and raise the kids while daddy goes off to work.

Answer 9

Yes you should have a job to be a productive member of society, even if it isn't producing income. I think if you can afford to be a stay-at-home mom, you are contributing and that is a job. If you're a volunteer (and again can afford to spend your time this way), you're contributing. If you sit on your lazy butt only getting up to squeeze out another welfare case every nine months, no you are not a productive member of society. I think that when you go on welfare, you should receive with it the depo-provera shot. If you can't get by with the kids you have, you certainly don't need any more and another kid is just going to make it harder for you to get on your feet.

Answer 10

Of course, but some people feel more comfortable doing their own type of work, thusly, they are self-employed, but some work under another authority head, in order to escape the paper work of taxes.

But, Yeah, everyone needs to work in order to be productive, if they want to have the necessary things to live civilized.