Basic Income
There’s a Stigma to Working for a Good Cause
And that stigma arises out of thoughtlessness.
Suppose you have a choice:
Option 1: You could take up a career that would earn you a lot of money, but would involve doing something which might actually be harmful to society as a whole. An obvious example would be a job that involves marketing very sugary drinks to kids — thus potentially causing all sorts of health problems.
Option 2: You could take up a career which pays very badly, but which would at least be making a very positive contribution to society — such as promoting a good cause of some kind.
You might think that people who choose the second option would be praised for their ethical behaviour — for choosing to do good, even at the cost of accepting a drastically lower income. But it doesn’t always work out like that. Indeed, there is something of a stigma attached to earning your living in a good cause.
The example I wish to put forward here is a personal one: I’m a skilled economist and I do a lot of work on behalf of what I consider to be a very good cause indeed: Basic Income. I write books and articles and create videos. I explain the many potential benefits of a Basic Income system. I debunk some of the myths about Basic…
