套用弗蘭納里·奧康納(Flannery O'Connor)的話,就像好人難尋一樣,好工作也難尋。尤其是在21世紀,美國人在后期資本主義污染的水域中前行時,發現大多數工作就像是在淤泥中游泳,因此,將自己的靈魂(或至少一年時間,外加改變生活)出賣給他人并非易事。但不要聽信我們的話。
全美民眾都覷著眼睛用懷疑的眼光看待大多數職業,這種懷疑程度堪比對胡子上粘有巧克力的狗的懷疑。這種普遍的不安情緒至少可以追溯到現代社會學的經典之作,羅伯特·帕特南(Robert Putnam)于2000年出版的《獨自打保齡》(Bowling Alone)一書。書中用郊區保齡球聯盟的衰落來比喻美國人的醒悟和孤立。二十年后的今天,我們正走出疫情造成的社會動亂的巨大陰影,然而,孤獨卻成為“流行病”。去年,美國衛生局局長認為,孤獨流行病的危害不亞于每天吸十幾支香煙。如今,蓋洛普(Gallup)及其最新的2023年"誠信與道德"民意調查揭示了美國人對其勞動力的信任度正在下降,這無疑又是致命一擊。
蓋洛普對約800名美國成年人的23種職業進行了調查,發現幾乎所有職業的從業人員道德標準都有所下降。換句話說,現在越來越多的人對大多數工作持懷疑態度。
這項始于1976年的調查發現,在短短一年時間內,幾乎所有(13個職業中有12個)職業的道德評級都有所下降。在不信任情緒彌漫之際,唯一逃過評級下降的職業是工會領袖。自2019年以來,信任度逐年下降,平均下降了6個百分點。
美國人對制度的信任度下降,這不足為奇。在兩極分化加劇的時代,尤其是在右翼,許多美國人發現,兩黨候選人都無法兌現他們的莊嚴承諾。隨著人們對聯邦機構的信任幾乎降至歷史最低點,美國人被迫面對只能用“糟糕”一詞來形容的經濟狀況。
即使經濟學家堅持認為經濟形勢沒有那么黯淡,但當許多成年人從搖搖欲墜的教育體系畢業,卻發現申請大學難以保證獲得夢寐以求的工作,而且這一緊張態勢達到劍撥弩張的程度,他們感到精疲力竭。許多年輕人在離開高等學府時背負巨額學生貸款,只能在高通脹的經濟環境中摸爬滾打。高通脹使得攢夠100萬美元才能過上舒適的退休生活。美國人也生活在獲取信息更為便捷的時代,他們敏銳地意識到當今的各種問題,從無處不在的氣候變化到不斷傳來的社會經濟動蕩和戰爭新聞。人們把夢想的破滅歸咎于各行各業的專業人士,這一切都足以讓樂觀主義者變得憤世嫉俗。
最值得信賴和最不值得信賴的人
在政界、媒體和藥劑師這些職業中,表現優異、表現糟糕、行事齷齪都有了新代名詞。根據蓋洛普的數據,參議員、神職人員、國會議員以及記者和藥劑師的道德評級“創下新低”,這一年他們的處境尤為艱難。最不受信任的工作大多是政府部門工作和銷售類工作,包括汽車銷售人員和廣告從業人員。
獲得正面評價的工作包括牙醫、工程師和獸醫等。22年來,護士一直保持著最高職業道德標準的稱號。當疫情肆虐時,護士的道德評級甚至更高,但自那以后,其職業道德評級有所下降。即使我們信任護士,也不會給他們優厚的報酬和待遇。在第一波疫情過后,抗議的聲音逐漸消退,但護士并沒有得到真正的尊重,約有10萬名護士因職業倦怠而辭職。
受訪者的大學教育程度和政治傾向不同,因此他們對各類職業的信任度也不同。總體而言,在歷年的調查中,大學畢業生對職業道德的評級往往高于非大學畢業生。此外,根據受訪者所支持的政黨的不同,有些工作更容易獲得信任,原因是傾向于共和黨的受訪者對警察的信任度高于民主黨,而對大學教育工作者的信任度則反之。蓋洛普將這種差異部分歸因于選舉周期和當前的執政黨。因此,盡管我們普遍認為自己的工作不合乎倫理道德標準,但哪些工作看起來最腐敗墮落可能取決于我們的身份認同。
隨著Z世代進入職場,他們希望接受更符合自己理想和道德標準的工作,從而為自己正名。這是一個棘手的問題,原因是一些經濟拮據的成年人往往在追求高薪工作的同時陷入困境,他們發現自己不得不向其中一個愿望妥協。人們似乎都意識到,“理想工作”這個詞往往就是一種自相矛盾的說法。(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
套用弗蘭納里·奧康納(Flannery O'Connor)的話,就像好人難尋一樣,好工作也難尋。尤其是在21世紀,美國人在后期資本主義污染的水域中前行時,發現大多數工作就像是在淤泥中游泳,因此,將自己的靈魂(或至少一年時間,外加改變生活)出賣給他人并非易事。但不要聽信我們的話。
全美民眾都覷著眼睛用懷疑的眼光看待大多數職業,這種懷疑程度堪比對胡子上粘有巧克力的狗的懷疑。這種普遍的不安情緒至少可以追溯到現代社會學的經典之作,羅伯特·帕特南(Robert Putnam)于2000年出版的《獨自打保齡》(Bowling Alone)一書。書中用郊區保齡球聯盟的衰落來比喻美國人的醒悟和孤立。二十年后的今天,我們正走出疫情造成的社會動亂的巨大陰影,然而,孤獨卻成為“流行病”。去年,美國衛生局局長認為,孤獨流行病的危害不亞于每天吸十幾支香煙。如今,蓋洛普(Gallup)及其最新的2023年"誠信與道德"民意調查揭示了美國人對其勞動力的信任度正在下降,這無疑又是致命一擊。
蓋洛普對約800名美國成年人的23種職業進行了調查,發現幾乎所有職業的從業人員道德標準都有所下降。換句話說,現在越來越多的人對大多數工作持懷疑態度。
這項始于1976年的調查發現,在短短一年時間內,幾乎所有(13個職業中有12個)職業的道德評級都有所下降。在不信任情緒彌漫之際,唯一逃過評級下降的職業是工會領袖。自2019年以來,信任度逐年下降,平均下降了6個百分點。
美國人對制度的信任度下降,這不足為奇。在兩極分化加劇的時代,尤其是在右翼,許多美國人發現,兩黨候選人都無法兌現他們的莊嚴承諾。隨著人們對聯邦機構的信任幾乎降至歷史最低點,美國人被迫面對只能用“糟糕”一詞來形容的經濟狀況。
即使經濟學家堅持認為經濟形勢沒有那么黯淡,但當許多成年人從搖搖欲墜的教育體系畢業,卻發現申請大學難以保證獲得夢寐以求的工作,而且這一緊張態勢達到劍撥弩張的程度,他們感到精疲力竭。許多年輕人在離開高等學府時背負巨額學生貸款,只能在高通脹的經濟環境中摸爬滾打。高通脹使得攢夠100萬美元才能過上舒適的退休生活。美國人也生活在獲取信息更為便捷的時代,他們敏銳地意識到當今的各種問題,從無處不在的氣候變化到不斷傳來的社會經濟動蕩和戰爭新聞。人們把夢想的破滅歸咎于各行各業的專業人士,這一切都足以讓樂觀主義者變得憤世嫉俗。
最值得信賴和最不值得信賴的人
在政界、媒體和藥劑師這些職業中,表現優異、表現糟糕、行事齷齪都有了新代名詞。根據蓋洛普的數據,參議員、神職人員、國會議員以及記者和藥劑師的道德評級“創下新低”,這一年他們的處境尤為艱難。最不受信任的工作大多是政府部門工作和銷售類工作,包括汽車銷售人員和廣告從業人員。
獲得正面評價的工作包括牙醫、工程師和獸醫等。22年來,護士一直保持著最高職業道德標準的稱號。當疫情肆虐時,護士的道德評級甚至更高,但自那以后,其職業道德評級有所下降。即使我們信任護士,也不會給他們優厚的報酬和待遇。在第一波疫情過后,抗議的聲音逐漸消退,但護士并沒有得到真正的尊重,約有10萬名護士因職業倦怠而辭職。
受訪者的大學教育程度和政治傾向不同,因此他們對各類職業的信任度也不同。總體而言,在歷年的調查中,大學畢業生對職業道德的評級往往高于非大學畢業生。此外,根據受訪者所支持的政黨的不同,有些工作更容易獲得信任,原因是傾向于共和黨的受訪者對警察的信任度高于民主黨,而對大學教育工作者的信任度則反之。蓋洛普將這種差異部分歸因于選舉周期和當前的執政黨。因此,盡管我們普遍認為自己的工作不合乎倫理道德標準,但哪些工作看起來最腐敗墮落可能取決于我們的身份認同。
隨著Z世代進入職場,他們希望接受更符合自己理想和道德標準的工作,從而為自己正名。這是一個棘手的問題,原因是一些經濟拮據的成年人往往在追求高薪工作的同時陷入困境,他們發現自己不得不向其中一個愿望妥協。人們似乎都意識到,“理想工作”這個詞往往就是一種自相矛盾的說法。(財富中文網)
譯者:中慧言-王芳
To paraphrase Flannery O’Connor, much like a man, a good job is hard to find. And selling your soul (or at least a year and change of your life) to the man is no simple feat either, especially in the 21st century, where most jobs feel like swimming through muck as Americans navigate the polluted waters of late-stage capitalism. But don’t take our word for it.
People across the nation are looking at most professions with narrowed eyes and a level of skepticism once reserved for a dog with chocolate on its beard. The widespread malaise dates back at least to that modern classic of sociology, Robert Putnam’s Bowling Alone, published in 2000, which employed the metaphor of the decline of the suburban bowling league for Americans’ disenchantment and isolation. Two decades later, we are emerging from the convulsions of the pandemic to a “loneliness epidemic” that the surgeon general compared last year to smoking a dozen cigarettes daily. Now another nail in the coffin is none other than Gallup and its most recent 2023 Honesty and Ethics poll, revealing America’s slipping trust in its workforce.
Surveying about 800 U.S. adults on 23 jobs, Gallup found that almost all professions have declined in terms of how most people view the moral standards of workers in them. In other words, more and more of us think most jobs are pretty shady these days.
The survey, which dates back to 1976, finds that almost all (12 out of 13) jobs have declined in ethical ratings in just one year. In a sweepstakes of mistrust of sorts, the only profession that escaped the slump was labor union leader. Trust has been chipped away over the years, to the tune of an average of six points since 2019.
It’s no shock that Americans’ belief in the system is dwindling. In a time of increased polarization, especially on the right, many Americans have found that candidates on both sides of the aisle fail to deliver on their lofty promises. As trust in our federal institutions crumbles to almost record lows, Americans are forced to deal with an economy that can only be described as feeling “bad.”
Even if economists insist that the situation is less gloomy, many adults feel especially fatigued as they graduate from a crumbling education system and enter the pressure cooker of applying to college in order to somehow access an elusive dream job. Many young adults leave higher-ed with oversize student loans and navigate an economy marked by high inflation that stretches all the way into a $1 million price tag on a comfortable retirement. Americans are also living in an age with higher access to information, keenly aware of the problems of today, from pervasive climate change to constant news about socioeconomic turmoil and war. It’s all enough to make even optimists a little cynical, as the dissolution of a dream is blamed on professionals across the board.
The most and least trustworthy of the lot
The good, bad, and ugly find a new name in politics, the media, and pharmacists. Senators, clergy, and congresspeople, as well as journalists and pharmacists, had an especially difficult year as their ethics ratings “hit new lows,” per Gallup. Most of the least trusted jobs are held by those in government as well as people in sales, including car salespeople and advertising practitioners.
On the other side of the spectrum are jobs including dentists, engineers, and veterinarians. Nurses have held the title of the profession with the highest regarded ethics for 22 years now. When the pandemic was raging, nurses were held in even higher regard but have since dropped in ethics ratings. Even if we trust our nurses, we don’t pay or treat them all too well. As the banging of pots receded in the wake of the first waves of COVID-19, real respect wasn’t reflected all that much in the sector as about 100,000 nurses quit owing to burnout.
Wrinkles develop in our trust of professions depending on a respondent’s college education and political leaning. On the whole and across years of conducting the survey, college graduates tend to rate professions higher on the ethical scale than non–college graduates. And depending on what political party one identifies with, some jobs are more likely to be trusted as Republican-leaning respondents trust cops more than Democrats and vice versa when it comes to college educators. Gallup attributes some of the disparity to election cycles and the party that is currently in office. So, while across the board we feel our jobs are less ethical, which jobs seem the most corrupt might depend on how you identify.
And as Gen Z enters the workforce, they’ve made a name for themselves as they look to accept jobs that align more with their ideals and morals. It’s a tricky dance, as some financially strapped adults are often put in a bind while looking for good pay as well and find themselves forced to compromise one or the other desire. It seems as if, across the board, people are realizing the term “dream job” is too often an oxymoron.