The Age Gaps Between Different Occupations
Beyoncé, LeBron James, and Brad Pitt: the majority of people at Havergal know of these three celebrities. There are characteristics that can be used to distinguish the singer, basketball player, and actor from everyday people, including talent, fame, and influence. However, the word rich is the most commonly used.
It isn’t top-secret information that many well-known people are paid for the entertainment they provide to the public. On her 2016 Formation tour, Beyoncé made approximately $256 million over 49 stops, averaging about $5.2 million a night. During his 2017 playoff season, LeBron James made $33.3 million playing and over $55 million in product endorsements. Though last on this list, the $31.5 million Brad Pitt earned from the three movies he starred in last year isn't exactly nothing compared to the salary of the average person. For providing music to listen to, playing basketball for people to watch, and acting in movies, these stars make an insane amount of money. If the extremity of how much they’re paid still isn’t clear to you, I have also included the income of some of the most demanding jobs in the world. Pay attention to how they compare to the incomes of jobs based on providing entertainment.
Neurosurgeons—surgeons that work specifically with the nervous system and help prevent, diagnose, treat, and rehabilitate disorders—can average an income of $395, 225. Men and women that serve our country and around the world in the armed forces average approximately $81,182 annually, depending on their ranking and duration of service. Other occupations that deserve much more recognition and compensation than they get are farming, ranching, and fishing. The food we eat, whether vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or gluten-free, doesn’t just up and hop onto our plates right before we eat it. Many steps are completed by a group of people before it even gets close to our plates. Farmers, ranchers, and fishers average around $75,264 a year.
I won’t continue without stating that this isn’t the first time the wage gap between various occupations has been pointed out. It’s been argued from both sides; one being that we need celebrities to continue what they’re doing and provide society with the entertainment aspect of our lives, and the other arguing that celebrities’ incomes are unnecessarily high and that there are plenty of other jobs that should be paid more than they currently are.
As for what I believe, I don’t think celebrities deserve everything they are given and praised for. I do recognize their ‘one-in-a-million’ chance of success and how hard they all had to work to get to where they are now; however, I think it is unethical to have so much money going towards entertainment, specifically in Western countries, when there are many other areas in need. For example, we have numerous fundraisers, charity events, and donation opportunities trying to help gather the appropriate budget for new technology when it comes to advances in health and science fields. I believe coming together to find a way to divert some of the millions of dollars away from the paychecks of celebrities’ and to progress in areas such as a cure to cancer, expeditions to Mars, and even world poverty, would the best way to spend the money.
After all of this, I am not saying that I have any less respect for celebrities, but I thought it would be interesting to bring this to Havergal’s attention because I know that, despite the respect we as students have for various influencers, we aren’t all aware of their income and economic status and how it compares to other workers.