this post was submitted on 08 Jan 2026
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Under capitalism, a lot of the time, highly dangerous jobs are also highly paid. Kind of a balance that the individual decides to engage with. Same idea behind getting an advanced degree in STEM or law. I think of my job by example, I'm a power plant operator at a large combined cycle plant. No fucking shot I'd be doing this if the pay wasn't good. I'm around explosive and deadly hot shit all day.

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[–] fubo@lemmy.world 61 points 2 months ago (13 children)

Under Maoism or Stalinism, aka the dictatorship of the dictator pretending to act for the proletariat? You are ordered to do it, for your own good and the good of the Party. If you don't follow orders, you just get shot; and your family is put in a prison camp, your children raped and beaten and forced to labor.

Under real stateless, classless communism? Nobody knows, because that hasn't existed yet. Anyone claiming to know exactly how it might operate is talking out of their hat. Marx is pretty clear on that.

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[–] daniskarma@lemmy.dbzer0.com 43 points 2 months ago (5 children)

I don't think communism means "everyone gets paid the same regardless of work".

Also capitalism doesn't mean that people get paid more or less depending on type of work.

Capitalist means that means of productions are privately owned by capital. While in communism means of production are owned by work.

At least that's the theory.

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[–] EndlessNightmare@reddthat.com 25 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Why are some people veterinarians? Specialized and low paying for the amount of education needed and debt incurred.

Why are some people firefighters? Dangerous and not particularly high paying.

[–] MyMindIsLikeAnOcean@piefed.world 24 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (1 children)

Your personal motivations don’t represent any society, at large.

Your premise is that people only choose jobs because of the salary? I reject that premise. All information I’m aware of tells us that most people choose jobs because of aptitude, interest, skills and prestige, not because of financial concerns (given that all jobs compensate equally).

It should also be noted that communism doesn’t mean uniform pay. You need to go back to the drawing board and rephrase your question.

Also it’s absurd to suggest that capitalism rewards dangerous jobs more, when it clearly doesn’t. Your example is terrible because power generation is heavily regulated and very safe. The most dangerous jobs are extraction or harvesting jobs, and they can be high paid…but are not well paid in the most dangerous circumstances.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (4 children)

Gonna sit here and tell me my job is very safe, alright bud. I'm beginning to research communism and other forms of rule aside from capitalism, becayse, shit isn't working for the majority, even though it is for me. I'm starting the journey by asking questions in a community I know is populated by members of said ideology. Seems like a completely reasonable starting point. Recommend me some literature, I genuinely will read it.

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[–] snooggums@piefed.world 23 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Why do people do things like rock climbing and other activities that have a high risk of injury or death when mistakes are made without being paid? Some people find dangerous stuff to be more enjoyable than less dangerous stuff.

Most dangerous jobs under capitalism are NOT well paid. People will do dangerous jobs for many reasons, but pay is rarely one of them.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Im speaking from my anecdotal experience of working a dangerous job. I do it 1. Because I genuinely find it interesting 2. Because it pays better than most jobs. If the pay part wasn't there I'd find something equally interesting in engineering that paid well.

[–] MyMindIsLikeAnOcean@piefed.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Your job isn’t dangerous. It’s potentially dangerous…but well-regulated and rated as very safe by employment standards.

Resource extraction jobs, for example, are statistically the least safe and tend to not pay well.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago) (7 children)

3 times higher than national average for fatalities.... based on the bureau of labor statistics, but sure, tell me again I have a safe job. You recognize not being the MOST dangerous doesnt make it not dangerous right?

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[–] PeriodicallyPedantic@lemmy.ca 15 points 2 months ago

Without subversive profit incentives, the incentives become to make necessary-but-undesirable jobs more safe/pleasant/automated. Without worrying about their next paycheque, people can spend time on the issue.

This requires a post-scarcity society that is fairly well developed, before they try to convert to communism.

I wouldn't necessarily say that capitalism pays dangerous or unpleasant jobs well, though. Some do, but lots don't.

[–] count_dongulus@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

You get more stuff, more status, etc. Or alternatively, penalized, threatened, etc. Whatever it takes to motivate people to do the job. Even if paper money isn't a thing in communist societies (which it still is), money's just a symbol for debt. You're going to get something, somehow, for a job people greatly desire to be done without enough doers and they'll become "indebted" to you disproportionately for doing it.

In Soviet society for instance, you might be provided a nice apartment in central Moscow if you were doing something "important". This assignment would be via your government-controlled employer and their agreements with some other government bureau that officially managed the buildings to dole them out to select people.

So, same deal as anywhere else, just a different mechanism. Higher ration, bigger dacha, jump to the front of the line to get a car, etc.

Compensation is usually not much about how dangerous a job is, though. It's more about how many people are willing to do it for any number of reasons. Some people are just not very risk-adverse, and figure they're going to be fine at a job that is more dangerous. And they'll be compensated at a normal level as long as there are enough such people to fill the need.

[–] kbal@fedia.io 6 points 2 months ago (4 children)

Same as the incentives under any other economic system: Ambition, adventurousness, and it seemed like a good idea at the time.

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[–] BranBucket@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

For advanced STEM degrees, there are people who just enjoy learning that sort of thing and applying their knowledge.

In the same vein, some folks are just attracted to dangerous and difficult jobs because they get a sense of purpose or identity from it.

Others it's community. I knew a guy who did 20 years active duty military, then joined the national guard, then took a job for the same national guard unit as a DoD civilian and stayed on until they forced him to retire. They had practically drag the guy out. He never did anything but bitch and complain about the work he spent more than 40 years doing, he sounded like kinda hated his job, but he liked being a part of the military.

[–] Tollana1234567@lemmy.today 6 points 2 months ago

the highly dangerous jobs usually are done by red states people: crab fishing in alaska, Oil drilling, fracking, lumber, because the lack of Economy and jobs in thier own state, which is probably on purpose. it all pads the pockets of the elites.

assuming this isnt the case with communist top down RULE, it should be STEM fields, including psychology, environmental conservation, social sciences is a priority.

[–] GrammarPolice@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (3 children)

Short answer: We don't know

Longer answer: We hope technology will be fully developed by then to do that stuff for us

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[–] devolution@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

None. But highly dangerous and specialized fields were always something the creative explored regardless of the ideology.

Pioneers will always exist whether capitalism or communism.

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[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 5 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Most people who specialize do it just for the love of the game.

They are apathetic wether people pay them or not.

[–] Chippys_mittens@lemmy.world 4 points 2 months ago (1 children)

I went to school for four years, obtained 7 separate licenses and accrued a decade of experience. I am absolutely not apathetic as to whether or not I get paid.

[–] YiddishMcSquidish@lemmy.today 4 points 2 months ago (11 children)

Granted, but you are not everyone.

Max Planck definitely was not motivated by greed.

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There’s an argument around anarchist circle that goes like that : thing need to be done, people are not dumb, they’ll do it.

[–] Cattail@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

There's definitely motivation outside of pay. People can value doing jobs that are critical for society knowing that they're helping

[–] thedeadwalking4242@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago (6 children)

Not to pry but what do you consider "good pay" for those conditions?

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[–] T00l_shed@lemmy.world 3 points 2 months ago

Same for people who maintain septic systems, like diving in lakes of feces. I'm not sure how that would look

[–] Boozilla@lemmy.world 2 points 2 months ago
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