Is it stupid to work for 18 hours?
Authors note: Before you get triggered, I just want you to know that this article is not political.
Last February 10, Vincentiments released a video/short skit on Youtube starring Senator Imee Marcos, Juliana Parischova Segovia, and Roanna Mercado.
Their video tackles one specific person whose name is Lenlen and her 18 hours continuous working schedule. The video was obviously created to make fun of a specific presidential candidate, but like I said I won't be focusing on that matter.
For the duration of the skit, they mocked and portray how stupid this Len-len is. They also show that Len-len is just exaggerating her working schedule.
At the end of the video, there's a quote and I quote, "Anyone who claims to work 18 hours a day is either lying or stupid.". Senator Imee Marcos also posted this message to her Facebook page (which she deleted later on). This video caused an outburst on social media, sharing their dismay on the said video content.
Daryl Yap, the director of the short skit, claimed that the video was taken out of context and was being used by the critics to trigger the emotion of the labor force. He also added that the video was not made to throw shade at a specific political candidate.
What's my take on this issue?
Vincentiments put a source at the video description which redirects you to the opinionated article of Geoffrey James.
In James' article, he counters the apparent advice of Gary Vee, an entrepreneurism guru, to work 18 hours a day, every day.
James said that every time he hears that someone is working 18 hours, he knows that they're lying or stupid.
He also stated that working for this long duration of time makes you less efficient; making you work slower and longer.
Before agreeing to James' opinion, you need to understand the whole context and situation. In a developing country where job opportunities are scarce, do these people, especially the ones who did not finish their education, still have a chance to find a decent job where they can work for just 8 hours or less and be paid decently?
In the Philippines, a minimum wage earner just earns approximately $6.57 to $11.17 daily. That still depends on the place you live. For instance, in Metro Manila, the fixed rate is $11 while in provinces, it's as low as $6. Sobrang kulang ng 300- 500 pesos para sa pang araw-araw na gastusin, idagdag mo pa yung patuloy na pagtaas ng bilihin. That's why most of us are forced to find an extra job that can give us an additional income; an extra job means additional work hours.
Source: https://www.aseanbriefing.com/news/minimum-wages-in-asean-for-2021/#:~:text=Philippines,boards%20located%20in%20every%20region.
Medical frontliners have been working for long hours since the pandemic started. Aside from the high surge of COVID-positive patients, the lack of doctors and nurses leaves them no choice but to extend their work hours. Despite their sacrifices, their salary compensations were always delayed.
Teachers are also overworked but underpaid. After teaching hundreds of students in a day, they still need to finish a lot of job errands at their home. Di pa kasama dyan yung mga responsibilidad nila sa bahay. At this point, they have little to no rest.
Geoffrey James' opinion does not suit our country’s situation. In a country where citizens are abused and exploited, do you think people are still stupid for working 18 hours or more? Is it their fault that they need to work hard and longer just to provide enough money for their family?
Daryl Yap and other people behind this video, obviously don't care or don't understand the struggles of the working class. Even if they are aware, their motive is clearly for political purposes. Grabe 'no? They are ready to invalidate the suffering of others para lang maisakatuparan plano nila.
Credits to : Kapitan Tambay, ire_sat, Cartoonist ZACH for these amazing artworks.
Final remarks:
If you read this part, I just want to say thanks for being open-minded. I hope your confirmation bias wont be an obstacle in understanding the main point of this article. Speaking of confirmation bias, that will be our next article.
Daryl Yap and Vincentiments continues to upload several videos against one political candidate pero wala naman kaming pake. Ang hindi lang talaga katanggap tanggap ay pati yung abused at exploit sector ay ginagamit para lang magawa yung agenda nila.
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It certainly isn't stupid and most people say they work 18 hours a day are not lying. Sometimes in life we have to do what we have to do. We have to focus on how to get out of the situation that is forcing us to work those hours. I've been there and done that - times I even slept at work because I was too tired to drive home. I don't believe my decision was stupid - it helped set me up for where I am today and I didn't fall asleep at the wheel of my car and die in an accident.