Life and Work in Midgar
Today I walked to work. I'm a member of the upper-middle class; I didn't have to take a bus or drive because I work on my own schedule. The corporate workers had to fight each other, either on the roads, or on the bus, to get to work on time.
I got downtown to the tower where I work. On the streets, the lower classes are visible. They are usually small people, maybe 40 pounds less than me on average. Still, they can be dangerous because they often carry knives or other weapons and are willing to use them. I could probably deal with these people but that would be illegal.
The tower where I work has security guards posted at the entrances. The security guards are also very small people; maybe 70 pounds less than me. I weigh about 210 so I'm estimating that the average security guard in this building weighs around 130. These are small people. Smaller than the crackheads. These security guards must have a hard life. It's almost like looking at a different species - light-weight, low-cost disposable workers for positions that aren't being taken seriously.
There was an article published by an 'intellectual' in my city, suggesting that we eliminate our elevated pathways in order to force the nobles into contact with the plebes. According to the 'intellectual', this would reduce crime, by making the lower streets less barren and sketchy. The intellectual, by the way, does not work downtown in these towers. The intellectual works far away in a different part of the city, in his own protected area.
I provide various engineering services; lately, our customer inquiries are coming with 'Diversity Questionnaires' attached. Thankfully, my coworkers are based and do not acknowledge the diversity questionnaires from prospective customers.
Some of my customers are concerned about 'protecting vulnerable people'. They want to know: how do our engineering services protect and benefit vulnerable individuals? Improved global efficiency isn't the answer that Diana Moon Glampers is looking for.
The offices on the floor where I work are 75% - 90% empty. I believe this is average for office towers downtown. My work is valuable in a complex globalized economy, but not so much in a more local simplified economy. I'm healthy enough that I could switch over to a trade, but all of my research suggests that this would lead to an immediate 50% reduction in income and probably a lot less job security.
Thank you for reading my rant. There is no conclusion. Get comfortable being reset to zero, I suppose.
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