whiskeyswifty answered:
While I agree totally that she’s doing an amazing thing, i want to very gently remind you that she’s not donating anything or being sweet. But rather perhaps consider these people are her employees and she’s properly compensating them for their their integral roles in earning her those millions of dollars in the first place, with months of grueling work that they’ve performed exceptionally and deserve said financial compensation for with a bonus, not a donation. Remember that she cannot earn that much money alone, it quite literally takes a large village of people to put on a show of this magnitude and put millions of dollars in her pocket, and she clearly values every single person who worked to make it happen, emphasis on WORK. Every single person who works on a show like this is a gig worker, and crew members make shockingly little for a gig like this, even when paid the industry standard. They often don’t know when or where their next job will be, and live life from job to job. I gently urge you to see Taylor’s bonuses, which is what you should call them not donations, as a recognition of their hard and exceptional work, which is what a bonus is for, and her simply wanting to fairly share the profits with them more equally and proportionately, which is fantastic to see and how it should be!! She is providing a model for workers to see that their bosses, especially in Taylor’s industry at her level of success, can afford to pay more livable wages and bonuses and if they can, it should be industry standard that they should.
I also gently urge you to consider that paying workers their fair share of an extremely successful profit margin should not be considered a form of charity but rather just fair compensation. I agree that most millionaires, and billionaires really, are greedy yes, but not because they’re not “generous” or “sweet” like Taylor. It’s because they’re unfairly and improperly compensating their workers for the labor it takes to earn that profit, paying them far too little. Paying your workers has nothing to do with generosity, it’s simply fair compensation for their work. Taylor in comparison is not “generous” or “sweet” either but simply a fair and respectful manager and CEO who values her employees as people and values their work financially, which is FARRR more important than being “sweet” or “generous” from time to time. Instead, you should commend her for her exemplary leadership in this decision and I think it’s a fantastic standard that we should hold ALL CEOs to for how they should treat their employees.
It’s important that you understand that it’s never charity when paying an employee for their labor, whether it’s a raise or a bonus or any financial compensation. By your line of thinking, we are to rely on the benevolence of billionaires. Given that their inherent greed is what got them there in the first place, we would be truly doomed. I’m absolutely beaming with pride for her and to be associated with her because she stands for this kind of proper compensation, but that’s because of a managerial standard she holds herself to. Which is fairness, not kindness, and as we continue to fight across the country for more fair wages, it’s imperative that you understand the difference.
