When new products are made, we hear about exciting technological innovation, which are widely seen as worth paying (more) for. In contrast, policy and public discourse around caregiving—besides education, healthcare comes immediately to mind—are rarely about paying more to do better, and are instead mostly about figuring out ways to lower the cost
Chachra, D. (2015, January 23). Why I am not a Maker. The Atlantic. Retrieved September 16, 2022, from https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/01/why-i-am-not-a-maker/384767/
I think the comparison between the price of new technology and the costs surrounding care giving is not particularly useful or informative, but this quote does a good job of encapsulating the most compelling arguments in journalist Debbie Chachra’s article. The celebration of makers creativity and innovation is ultimately a good thing, but as Chachra argues, this can be detrimental to society when we overlook the importance of jobs and policy surrounding care giving.
What grabbed me in Chachra’s article was her discussion of how we assign value to people and their work. I think the discussion surrounding skilled labor and salaries is unbelievably complex. As Chachra highlights, a job that makes of something doesn’t is not inherently more valuable than one that does not. This summer I visited with my sister, who works as a preschool teacher, and I was shocked to learn that my pay as an undergraduate intern doing research was almost as high as hers. I don’t think the work I did was incredibly difficult, and I don’t know my labor was impactful. In fact, I am certain my PI could have finished the work I did in half the amount of time (of course their labor is more expensive). However, the lab work I did could be characterized as “maker work”.
Part of the reason I signed up for this class was its multi-media approach to the humanities. I am primarily interested in STEM (chemistry), but I also like learning about public policy. I am excited that we are getting to explore topics like this while learning a diverse set of skills. Learning to use fusion 360 and 3D model objects has been a pleasant surprise! While learning to model a die, mug or Frisbee in fusion 360 is cool, I am looking forward to applying some of the skills we’ve learned.