Op-Ed: Working From Home? Check Your Privilege

By Jessica Wise

As COVID-19 evolved from being (problematically) called “China’s problem” to a full on global pandemic, American workers have taken dramatic hits. Healthcare workers stand on the frontlines as cases increase. Truck drivers are in it for the long haul. Grocery stores become war zones with ration-like restrictions to avoid losing stock ravaged by panic buyers. And hourly and part-time workers stare down the barrel of some serious financial hardship as restaurants, retailers, and theatres close their doors and their employees ability to make a living.

This is a crisis.

While better-equipped onsite jobs like technology, education, media, and more have been able to send their full-time employees home to work and continue to be compensated, that’s not the case for 3.3 million Americans right now (Source: CNBC.com).

As I enjoy myself working from home — sleeping a little bit later, wearing athleisure all day, having Bravo TV or 2000s R&B playing as loud as I want, avoiding any kind of commute — I can’t help but think of where I was just last year. I was working two part-time jobs and performing in plays. All of those businesses are closed right now. Even during this time in my life, I had the luxury of living with my parents rent-free, something a lot of families can’t afford. God forbid if this disease had been running rampant in 2019, and supporting myself had been all on me.

Full-time workers, it’s time to check our f**king privilege. 

At the end of the day, I’m still working and getting paid. I’m steadily paying my mortgage. My fridge is reasonably stocked, and my lights are on.

“Wake up, wake up, wake up. It’s the first of the month!”

Today is scary for 3.3 million people out there. Today starts the clock for rent being late, student debt interests rising, and lights going out. This is not a game for these people, and a lot of them are our millennial peers — the side hustlers, the servers, the theatre technicians, your favorite associate at the boutique, the craft beer brewer. All these workers we take for granted because their job is to “serve” us on a day-to-day basis are taking the worst economic hits of all.

And what about the ones who can’t even try to go to work? What about children, who are experiencing more abuse at home because school was their only safe place? What about already struggling parents, who depended on schools to feed their kids because those are the only meals they get? 

What about wrongfully incarcerated Americans, who experience more and more trauma every day they remain in jail because the courts aren’t open? Even the guilty could be treated better, knowing what we know about our American prison systems. If you’re going “stir crazy” after being at home for just two weeks, imagine how inmates must feel…

What about our peers struggling with mental illnesses? Isolation is not always the best medicine for people battling anxiety, depression, and suicidal dread.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s more than okay to mourn your wedding being postponed, your class reunion being cancelled, your husband not being able to hold your hand while you give birth, not being with your work buddies in the break room, or not having a quality time with your friends or family. That is normal.

But if your biggest problem in this is not being able to go out on the town? You’re literally sitting at home, working in your basketball shorts, and you’re throwing a fit about not being able to buy an overpriced vodka cranberry? Check your privilege.

You can still go outside, just avoid crowds. Some of us need to stop whining about missing the nonessential things like happy hours, clubs, and shopping. Yes, they are fun. I miss them too. But there is a time and place for everything.

And right now, this is a time for gratitude and grace.

With privilege comes responsibility. If you’re fortunate enough to still be working and earning your full pay, do your part. Donate to organizations that are supporting relief for struggling civilians or under-supplied hospitals. Send a little cash to somebody close to you who is being affected. Pray. Inform yourself and your circle. Video chat with the people you miss. Order contactless delivery from your local restaurants to help them stay open.

Sit down. Stay home. Because these “nonessential” businesses represent essential income for 3.3 Million people. The minute you stop following the rules —  not adhering to social distancing, throwing parties, traveling to the beach for no reason — you are telling those people that their means of survival doesn’t matter. The longer we break the rules, the longer this already tired-a** quarantine will be. So, check your privilege. Your move.