The current wealth distribution patterns in the U.S. are far from the embodiment of justice. One occupation that I feel is underpaid at the present time is the registered nurse in various healthcare environments. Based on things learned from my acquaintances working as hospital RNs, the degree of responsibility for patients’ well-being does not align with the average financial compensation that these specialists receive. One profession that I believe is overpaid is the National Football League player. Prominent clubs’ growing profits and football matches’ increasing accessibility due to technology advancements probably explain why footballers’ wages are extremely high.
The reasons for selecting these examples pertain to compensation sizes’ desired dependence on the work’s degree of social importance. Specifically, utilitarian ethics could be applied to justify the selection of examples. The central pillar of utilitarianism is an emphasis on actions and choices that maximize well-being and promote the happiness of a substantial number of individuals (Woodard, 2019). In accordance with utilitarianism, an action is good and important if it brings benefits to the masses. Products that RNs and NFL players bring to society cannot be equal in significance. If there were no RNs, hospital inpatients would receive treatment from doctors but would be left without care and constant supervision, resulting in more frequent hospital infections, post-surgery complications left unnoticed until it is too late, and preventable deaths. In contrast, if there were no NFL players, sports fans would have fewer choices when watching sports, which is incompatible with the benefits from RNs’ work. Paying less to footballers and more to RNs would maximize society’s well-being by prioritizing survival over entertainment.
Correcting the injustice addressed above would be challenging but still possible. One hypothetical way is the use of petitions for limiting NFL players’ wages or introducing new taxes for the representatives of overpaid occupations. Imposing profit use rules on large sports entities to make them obliged to donate a considerable part of profits to charity is another controversial but possible opportunity. In these circumstances, large leagues and teams would have to restrict wages. Another way of correcting the injustice would involve petitioning for legislative action to increase minimum wages for RNs. For this step, society’s support would be gathered with the help of arguments that higher wages intensify competition, and competition would lead to increases in care quality, thus promoting better public health outcomes.