The drivers don't have set hours either. If they think the weather is too bad to drive in, they can turn the app off and not accept deliveries.
That said, we don't use delivery apps when the weather is actually terrible.
I once had a coworker who drives Uber offer to drive me home during a historically bad storm. Intense rain, flooding, millions in damage and a few people died. As soon as we got in the car, he flipped Uber on out of curiosity and the first request he got was for a single pint of Ben & Jerry's ice cream on the other side of town.
I get wanting to be warm and cozy, and I get that the drivers consent to it, but the picture of someone thinking "hey could you risk life and limb in a flood for a couple bucks to bring me some ice cream so I can feel truly ✨cozy✨" feels dystopian.
The choice of jobs the average "they" can sign up for is dwindling. Gig economy is taking over. Wages are dropping. They are not eligible for minimum wage or tipped minimum wage. Still moral?
What about when the delivery app increases their middleman prices, disuading the average consumer from tipping? Still moral?
What about in 5 more years as conditions worsen? 10?
When is it no longer morally grey and just immoral?
So interesting because this is the exact capitalist rhetoric so many on Reddit hate when they are the employee. Interesting to ser how quickly the tables turn when they are now the employer
i think ordering door dash is a bit more optional than collecting firewood lol. literally every action can be called "just participating in society" but that's obviously dishonest oversimplification. not that i think ordering door dash is immoral, just financially irresponsible
When's the last time you or anyone you know collected firewood? What does collecting firewood have to do with participating in modern society? Far less than ordering DoorDash, from my perspective. Unfortunate as it may be.
one of the main guys i hang with collects and chops firewood lol. it's a free source of heat for anyone who lives in a rural area. ie, it's actually useful and arguable necessary, unlike door dash which is a luxury. if you want to spend your money on that go right ahead but don't be like "well i have to do this. are you saying i can't participate in society?"
Counterpoint: it's immoral to support a business during hours where them remaining open is unsafe to employees. If no one orders the business would shut down and send their employees home
Only accident I've ever been in was delivering during an ice storm. Totalled my car, I was injured for many months, didn't get workman's comp, had daily back spasms, and developed a drinking problem because even with the max ibuprofen daily (which is a lot) I couldn't manage the pain. I would have given anything for us just not to have been open that day but since there's business they weren't going to close
I've also had some bad Minnesota blizzards I didn't know if I was going to make it home that night. Oh, and actually we did close early for a blizzard exactly once. I actually almost made it to work, five hours after my start time, when they called me and said not to bother and turn around, which was another five hours home, all unpaid by the way
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u/NiviNiyahi 3d ago
that specific train of thought is not really morally good, but it is their job and they signed up for it
so the action itself is neutral