Profession or Rights?

Do not belittle anyone’s profession – ensure their rights instead

Look at the narrative pushed by the so-called elite Bangu media and society! This is a deep intellectual poverty among many in Bangladesh. They belittle professions. A child’s father has been murdered, the state failed to provide protection, and neither society nor the state took responsibility for the family. In the eyes of this decaying, corrupt state and society, the child returning to his father’s profession of shoe-mending is seen as “inhumane.” As if, had he become a doctor’s assistant or a school peon, that would have been considered honorable!

For days, the media has been promoting the idea that the child returning to his father’s profession is tragic. But returning to his father’s profession is not inhumane – what’s truly inhumane is the vile character of the state, where a child is forced to take on family responsibilities and start working after the only earning member of the family is murdered. Belittling a profession is unjust. Whether he or his family works as cobblers, mending shoes – that is not a lowly job. Being a lawyer isn’t inherently more glorious either.

Every child has the universal right to education, to enough food in their belly, and to grow up in a nurturing environment. That is the responsibility of the state. Whether the child grows up to choose his father’s profession or becomes a lawyer is not the issue. The state must deliver justice for his father’s murder, take responsibility for the family, and ensure food, clothing, shelter, education, healthcare, and recreation. That is the duty of a civilized state.

We often see news stories about university students driving rickshaws to cover their expenses. Prominent writers and intellectuals start writing about their struggles. But is driving a rickshaw a bad thing? An 18-year-old adult can do any job – what’s dishonorable about that? Whether someone is a cobbler, a sweeper, or a cremation worker – every profession deserves respect. In fact, those in so-called “respectable” professions who engage in corruption, looting, exploitation, injustice, money laundering, obstruction of justice, and enslaving people – they are the cancer of society and the state. It is the state’s duty to cut them out.

My question is: why does it bother you to see an educated person driving a rickshaw or mending shoes, but not when an uneducated person does the same work? Why is it that if someone is uneducated, they must do physically demanding or, in your words, “dirty” jobs?

Is driving a rickshaw or motorcycle only for the uneducated? These jobs should be designated for the educated, because operating these vehicles requires knowledge of traffic laws and countless road regulations – things an uneducated person may not be able to grasp.

No job is small or dishonorable. The idea that only the uneducated or less educated should do physically demanding work is a notion from the last century. And the practice of slapping or mistreating uneducated laborers is a cultural disease of the Indian subcontinent. To eliminate this primitive mindset, we need educated people participating in all professions.

Those of you who find joy in constantly comparing Bangladesh to Europe or America should know: most highly educated Bangladeshis abroad become well-established by doing physically demanding jobs. And in Europe and America, nearly all laborers doing physical work are educated or highly educated. In developed and educated countries like Europe and America, most university students cover their expenses by doing hard labor alongside their studies. Working nights or weekends at restaurants, McDonald’s, or KFC to pay for their education is normal there. Even the children of millionaires, ministers, or presidents work in restaurants or shops during their student years to stand on their own feet. I’ve seen PhD students delivering newspapers at 4 a.m. before heading to their research labs.

If the educated class of a country doesn’t change their perspective on labor and work, how will society ever change? Disrespect toward labor is a major cultural illness in the Indian subcontinent. Humayun Ahmed’s famous dialogue is very relevant here: “Uncle, we have no choice but to steal. If I drive a rickshaw, everyone will see. But if I steal, who will notice?”

Being educated doesn’t mean turning away from work. An educated person learns how to make work easier, more efficient, and more beautiful. For example, if an uneducated cobbler can make 10 shoes a day, an educated cobbler can make thousands – with diverse designs.

We must abandon the narrative that belittles certain professions or labels them as “low-class.” The real questions should be: Why did the child lose his father? Why was the child forced to abandon his right to education and food to start earning at such a young age? We must reject the narrative that portrays his father’s profession as shameful.

The state must ensure justice for this child’s family and take responsibility for their well-being.