Best & Worst jobs - I wonder...

Ikigai.

 

Some of the "worst" jobs shown are REALLY evil. They should not exist. Like cleaning sewers and dry toilets manually, in India. The illegal perpetuation of India's caste system continues after thousands of years. The system still exists - but it's illegal to discriminate for job purposes based on caste. In fact, there is some "affirmative action" going on, for people in the "scheduled tribes & scheduled castes" as they are known.

The exam requirements for lower-caste people to enter higher ed. programs sometimes vary - e.g. if those of higher caste need 70% or 75% to enter, schedules castes only need to score maybe 65%. The language used in some of these offers and regulations is atrocious. You find phrases like "this is for scheduled tribes, scheduled castes and other backward peoples." I had to read that one three times when I first saw it, about 10 years ago!

Nowadays, the Government of India has forbidden anyone to undertake the manual cleaning of excrement, - cleaning sewers, in this case. The job used to belong to the lowest caste - "untouchables" and they are still doing it - I presume because they can't find other employment. After thousands of years - a law, but no progress.

Sometimes, these people are paid $2.50 a day. Sometimes they get a bit of food - no money.
Terrible story here: https://www.hrw.org/news/2014/08/25/india-caste-forced-clean-human-waste

Yes - this has to be the #1 worst job. The writers got THAT one right!

 

I just don't get how Ikigai relates to jobs like the one described in the article - cleaning excrement in India for next to nothing - or no money but a bit of food - two roti (flatbreads) for a day's work.. Actually the Japanese term for that is 違法 - Ihō (illegal). Desperate people of lowest caste do it illegally because they have no choice. That is not Ikigai. It is Ningen no mijime-sa (human misery).