Number#1: Comparison of Elementary School Teachers and NBA Basketball Players
Wages
Teachers play a vital and valuable role in providing the students with fundamental tools,
such as learning skills, literacy, mathematical competency, and organization skills, for success in
life. On the other hand, the basketball players provide specific entertainment that society can still
function well without. However, the NBA basket players receive too high wages compared to the
elementary school teachers’ wages.
According to Rhoads (n.d), there is the water-diamond Paradox. The paradox
distinguishes between the total utility and marginal utility. Comparing the player and teacher
salary can be explained by the fact that water is of enormous value in human life compared to
diamonds. Still, the diamond price is far higher compared to water. The marginalist argues that
humans may prefer to survive without diamonds than water (Optimus et al., 2018). However, the
same people may prefer to win a diamond price other than another bucket of water. The NBA
events won the entertainment environment, and it is scarce. Learning is a day to day event, and
there are many teachers within the society carrying out the activity.
Number#2: Ethical Standpoint
The wages of teachers, police officers, among other professionals who appear to do more
work that is of significance wage should not be compared to wages of professional athletes or
corporate CEO who seem to do less work but earn heavily. According to Christianity, an
individual should be contented with what he/she gets as long as it is in line with the employer’s
WAGE DILEMMAS 3
agreement. The argument is supported in Matthew 20:1-16 on the workers in the vineyard story.
The workers who went in the vineyard early were paid a similar wage with the workers who
joined work late. Those who joined the work earlier complained of unfairness, but the landowner
had supportive information that he paid every worker according to the agreed-upon employment
(Arzt-Grabner et al., 2016). The bible supports that the agreement before work is what matters,
and people should be contented with what they receive as long as it is within the agreement with
the employer.
WAGE DILEMMAS 4
References
Arzt-Grabner, P., Arnal, W. E., Ascough, R. S., Derrenbacker, R. A., Harland, P. A., &
Kloppenborg, J. S. (2016). Different wages for workers in a vineyard. PKöln X 413 and
Matthew 20, 1-16. Scribal practices and social structures among Jesus adherents, 407-
418.
Optimus, P., Puffert, D. J., & Roshak, K. (2018). ECONOMISM. First Things: A Monthly
Journal of Religion and Public Life, (284), 3-6.
Rhoads, S. Marginalism – Econlib. Retrieved from