To be clear was talking about exploitation regarding the minimum wage, I agree with you that there are many other ways exploit people.
A great example in your favour is pilots working for minimum wage because people just want to be pilots so bad. But these are really exceptions, the vast majority of people just want to eat and make rent with any job and they're not able to. Companies know they've got no choice but to work at non-livable wages, so that's the most prominent exploitation around minimum wage that we're trying to solve by raising it. Make it so people in poverty don't have to trade there lives in exchange for money that can't even sustain their position in poverty.
The CIA is able to recruit people for the Clandestine Service who could easily make millions at a bank. They get paid about 90k a year, for more work.
Why? Because they get to be freaking secret agents!
Are they being exploited? I know some folks who used to work for intelligence agencies. They seem to think so. The “secret agent” factor is bullshit. They have to live in high cost of living areas. And 99% of the time the job sucks.
Mostly just office work.
I certainly see something exploitive about that … offering one thing and not giving it.
The military is famous for that shit.
I’m sure there are other industries that do the same. Hollywood comes to mind. So does programming computer games. Etc.