What dignity of labor?

One of the key slogans used by right wingers, whether Republican or Democratic, against programs like welfare, universal basic income, or Medicare for All is the supposed dignity of work, the notion that the rugged individual who breaks up virgin soil and rips out weeds to grow wealth earns nobility — despite the reality that soil without owners is increasingly rare, and in fact, the ground used by the pioneering heroes of yore was stolen from the…