Dignity Before All Else

Rejecting the Politics of Shame and Reclaiming What Matters

I’ve been speaking with some influential voices within the Democratic Party lately. These are folks whose opinions carry weight. And during one of those conversations, someone said something that truly caught me off guard: they described the Republican proposal that people work in order to earn Medicaid as “reasonable.” That one word, “reasonable,” really got under my skin. Because behind that word is a dangerous idea: that access to healthcare, to dignity, to life itself, must be earned through labor.

I know I’m going to sound overly dramatic, but here it goes anyway: “Arbeit Macht Frei.” For those who don’t recognize this German phrase, it is associated with one of the darkest chapters in human history. The words literally mean, “Work sets you free.” It was written above the gates of Nazi concentration camps, a slogan used to degrade the Jews. The underlying message was horrifically cruel: your worth as a human being is tied to your productivity. Nazi propaganda accused Jews of being unproductive, parasitic, a drain on the German state. The lie that Jews hadn’t contributed to society justified their forced labor, ultimately working them to death. Now, I want to make it perfectly clear: our country is not Nazi Germany, but all the same, we’d be foolish not to recognize the echoes of “Arbeit Macht Frei” when our political leaders suggest that people must work in order to earn healthcare.

Here’s the thing: we already live in a country where a vast majority of people work. They want the American Dream. They want to contribute to society. But the American Dream has collapsed for many. Let me ask you this: Where is the American Dream when people working full-time jobs at massive corporations like Walmart and Amazon still rely on public assistance to survive? These are not people avoiding work; they work hard and still fall short because the economy has been rigged against them. Since the 1980s, unions, which fight for the dignity of workers, have been rendered toothless by businesses, politicians, and the media piling on to discredit them and ultimately decimate their ranks.

Meanwhile, wages have stagnated while housing costs have exploded. In 1980, the average home in America cost two and a half times a worker’s salary; now it costs nearly six times as much. And even with both parents working, families can barely afford to raise children or own a home. As Bernie Sanders said, 60% of Americans are living paycheck to paycheck, one medical emergency away from homelessness. For many Americans, the American Dream is dead.

Yet even as people continue to work and try to make a living in this post-American Dream world, the accusations of laziness keep falling upon them. Politicians demand that people prove they’re worthy of help, while billion-dollar corporations are showered with tax breaks and subsidies without question. They even want to abolish the IRS so that the rich can continue gaming the system with impunity. Americans want to work, but with each passing year, more and more of them see that the system is rigged. They see that their work doesn’t pay. And instead of fixing that real and tangible problem, our politicians have turned to shaming their constituents for needing help, putting them on the defensive, and making them prove their worth for even a hint of dignity.

This is where we are now: in a society where a full-time job doesn’t guarantee dignity, and a helping hand comes with strings attached. I find it deeply troubling that even within the Democratic Party, the rhetoric of equating labor with dignity is gaining ground. Our job as public servants is not to question who deserves healthcare; it’s to provide it. Not to demand obedience in exchange for compassion, but to lead with compassion, because that’s the only way to build a society where everyone has a chance. It’s where we were heading in the 1960s and 1970s, until our nation went off the rails.

We must reject the toxic narrative that people are inherently lazy and must be coerced into productivity. That idea isn't just flat wrong; it damages our nation’s soul. It breeds resentment, undermines community, and chips away at our shared humanity. If we assume the worst in people, we will get the worst, I guarantee it. But if we believe in the good, if we invest in it, we will build a nation that reflects our highest ideals.

Dignity is not earned through labor. Dignity comes first, before labor. Our policies must reflect that. Everyone deserves access to food, housing, healthcare, and education, not because they’ve worked for starvation wages at Walmart, but because they are human. And as humans, they are worthy of dignity before all else.

The politics of shame and suspicion are leading us down a dangerous path. A path where those who need help the most are blamed, punished, and ultimately abandoned. And yes, both Republicans and Democrats are guilty of this destructive sin. If we continue down that road, we risk becoming a nation that loses its soul and ultimately loses its freedom.

Yes, we can choose a political belief rooted in dignity, trust, and justice. A belief that doesn’t treat people like problems to be solved, but as neighbors to be supported. That’s the vision I’m fighting for. That’s the country I still believe we can be.

We simply need to remember: Dignity before all else.

Originally published in the Frontline Progressive, May 20, 2025