<doc.id=2030.b2>
<title> Does being burnt out equals being slack? </title>
A phenomenon which is spreading rapidly is the notion of being burnt out. The term burnt out is used for people who are exhausted due to too much work and stress, and who simply cannot continue in the same pace as they have been doing. The author of the article that I am going to argue against claims that: "being burnt out is just being slack". 
The title of the article is: "Being burnt out is just being slack", and the author simply states this even though not a shred of evidence is presented to support this statement. There is no explanation whatsoever in the article showing in what way this phenomenon indicates laziness. Instead, the author takes up several irrelevant issues in this lame attempt to make a statement.
The author begins by implying that almost everyone goes around feeling a bit burnt out, and make it sound as if people see this phenomenon as a chance of escaping work. It is obvious that no one wants to be unhappy, feel bad and not be able to attend work, and claiming that that may be the case is just a loose accusation which is entirely untrue. The fact that all those people who are unemployed feel so frustrated is a good example which proves that people do not enjoy being idle.
Secondly it is argued that the term "burnt out" indicates something irrevocable, and therefore it is not a suitable name for this phenomenon. It should rather be called "being over worked". Being burnt out is actually something irrevocable because someone who has been burnt out once is not likely to be able to go back to the same tasks as before. The fact that you are burnt out indicates that you have to slow down or you will become severely ill.
Furthermore, it is argued that this phenomenon was former treated with a few weeks in a rest home and that was that, whereas today those who are burnt out wander about in find yourself courses. It should rather be argued that those people who were sent away to rest homes due to overwork are most likely the same people who are now burnt out. If they would have got the proper treatment in the first place, instead of just being sent away a few weeks, they would not be burnt out today.
In addition to this argument the author also states that: "they were earlier sent away to rest homes, but now their find yourself courses are financed by taxpayers. This statement indicates that there should be a difference in financing rest homes and find yourself courses, which there is not. Where does the author suppose the money for the former came from if not from the tax payers, and since it seems to be okay to use tax money to pay for rest homes, why is it not okay to finance other treatments as well? 
Another argument is that "ordinary people have to work twice as hard to make a living" which seems to imply that the author believes that the taxes have been dramatically raised during the last years, with the sole purpose of financing all these burnt out people. This is obviously not the case, but pure fiction. We should rather be thankful that there is a safety net in Sweden financed by tax money that provides alternatives to losing one's job, which will be the result if burnt out people are not offered treatment.
It is further stated that those who are being burnt out are simply taking advantage of the system. I would say that they are not using the system in a bad way, which the author suggests, but they are using it the way it was designed to be used. A person who is stressed and not feeling well has every right to make use of a system created for that purpose.
Finally, those who are burnt out are exhorted to "clench their teeth and go to work like the rest of us on Monday mornings". This statement indicates a great lack of understanding and ignorance, and it is clear that the person who wrote this article is very frustrated due to people who are burnt out. The author is driven by his/her personal prejudices and not by presenting true facts. People are being burnt out due to the increased amount of stress in the society, not due to a will to escape work.
</doc>