What if somebody who already is in a position of power/authority/trust is accused of something like that? That's what I meant with "easy to ruin people's lives" (e.g. Strauss-Kahn).
Well, here in the US at least, that very often leads to them losing their job. And I'm not just referring to rape--even more minor offenses... for example, teachers have been fired for their offensive facebook comments.
That isn't ruining their lives. They are free to go work elsewhere where other people's lives aren't put in their hands.
I'll be more specific. This man was accused of rape and worked as a cab driver, where other people trust their lives to him. Instead, he could work as a truck driver transporting goods.
That isn't ruining his life. Truth is, it would barely change.
How is ruining a teacher's teaching career the same as this? Most teachers spend a not insignificant portion of their time working towards the goal of becoming a teacher. That is now the case for someone learning to be a cab driver.
I completely agree with your point. Teachers do spend a significant amount of time, and yet we have these consequences for them.
And yet here we have cab driver, who has spent virtually no time, and there are some who think he should have a right to this position.
Edit: I think the comparison of responsibility is appropriate here.. since a cab driver may have a minor, mentally disabled, or intoxicated individual in their care.
I have no experience with the London cab system, but is getting a London black cab license really as difficult as going through a 4-year university degree program (+ whatever 'residency'-type work afterwards)?
[In any case, this is a side point. Most places don't have severe barriers to becoming a cab driver other than limit supply of licenses. And none of that even applies to Uber since they are ignoring that system.]
Getting The Knowledge is pretty hard. Half of the people who try still fail after spending years on it.
In order to qualify as a licensed London taxi driver, a trainee must learn the complex and irregular layout of London's ~25,000 streets (Figure 1) within a 6-mile radius of Charing Cross train station, along with the locations of thousands of places of interest. This spatial learning is known as acquiring “the Knowledge” and typically takes between 3 and 4 years, leading to a stringent set of examinations, called “appearances,” which must be passed in order to obtain an operating license from the Public Carriage Office (PCO, the official London taxi-licensing body).
You've completely missed the point. There are other jobs a driver can do. He can deliver food or packages; transport goods locally; or drive buses or other public transportation.
There is NO way that "cab driver" is the only type of position he is capable of doing. And there are plenty of people qualified to drive a cab that are capable of doing it without raping anyone.
