Voluntary

On a recent occasion, a financial tycoon (or his right-hand man) commented that all his employees who work continuously for 24 hours are voluntary to do so. Some other creatures outside the solar system went on and concluded that all doctors who endure long working hours are also voluntary.

Of course they are. Even if there were a pistol pointing at their head, the decision of continuing to work is, as a rule,  voluntary. The skeletal muscles that do all the work are by definition voluntary muscles. After all, there is always an alternative - the employee could choose to die.

But, we should not be too harsh to our six million dollar man or any extra-terrestrial invertebrates. I am sure their comments were made involuntarily. Based on my limited understanding on physiology, bull shit is a bowel activity and is, therefore, mediated by smooth, that is, involuntary muscle.

PS. Six million dollar refers to the amount of tax that that right-hand man needs to pay, not his salary.