I am curious how you say society values adjuncts. Do people hire adjuncts off the street?
Ask a student how much s/he thinks his History 220 professor makes?
Ask a parent how it feels to know his or her child is dining at the home of his econ professor?
Professors are still for the most part thought of as smart and held in some esteem among the general public.
What that public does not know is the differences among an adjunct, an associate, and an assistant professor are or exact which one of those their kid's professor is.
Most people watching that video will probably think adjuncts should be paid more. No one with a PhD should be on food stamps.
Hmmmmm, why does this OP reek of a special pleading? You wouldn't know someone close who is flirting with this as a career choice, would you?
But you are correct, no one with a PhD should be on food stamps. If they deserve to be "thought of as smart" and "held in esteem" they ought to have no trouble getting a real job and support themselves, so let's boot them off. That would solve that annoyance.
On the other hand, there are lots of folks who want the taxpayer public to support their own ambitions and hobby. All their self-serving propaganda is the modern Enigma Code of: "Gimmie...gimmie...gimmie cause I'm special!". And apparently its not enough that their hobbyist enthusiasm is paid for by the public providing them food stamps, Obamacare, and EITC...nope they want more.
Here's a thought. It is absurd that some folks who support their families by hard work on fish trawlers, welding, housing painting, cooking, garbage collecting, telemarketing, etc. should be paying taxes so as to promote the dreamy good life of some upper-middle class would be academic.
When you send a fat check to every commoner with a dream, get back to me.