Elizabeth Vassilenko

Professor Emily Bruey

English 100
October 25, 2011
Blue-Collar vs. White-Collar
Our culturein Cartesian fashionseparates the body from the mind, so that,
for example, we assume that the use of a tool does not involve abstraction. We reinforce
this notion by defining intelligence solely on grades in school and numbers on IQ
tests, (Mike Rose 312). A persons place on the occupational ladder actually plays a
huge role in society today and how people are viewed based on what job they have (Rose
312).. Societys view on blue-collar versus white-collar jobs is that to be intelligent, one
must be educated. Societys definition of worthy work is a job that makes one seem
superior to others, almost heroic, for what they do. These people often hold the title of a
police officer, a fire fighter, a surgeon, a detective, a lawyer, and so forth. However, what
does that lawyer do, or better, who does he turn to when the toilet in his house is clogged
and the dishwasher dish washing machine has stopped working?
It may seem silly to be a plumber, a janitor, or the garbage man solely
because they are dirty jobs and they are looked down upon as people who are of low
rank professions. Those under the low rank status can be identified wearing by a
uniform (blue collar) and are assumed to have little intelligence and no education. They
are looked down upon because society does not let them be seen as people with power
and money, although most of these low rank professions, such as plumbers, make great
income.

In The Case for Working with Your Hands, Matthew Crawford argues that bluecollar jobs such as mechanics often make more money or the same amount of money as
most white-collar jobs. He proves his argument to the reader when he shares But despite
the beautiful ties I wore, it turned out to be more proletarian existence than I had known
as an electrician. In that job I had made quite a bit more money. I also felt free and active,
rather than confined and stultified (Crawford 404). The reason for this is that blue-collar
jobs are the ones we depend on to get us through everyday dilemmas, for example, fixing
the toilet or changing the oil. These are the jobs that come in more handy since they are
the ones we need on a regular day-to-day basis. Societys perspective on the issue of
income is very distorted; making great income and white-collar jobs are thought to go
hand-in-hand since only well educated, people with white-collar jobs make a great
amount of money.
Similarly, in Blue-Collar Brilliance,. Mike Rose argues against societys
perception that to be intelligent, you must have a proper education. However, Rose
mentions that there are a lot of hard-working, intelligent, blue-collared people whom
which have many difficult skills, as he mentionsed, a waitress like his own mother.
Workers must also know the characteristics of the material they are engaging-how it
reacts to various cutting or compressing devices, to degrees of heat, or to lines of force.
Some of these things demand judgment, the weighing of options, the consideration of
multiple variables, and, occasionally, the creative use of a tool in an unexpected way,
(Rose 313).
Elizabeth,

This is a good start to your paper. Please carefully read my marginal comments above and
try to address the issues that I raise in each.

For the most part, I think you need to clearly present your definition of valuable work
towards the beginning of the paper. Your definition is your thesisthe argument that you
are trying to prove in your paper. Keep that in mind as you write.

Additionally, while youve effectively summarized Crawford and Rose, you need to
further their conversation on valuable work in some way. You can agree with what they
say, but you need to also add something of your own. Is there anything that Crawford and
Rose neglect in their essays? What factors for evaluating work do they seem to ignore?
What role, if any, does education play in evaluating work? I think this should also help
you to establish your definition of valuable work, which you can then work into the
beginning of your paper.