Today, we had a milk emergency, so we stopped by Jenn's office to makeweight.

[conuly]

And we had a nice time of it - Jenn took her lunch break with us, we had hot dogs and a little ice cream and some juice (Ana's been constipated, so we're hoping that these treats will help loosen her up) in the playground, and we fed the squirrels (right from our hands! The first one started sniffing at Ana even before we had food, because those squirrels are tame, and Ana was thrilled, and Jenn was freaking out, and I just laughed) and the birds and watched a fledgling sparrow get fed.... it was good.

Now, just about every other building in the city has scaffolding around it, and Jenn's office is no exception. As we walked back to Jenn's office for Ana's second toilet break (she didn't take it, but she managed to go the whole trip home, even counting her nap, without wetting her pants. Which is good, as she was undiapered, and I *really* didn't want a sopping lap!), one of the construction workers climbed from the top of the scaffold down to the ground.

Ana was enthralled. This was, to her, just the coolest thing ever. I thought it was pretty nifty myself.

Of course, the moment had to be ruined by some snotty office worker telling Ana "Stay in school or that's what you'll be doing"

Okay, let's take this point by point:

1. Ana's three. She's not in school yet. And when she is in school, I would hope we're not threatening her in order to maintain her interest! If that's what we all have to do, there is something seriously wrong.

2. As threats go, it was supremely ineffective. Even the least observant should've noticed her grin and "YOOK! SEE THAT!" Great argument - stay in school and you won't get to have this really cool job where you climb on the scaffolds. Uh-huh. I can see that argument affecting her.

3. Finally (and arguably most importantly), that statement is damn insulting. Construction work, building repair, whatever - that's good, honest work. Good, honest, well-paid work. And it's useful to boot, which is more than Mr. Snotty White Collar can say for his job.

Without this construction worker, sir, you wouldn't have a roof over your nice little cubicle. And you wouldn't have your house if somebody hadn't built it, and you wouldn't have the trains that brought you to work, and you wouldn't have a whole host of other things you take for granted, sir.

But if you and your job suddenly disappeared off the face of the earth, would the world even notice?

Sir, I honestly doubt that. So stop trying to indoctrinate my niece with your little theories of how the world works.

Thanks.

Comments

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you made those three points, the third especially – that sort of snobbish attitude towards not merely legitimite but necessary jobs is unhealthy.

[conuly]

I know!

Besides, construction workers, plumbers, that sort of thing - those are skills that are always needed. When office workers are losing their jobs, when people aren't paying their doctor bills in hopes that they just don't get sick, there'll still be a need for somebody to fix your leaky pipes.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Yes! Telephone repair! Public sanitation! Unless you want to throw something away (controlled demolition!), you need to maintain it constantly, or defer maintenance now and repair it at greater cost later. We're talking about jobs that support #'s 1 and 2 on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs).

(And in further "preaching-to-the-choir" news....)

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

*snorts* I've been through eighteen years of schooling since I was your niece's age, and unless I go on for a Useful Grad Degree, I will likely never be making as much as someone in the skilled trades does around here. Not that money should be the sole factor in choosing a career, but I don't know where people get the idea that construction work and factory work and plumbing and welding, etc. are minimum-wage jobs.

[conuly]

God only knows.

[pne.livejournal.com]

*nodnod*

Due, no doubt, in part to the disdain some people hold for such "menial labour" -- means that there are fewer applicants for the jobs, so by supply and demand, they get to charge higher hourly prices.

And as others have said, they're jobs that are important and respectable.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, in my family of miners and factory workers and electricians, it's university that's regarded as the soft and shameful option. All my relatives either point out that my BA is only going to qualify me for working in fast food, which I may as well have done straight out of high school, or ask rather awkwardly: "So...you're going to, ah, teach, then?" :-D

[pne.livejournal.com]

Hm, that reminds me of when people ask me why I didn't study anything to do with languages -- one of my interests and one of my strong points.

One of the reasons is that I figure a university degree in languages basically sets you up to teach that language, which is not something I fancied doing. (Or interpret/translate, also not something I fancy doing.)

[stejcruetekie.livejournal.com]

There's a crane a couple buildings down from my office. Every time we pass I can't help but say "those guys have GOT to earn a boatload of money. Way more than we do". And we're the so-called "well-paid" IT people...

[conuly]

Strong unions.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

At the same time you'd do well to heed your own words and not instill in Ana an attitude that white-collar workers are expendable, worthless and meaningless.

[conuly]

I don't intend to. Her mom's a white collar worker, as is her Nanen.

You'll note that I'm sharing my rant about this guy's attitudes with youse guys, and not with her or that guy himself.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, "staying is school" doesn't guarentee much anymore. Actually, that guy? Yeah, probably went to school for engineering. Construction stuff like that is definitely 30% brute and 70% brain.

[adina77.livejournal.com]

as for someone who went to college, I am actually an administrative assistant. And I use to be an admin for a construction company, those construction works makes at least 40,000 plus overtime depending on if they are a foreman, laborer, carpenter, etc. I was astounded when I saw their payroll info!

[(Anonymous)]

Those are 3 very good points. The people that irritate me especially are the ones who look down on sanitation workers. They are allegedly dirty, and underpaid. But you know, one of my friend's boyfriends worked as a garbageman and was incredibly well-paid.

[movealongx.livejournal.com]

Sorry. that comment was from me. :p

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you made those three points, the third especially – that sort of snobbish attitude towards not merely legitimite but necessary jobs is unhealthy.

[conuly]

I know!

Besides, construction workers, plumbers, that sort of thing - those are skills that are always needed. When office workers are losing their jobs, when people aren't paying their doctor bills in hopes that they just don't get sick, there'll still be a need for somebody to fix your leaky pipes.

[packbat.livejournal.com]

Yes! Telephone repair! Public sanitation! Unless you want to throw something away (controlled demolition!), you need to maintain it constantly, or defer maintenance now and repair it at greater cost later. We're talking about jobs that support #'s 1 and 2 on Maslow's hierarchy of needs (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maslow%27s_hierarchy_of_needs).

(And in further "preaching-to-the-choir" news....)

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

*snorts* I've been through eighteen years of schooling since I was your niece's age, and unless I go on for a Useful Grad Degree, I will likely never be making as much as someone in the skilled trades does around here. Not that money should be the sole factor in choosing a career, but I don't know where people get the idea that construction work and factory work and plumbing and welding, etc. are minimum-wage jobs.

[conuly]

God only knows.

[pne.livejournal.com]

*nodnod*

Due, no doubt, in part to the disdain some people hold for such "menial labour" -- means that there are fewer applicants for the jobs, so by supply and demand, they get to charge higher hourly prices.

And as others have said, they're jobs that are important and respectable.

[atdelphi.livejournal.com]

The funny thing is, in my family of miners and factory workers and electricians, it's university that's regarded as the soft and shameful option. All my relatives either point out that my BA is only going to qualify me for working in fast food, which I may as well have done straight out of high school, or ask rather awkwardly: "So...you're going to, ah, teach, then?" :-D

[pne.livejournal.com]

Hm, that reminds me of when people ask me why I didn't study anything to do with languages -- one of my interests and one of my strong points.

One of the reasons is that I figure a university degree in languages basically sets you up to teach that language, which is not something I fancied doing. (Or interpret/translate, also not something I fancy doing.)

[stejcruetekie.livejournal.com]

There's a crane a couple buildings down from my office. Every time we pass I can't help but say "those guys have GOT to earn a boatload of money. Way more than we do". And we're the so-called "well-paid" IT people...

[conuly]

Strong unions.

[eofs.livejournal.com]

At the same time you'd do well to heed your own words and not instill in Ana an attitude that white-collar workers are expendable, worthless and meaningless.

[conuly]

I don't intend to. Her mom's a white collar worker, as is her Nanen.

You'll note that I'm sharing my rant about this guy's attitudes with youse guys, and not with her or that guy himself.

[xiggaroo.livejournal.com]

The sad thing is, "staying is school" doesn't guarentee much anymore. Actually, that guy? Yeah, probably went to school for engineering. Construction stuff like that is definitely 30% brute and 70% brain.

[adina77.livejournal.com]

as for someone who went to college, I am actually an administrative assistant. And I use to be an admin for a construction company, those construction works makes at least 40,000 plus overtime depending on if they are a foreman, laborer, carpenter, etc. I was astounded when I saw their payroll info!

[(Anonymous)]

Those are 3 very good points. The people that irritate me especially are the ones who look down on sanitation workers. They are allegedly dirty, and underpaid. But you know, one of my friend's boyfriends worked as a garbageman and was incredibly well-paid.

[movealongx.livejournal.com]

Sorry. that comment was from me. :p