That was a really great talk.
You mentioned something about tradesmen on my Teacher question. I agree that society has disrespected these “dirty jobs” and has turned the light towards white-collar “drone” jobs. But where would we be without these laborers that do the dirty work?
College in this country is a business more than it is about education and training. And as businesses, they must find ways to make profit, including putting propaganda into students’ minds that it is degrading to have a job where you do skilled labor.
EDIT: I appreciated what he said about skilled laborers (and laborers in general) being the happiest people he has met.
I’ve heard it said that in the U.S., we live to work, rather than work to live. I have seen it firsthand. My sister and brother have white collar jobs and they bring their work home with them constantly. My sister hardly has time for her family and her kids are constantly saying that she’s stressed, and they don’t want to burden her with their problems.
But laborers do their work and leave it there. Electricians, plumbers, mechanics, even cashiers and retail workers usually leave their work at the workplace and come home to live. They are balanced as Rowe said, and because that is not the norm, it is looked down upon that people have time for other things besides work.