Blue-collar Brilliance' Summary: a Tribute to The Working Class

Throughout the entire nation, the working class and “blue-collared” individuals are looked down upon as if they are inferior to everybody else in society. The term working class defines a large group of employees in our country that do not have a completed college degree. In 'Mike Rose’s Blue-Collar Brilliance' summary the essay reveals how Rose brings up the idea that the working class gains knowledge and skills by working with their hands, something that most college degree workers will never do. Rose uses his mother to counter the common misbelief that a blue-collar worker is not as smart or capable of doing tasks as someone who has a college degree. The working class deserves respect and recognition for the tasks that they perform every day and should demand nothing less than the utmost appreciation from the rest of society.

Unveiling the Most Common Misconception in 'Blue-Collar Brilliance'

A college degree is like a key to open every door in America, no matter what degree it is. The degree could be in something as complex as aeronautical science or as common as a business degree. As long as you say “I graduated from” and follow it up with any college, you are automatically seen as intelligent and superior to those who did not graduate college. But what about those who can not say “I graduated from”? Whether it be due to academics, money, or more personal reasons, many Americans do not go to college and go straight into the workforce to earn money. Mike Rose’s mother, along with mine, did not go to college and earn the amazing “key” to every door. Rose’s mother “quit school in the seventh grade” while my mother only completed one or two classes at Columbus State Community College. Once begging their physical labor careers, our mothers worked long hours and many days, while others were earning their college degrees at various universities. Planning is problem-solving are the two most important traits anybody can have. The working class is forced to acquire these traits in order to do their jobs. Most big business owners see a problem on a piece of paper and think of a way to fix it, in the comfort of their fancy office chair. Blue-collar workers are forced to solve problems “in the real-time flow of work with all its messiness and social complexity”. The working class must solve problems on the job site, they must be able to think on their feet. They do not have the luxury to ponder ideas all day and ask others for their opinion. They must go with their gut feeling and hope the years of observing, training, and working will not fail them in whatever predicament they are facing. The working class is better at problem-solving than those who run the companies.

My mother, along with Rose’s mother, worked at a restaurant after not completing school and began to learn the inside and out of “work [that] demands...both body and brain”. My mother went to Delaware Hayes High school where she struggled with academics and gave birth to my older brother. She had to start working to support herself and her newborn son, forcing her to put schooling on the back burner. She did not have the option to attend college due to having to support a child. Rose’s mother did something very similar, she dropped out in order to “raise her brothers and sisters”. Neither of our mothers had a choice other than to choose work over school. Men and women all across the country have to make this decision but are then frowned upon for not receiving a college degree. why should they be viewed as inferior for being forced to grow up quicker than others? Just because they do not have a degree, does not mean they should be viewed as lesser human beings or less intelligent. The working class works for every cent they earn and should earn more.

Mike Rose’s mother and mine learned various skills that CEO’s and bosses will never have the opportunity to learn. Not only did they learn how to work with their hands, but they learned how to work with others and how to be around people all day. Waitresses have no choice but to be kind to every customer, no matter how the customer treats them. Waitresses earn tips and these tips are based on how they treat each customer, individually. So waitresses must learn how to “read social cues” and “managing feelings, both the customers and her own”. Customers could come in with the meanest attitudes and show no respect towards the workers, but waitresses must serve that customer with a smile since the customer is always right. Bosses and CEO’s can simply tell someone to leave their office, avoiding to learn how to read human behavior and deal with upset people. The working class must deal with upset customers on the spot, phrases like “he gave me lip, but I got him” show just how much self-control blue-collar workers have. Waitress are always learning due to being around new customers constantly. Rose’s mother even said, “There isn’t a day that goes by in the restaurant that you don’t learn something'. Members of the working class are constantly working with many people with various attitudes and stories, this gives them the ability to learn self-control and other skills that college degree individuals will never have to learn.

Conclusion

The common misconception that the working class is less intelligent than those with college degrees is simply outrageous. Too many people work too hard to simply be overlooked because they had jobs rather than sitting in a classroom. They learn things that can not be taught in a school, they learn how to “make every move count”. Blue-collar workers are what run this country and we would be nothing without them. The working class deserves respect and recognition for the tasks that they perform every day and should demand nothing less than the utmost appreciation from the rest of society.