The Social Impact: Blue Collar Workers
After yesterday’s criticisms of colleges and universities everywhere, let's now reflect upon the past, present, and future of blue collar communities. We will primarily reflect upon the importance of having a proper work ethic, as it relates to the working class.
While you are reading this, men and women everywhere are doing the jobs that keep our economy afloat. Whether it be food service, manufacturing, or truck driving, having a blue collar work ethic is hugely impactful in every area of life.
Personally speaking, both sets of my grandparents grew up in a working class environment. My mom’s dad worked at various manufacturing facilities to support his family. And my father’s dad worked as a mail carrier. Going back a generation, my great grandparents moved to the northern part of West Virginia specifically to work for the various potteries that were open in the mid 1900’s.
What bothers me the most is the entitlement nature some of my peers possess. Many of them have no understanding of how humans used to live in the not so distant past. I see it all the time, in many ways. “Respect your elders” is a meaningless phrase, mocked consistently by teens everywhere. "Respect your grandparents, for they have endured intense hardships throughout their lives” is a far more accurate statement to make.
Generations of hard working people have built the cars we drive, the roads we travel on, and the homes we live in. There are countless examples of grandparents everywhere who dropped out at 16 to work in steel mills to support their stone-broke families. Consequently, many of the things that we take for granted simply did not exist. Graduating high school wasn’t necessarily a given, let alone attending college. Hard work wasn’t an option. Dedication wasn’t an elective trait to bear.
I fear that if we forget the pains that have been endured, we will miss a once in a lifetime opportunity to understand what true values are. An entire generation of workers are nearing the end of their lives. Lost with them is the wisdom that hasn’t been passed on to us. Our ears should be listening.
Our culture is rediscovering the lost art of becoming a hard worker. As a result, tradesmen everywhere are needed by the ten’s of thousands. In our area alone, Pipeline workers are being shipped out from across the country to work 80 hours each week, while living in a company trailer.
Do you work harder than your grandparents? Do you live better than they did? Do you think there are still some lessons left to be learned?