The myth of working class
In some political circles there seems to be a lot of discussion about the vote of “the working class”. Although part of me has a general idea of what politicians and commentators intend to imply when they use this term, on another level, it is very confusing. I think what is intended to imply is the group of people who do physical labor for which one may be highly trained and reasonably paid but does not require a college degree. Working class often have jobs which are directly and quickly affected by changes in overall economic conditions and environmental concerns. They are often compared to the middle class or upper class who may also work very hard but which are differently affected by general economic factor and environmental concerns. One of the misnomers regarding the difference in class is that formal education separates them. The working class is often thought of as less educated. Another myth might be that they are easily swayed by appeals to patriotism and sticking to their own kind. The myth is also the are more likely to listen to music which promotes an either or message and a simple concept of a Christian God. There are many mythical stereotypes of the working man or woman.
In physics work is defined as the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement. Using this definition whether one is using the force of one’s mind and voice to teach or persuade someone or the force of one’s body to move an object one is working.
What then is the purpose of positing a difference between the persons who works in a coal mine, a road project, plowing a field or presenting a case in a court of law? The purpose seems to ensure that a person align himself or herself with a particular group which then must be in opposition to other socially constructed group. If various social constructed groups are fighting with each other they will not be focused on the fact that their interests and needs are the same. Those with a vested interest in creating this dynamic so they can gain or maintain power will do all they can to feed the socially constructed differences.
What if we agree we all working class? What if our basic needs and wants are very similar? What might those wants and needs be? I suspect, regardless of the type of work we are doing, hunting in the woods or the supermarket; driving a sports car or a pickup; wearing suits, overall, pants, dress or jeans, we share the same basic goals. We all want:
To be loved and respected by others - spouse, parents, siblings, children
To be considered worthwhile- to be admired or valued.
To leave a positive legacy.
Sadly we all too often fall victim to the temptation to prove our worth by comparing ourselves with each other; believing that we have to be more than, better then, or richer than . We may decide we have “the answers” and others are wrong with their answers. We buy into the social constructs of race, class, age, looks, nationality, religion or some other. We get fearful and desperately reach out to grab onto such constructs as the working class person vs the non-working class person. We may decide that we need to prove our worth by having more than which means that we much make sure others have less. There are a myriad of ways that we fall victim to “us vs them”.
The use of language is a particularly effective way of convincing many of us to compete with each other rather than joining together as a community. We will act as a community if we do not allow politicians and others to convince us that our goals are only achievable if we accept the social constructs which are designed to ensure a few others obtain or maintain a power base. We can assist each other in being more conscious of the use of language to create or enforce an us versus them. We can refuse to fall victim to this attempt.
Written April 14, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
The myth of working class
In some political circles there seems to be a lot of discussion about the vote of “the working class”. Although part of me has a general idea of what politicians and commentators intend to imply when they use this term, on another level, it is very confusing. I think what is intended to imply is the group of people who do physical labor for which one may be highly trained and reasonably paid but does not require a college degree. Working class often have jobs which are directly and quickly affected by changes in overall economic conditions and environmental concerns. They are often compared to the middle class or upper class who may also work very hard but which are differently affected by general economic factor and environmental concerns. One of the misnomers regarding the difference in class is that formal education separates them. The working class is often thought of as less educated. Another myth might be that they are easily swayed by appeals to patriotism and sticking to their own kind. The myth is also the are more likely to listen to music which promotes an either or message and a simple concept of a Christian God. There are many mythical stereotypes of the working man or woman.
In physics work is defined as the energy transferred to or from an object via the application of force along a displacement. Using this definition whether one is using the force of one’s mind and voice to teach or persuade someone or the force of one’s body to move an object one is working.
What then is the purpose of positing a difference between the persons who works in a coal mine, a road project, plowing a field or presenting a case in a court of law? The purpose seems to ensure that a person align himself or herself with a particular group which then must be in opposition to other socially constructed group. If various social constructed groups are fighting with each other they will not be focused on the fact that their interests and needs are the same. Those with a vested interest in creating this dynamic so they can gain or maintain power will do all they can to feed the socially constructed differences.
What if we agree we all working class? What if our basic needs and wants are very similar? What might those wants and needs be? I suspect, regardless of the type of work we are doing, hunting in the woods or the supermarket; driving a sports car or a pickup; wearing suits, overall, pants, dress or jeans, we share the same basic goals. We all want:
To be loved and respected by others - spouse, parents, siblings, children
To be considered worthwhile- to be admired or valued.
To leave a positive legacy.
Sadly we all too often fall victim to the temptation to prove our worth by comparing ourselves with each other; believing that we have to be more than, better then, or richer than . We may decide we have “the answers” and others are wrong with their answers. We buy into the social constructs of race, class, age, looks, nationality, religion or some other. We get fearful and desperately reach out to grab onto such constructs as the working class person vs the non-working class person. We may decide that we need to prove our worth by having more than which means that we much make sure others have less. There are a myriad of ways that we fall victim to “us vs them”.
The use of language is a particularly effective way of convincing many of us to compete with each other rather than joining together as a community. We will act as a community if we do not allow politicians and others to convince us that our goals are only achievable if we accept the social constructs which are designed to ensure a few others obtain or maintain a power base. We can assist each other in being more conscious of the use of language to create or enforce an us versus them. We can refuse to fall victim to this attempt.
Written April 14, 2021
Jimmy F Pickett
coachpickett.org
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