Do you look down on blue collar workers?

[Rand M Arthur]

When it comes to the trades it's a belief that the work takes no skill. Yeah, anyone with some mechanical aptitude can make do with temporary fixes, but seldom in a manner that's a safe and long lasting fix. I see it all the time where people cause more monetary damage in order to try and save a buck than the job would have cost in the first place.

There's also the idea that those chosing to work with their hands do so because they lacked other opportunities. That's a possibility, but you won't find a quality tech who's also a dumbass.

I think it's symbolic of the laissez faire desire to outsource the work to countries with subpar regulations, where you get 50% of the quality for 10% of the price. Once upon a time, you'd buy something well made and get years of use, then fix it up, before passing onto your son to use for his family. That is looked down on now.

 

[TeTe]

Yup. It's a business to keep those inmates working for penny on the dollars. Those companies and the government allow that should be ashamed for taking jobs from law bidding citizens.

They're aren't working, they're taking classes for free so that when they get released they're employable.

 

[LATEXXX COMMANDO]

Not at all. In fact, it's the opposite.

Factory workers, construction workers, etc. Guys that do that for a career, 30+ years...

I couldn't do it, respect them.

 

[babyjay]

I kill bedbugs, cockroaches and mice most of my day. My brother and I make 150k plus. Part time. Have 6 properties now. We buy 2 to 3 properties a year. We employ carpenters, electricians, mechanicals for our properties. Guess what all my guys are millionaires except for my demo and haulers. Yes even my fuckin painter is a net worth millionaire. All owner operators like me. One day I took them all out to lunch sitting next to a bunch of suits. The suits probably thought we were broke, we or I( as we didn't discuss it) wondered if they were millionaires. Pick a trade, master it, owner operate, bust your ass, have integrity and be patient. Mindset yourself. Fuck everyone else. Stealth wealth is your goal.

 

[Mcountry]

Uhh no? Why would I?

 

[kenetics]

They're aren't working, they're taking classes for free so that when they get released they're employable.

My uncle is a Sgt in our prison in arizona. The inmates are working on diesel trucks getting paid $4 hour where and law bidding citizen makes $25 hour.

Those companies out source alot if work to inmates.

 

[Revolver]

uh oh

@Revolver

Lmao

 

[terrapin]

When it comes to the trades it's a belief that the work takes no skill. Yeah, anyone with some mechanical aptitude can make do with temporary fixes, but seldom in a manner that's a safe and long lasting fix. I see it all the time where people cause more monetary damage in order to try and save a buck than the job would have cost in the first place.

There's also the idea that those chosing to work with their hands do so because they lacked other opportunities. That's a possibility, but you won't find a quality tech who's also a dumbass.

agreed and i despise the thinking that places less value on a human being just because and even if they are less intelligent or less skilled. i don't gaf about that when i evaluate a human being anyway.

there is a basic human worth and dignity that is inherently valuable no matter about looks or skills or intelligence etc.

 

[TeTe]

My uncle is a Sgt in our prison in arizona. The inmates are working on diesel trucks getting paid $4 hour where and law bidding citizen makes $25 hour.

Those companies out source alot if work to inmates.

My wife is a teacher in a state prison near the border, I'll have to ask her if they do any outsourcing there.

What I do know is a lot of guys get trade jobs when they get out because of the programs they have here in California. So if there's a shortage of HVAC techs, welders, carpenters at least they're able to fill the void since public schools don't encourage it.

 

[kenetics]

My wife is a teacher in a state prison near the border, I'll have to ask her if they do any outsourcing there.

What I do know is a lot of guys get trade jobs when they get out because of the programs they have here in California. So if there's a shortage of HVAC techs, welders, carpenters at least they're able to fill the void since public schools don't encourage it.

Yup. They also work at farms etc for cheeaap labor. That's why there's a movement to stop private prisons because the money they make of prisoners.

 

[FactNotFiction]

I see this a lot online on here and different forums guys making fun of people who do manual labor, like construction, building, mechanics, plumbing, shipping, truck driver, garbage man, etc

I admire the trades and blue collar work.
If you're 50 and work as a cashier on the other hand..

 

[moreorless87]

Yeah.

A lot of these accounting jobs or finance jobs will be the first to fall to automation during industry 4.0

Where as, you are going to need plumbers and electricians for a good while yet. Not to mention chefs, bakers, butchers, ect.

A big issue with automation though is whats allowed to happen, areas like accounting could have been automated much more than they have been years ago but theres often a legal situation were a human has to do/sign off on work.

Theres been a climate for many years were blue collar skilled jobs arent protected from automation but white collar ones are IMHO.

 

[Chappi]

Only ignorant people would look down on workers.
Smart people understand blue collar workers are by far the most important people in society, because without them there is nothing to buy or sell and there would be no office jobs or any jobs for that matter.

 

[Rand M Arthur]

A big issue with automation though is whats allowed to happen, areas like accounting could have been automated much more than they have been years ago but theres often a legal situation were a human has to do/sign off on work.

Theres been a climate for many years were blue collar skilled jobs arent protected from automation but white collar ones are IMHO.

This will reverse as the technology gets better. I suspect at somepoint in the line a human operator will be required to sign off, but it will one person and a machine doing the job of twenty people, like you see on factory floors now.

 

[moreorless87]

This will reverse as the technology gets better. I suspect at somepoint in the line a human operator will be required to sign off, but it will one person and a machine doing the job of twenty people, like you see on factory floors now.

I'm not sure it will, really office work should already be much easier to automate given that commuting power has advanced much faster than robotics but again I think there is much more of a political will to protect white collar careers than their is blue collar.

A big issue IMHO is skilled blue collar work was often linked to unionisation so its removal was a good way to curtail the power of unions on politics.

 

[pinger]

I've been both sides blue and white collar.

I honestly prefer blue, less bullshit.

And in Australia it is the life blood of our economy, especially mining. Any boob can get a blue collar mining job, work half the year on a 1:1 roster and still earn six figures.

 

[pinger]

I'm not sure it will, really office work should already be much easier to automate given that commuting power has advanced much faster than robotics but again I think there is much more of a political will to protect white collar careers than their is blue collar.

A big issue IMHO is skilled blue collar work was often linked to unionisation so its removal was a good way to curtail the power of unions on politics.

I've listened to some interesting Futurists discuss this and a lot of the jobs they think will be the most affected were not what I imagined. For instance lawyers were likely to be heavily affected as technology and computer learning makes alot of the grunt automated through databases of Law, opinion, and cases and decisions.

Intradesting

 

[Renard]

I had a blue collar buddy I had to cut ties with. Smart guy but incredibly insecure about his place in life. He's the kind of guy who would insult you if he found out you had a degree. He had tried getting one but his grades were terrible. He could have finished it because you only need 2.0, but instead he kept whining about his age and how university is rigged and the teachers only good give grades to people they like. Borderline delusional. You couldn't give him good news on any subject either because he would downplay them. He was only happy when he heard that your life was going poorly. It was really interesting how his entire personality was built on an insecurity complex and he didn't even realize it.

 

[moreorless87]

I've listened to some interesting Futurists discuss this and a lot of the jobs they think will be the most affected were not what I imagined. For instance lawyers were likely to be heavily affected as technology and computer learning makes about of the front work out lawyering automated through databases of Law, opinion, and cases and decisions.

Intradesting

Lawyers really though are the classic example of what I was saying in that there careers are legally protected, a lot of the work they do even if its already highly automated needs a qualified human to sign it off so there careers arent threatened.

There is the political will to protect some careers from automation but not others.

 

[LS1Rx7]

A big issue with automation though is whats allowed to happen, areas like accounting could have been automated much more than they have been years ago but theres often a legal situation were a human has to do/sign off on work.

Theres been a climate for many years were blue collar skilled jobs arent protected from automation but white collar ones are IMHO.

Regulation never stops innovation.
Look at Lyft and Uber.

A large majority of legal work has already been outsourced, or given to paralegals. If a computer can diagnose a disease, it can do legal research.

Trade unions and lobbying only go so far when there's a better solution and tech will replace most white collar jobs before it replaces blue collar jobs.
A robot is not going to be coming to your home, be able to diagnose your heating system and fix it, any time soon.