There's reasons why this particular article from March pops back up for me, to be explained in future.
There's reasons why this particular article from March pops back up for me, to be explained in future. It's problematic in so many ways but I'll just focus on one.
In Youngstown, hope takes many forms: it may be that GM will reopen the third shift at its Lordstown plant, or that tariffs on China will return some comparative advantage on manufacturing, or even that blue-collar work will regain the respect in society that it once had.
I am genuinely unaware of blue-collar work ever having been all that respected, other than as it was of use to the political elites. Trump and the GOP (and the Dems) blowing sunshine up your skirt doesn't count as respect, either. Passing and enforcing legislation to protect workers, you know, like OSHA stuff, at least suggests something resembling respect. Supporting organized labor so there's some sort of balance of power between workers and owners suggests something resembling respect.
Trump and his organization regularly abuse and rip-off contractors. You know, hard working blue-collar people. That's when they can't get away with questionably legal foreign workers they can underpay or overwork or whatever they can get away with. But he loves and respects these people and he's going to save their jobs.
Fast forward to GM entirely closing Lordstown. Guaranteed that rather than blaming Trump, many of these people will blame GM. As if GM operates in a vacuum he hasn't affected with his trade war and other fun things supported by the GOPers. Conspiracy theories will proliferate and anger will be manipulated and directed at the wrong place. Sure, some people may get the hint. But likely not that many.
So much winning.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/in-youngstown-ohio-they-are-still-grappling-with-trump
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/in-youngstown-ohio-they-are-still-grappling-with-trump
In Youngstown, hope takes many forms: it may be that GM will reopen the third shift at its Lordstown plant, or that tariffs on China will return some comparative advantage on manufacturing, or even that blue-collar work will regain the respect in society that it once had.
I am genuinely unaware of blue-collar work ever having been all that respected, other than as it was of use to the political elites. Trump and the GOP (and the Dems) blowing sunshine up your skirt doesn't count as respect, either. Passing and enforcing legislation to protect workers, you know, like OSHA stuff, at least suggests something resembling respect. Supporting organized labor so there's some sort of balance of power between workers and owners suggests something resembling respect.
Trump and his organization regularly abuse and rip-off contractors. You know, hard working blue-collar people. That's when they can't get away with questionably legal foreign workers they can underpay or overwork or whatever they can get away with. But he loves and respects these people and he's going to save their jobs.
Fast forward to GM entirely closing Lordstown. Guaranteed that rather than blaming Trump, many of these people will blame GM. As if GM operates in a vacuum he hasn't affected with his trade war and other fun things supported by the GOPers. Conspiracy theories will proliferate and anger will be manipulated and directed at the wrong place. Sure, some people may get the hint. But likely not that many.
So much winning.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/in-youngstown-ohio-they-are-still-grappling-with-trump
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/in-youngstown-ohio-they-are-still-grappling-with-trump
I think blue collar, especially manufacturing, jobs had slightly more respect (or less disrespect, depending on how you want to think about it) in the past.
ReplyDeleteOver the last thirty years, even as overall population has grown, the number of manufacturing jobs has shrunk by some 30%. That takes a toll on how much politicians have to pay attention to you for one thing. There's been a lot of structural shifts toward part time work, lower benefits, gig work, etc, and everything that can get automated does get automated.
But, at the same time, I'm old enough to remember the 70s, too, and I think there's a large degree of self-mythologizing in these accounts. And by large, I mean.... large. Very large.
Agree. I'm blue-collar rooted like so many people and I think much of the public perception of respect was tied to the voting power of unions. Whose members still weren't welcome at the local country club or other things, even if they could afford it.
ReplyDeleteI think there have also been cultural shifts as to whether or not hand work or hard work or physical work are of value in and of themselves. Some of that is probably tied to things like what gets preached at people. I'm not under the impression that prosperity gospel is really about respecting work so much as respecting whoever has the most money or power or status. Not the same thing.
The loss of manufacturing also threatens a whole culture and way of life, so I'm sure that's in the mix, too.
Part of it is a lot of people having to lose a very comfortable lifestyle. You can’t just work a 40 hour week and then walk away and have your personal life. A lot of scrapping and gigs, or jobs that grow to consume 50, 60 or more hours a week (as I’ve noted to Trumpkins mother-in-law, employers don’t give me an iphone and a laptop because they think I’m a prince of a human being).
ReplyDelete