I do not where you got the idea that I disrespect working class folk, because I certainly said nothing that would indicate that do not disrespect people because of the work they do. Journalists and politicos may come close because they are in the business of "making cunts out of their mouths" (as the crowd I was hanging out with in my youth used to say) - but I am well aware that it is a matter of personal integrity not just the occupation.
I think you confuse occupation-related respect with my unwillingness to buy the appeals to pity for those who "just ain't making it" or my dislike of some of the choices some people make or even their lifestyles. They are two very different things. I've met a lot of people from various walks of life and nobody could honestly say that I disrespected any one of them because of their occupation, if any. For the record, I have no personal enemies and there are very few people whom I dislike as persons.
On the other hand, I dislike certain choices some people make in their lives, things they say, or even lives their live. I do not think there anything unusual about that - people have different preferences. Unlike many people, however, I generally do not mix my attitude toward what other people do with their lives with my attitude toward the persons themselves, so I have no problems with having respect for a person while disliking their choices or lifestyles.
In other words, I do not disrespect a person simply because he/she is a farmer, a janitor or even a journalist - even though I would rather not do their jobs for a living. I do not respect a person simply because he lives in a Podunk or suburbs, goes deer-hunting every season, and votes Republican - although these are not life styles that I would ever chose or political choices that I would even make. I do not even disrespect people who are superstitious and hold prejudiced or ignorant views - even though I would not willingly espouse such views. I do, however, have little respect for people who are arrogant, aggressive, inconsiderate of their surroundings and harmful to others - regardless of what their occupational or social status is.
And then there are cultural tropes calling for pity for those "less fortunate" "disadvantaged" those who "just ain't making it." I have very little patience for this literary genre - which is what gets me in trouble on this list. This does not mean that I am incapable of compassion (I am) - it simply means that I have low tolerance for moralizing, con-artistry, theatrical emotionalism, mountebankery, free-riding, orthodoxy, and following the party lines.
I hope this clarifies my attitude toward people of different occupations and people of different walks of life - so next time you want to make a point that some people disrespect people in "menial" occupations, please use a different example.
Wojtek