[lbo-talk] School Debate: Central Focus

[Wojtek S]

Sean: "These two are joined by the fact that working class jobs - crafts and
other sorts of labor - are not culturally prized in the US because
they aren't seen as intellectual or worthy of middle class salaries or
existence.  "

[WS:]  I realize that, of course, but I come from a different cultural
environment (Europe) where skilled "manual" labor was highly prized.
My grandfather was an electrician (and a card-carrying Communist who
remembered listening to Lenin in person in St. Petersburg in 1917) and
many of my childhood friends went into vocational schools and
explicitly rejected the value of college education.  My best buddy and
role model while I was in high school, was a guy who trained to be a
welder, and my significant others came, for the most part, from the
working class background.  More importantly, I met many blue collar
workers whose level of political sophistication was was higher than
that of college graduates.  I also understand that skilled manual
labor is highly respected in Germany and Sweden as well.


>From my pov, the "manual" labor can be as if not more intellectually
challenging than many white collar jobs.

Wojtek