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Blue Collar Labor In Mike Rose's Essay

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Mike Rose’s essay examines the common belief that blue collar labor is inferior to white collar, educated labor. Rose details his mother’s work as a waitress and his uncle’s job as a factory supervisor. He explains how his mother and uncle used multifaceted maneuvers to increase productivity, how each created their own language to facilitate output, and how each has a vast knowledge of the human psyche to enable positive yields in their work environments. Rose uses these details to support his belief that blue collar labor is in fact a highly complex, ingenious, and clever minds that are undervalued.

Rose’s essay caused me to reevaluate my view of blue collar labor. I bought into the view that an educated man is a better man that

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