Mike Rowe – the host of “Dirty Jobs” on the Discovery Channel – has collected roadkill, plugged abandoned mine shafts, and recently gave a talk at the 2008 TED conference.
“We’ve declared war on work, as a society – all of us.
It’s a civil war. It’s a cold war, really. We didn’t…we didn’t set out to do it and we didn’t twist our mustache in some Machiavellian way but we’ve done it. And we have waged this war on at least four fronts.
Certainly in Hollywood, the way we portray working people on TV. It’s laughable. If there’s a plumber, he’s 300 lbs. and he’s got a giant butt crack. Admit it, you see this all the time. That’s what plumbers look like, right?
We turn them into heroes or we turn them into punchlines.”
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Thank you to Laurie Ruettimann of Punk Rock HR for showcasing this amazing video!
6 comments
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April 23, 2009 at 5:58 pm
thedailydish
What a wonderful message! Makes me wish I’d been there. When he was talking about the backlash against work and grandfather type employment, I couldn’t help but think of the Art of Manliness website. I don’t know anything about his personal life, but Mike Rowe strikes me as a Real Man. Thoughtful, intelligent, articulate, mannerly, and easy on the eyes.
hayden tompkins says:
Did you know that he sings opera??? Be still my heart!
April 23, 2009 at 7:15 pm
Jacob Duchaine
Yeah, I agree that it seems we as a nation have decided that some of the most vital jobs in the society can only belong to undesirables without taking into consideration that if we do that, far fewer people are going to be willing to do those jobs, and it really will be only the undesirables, and when that happens the society can only fall apart from there.
hayden tompkins says:
Well, hopefully this is an instance in which capitalism will work. (Those jobs end up paying more, thus attracting more people.)
April 23, 2009 at 7:33 pm
positivelypresent
This is so interesting! I hadn’t thought much about this topic, but I definitely will now. I completely agree that there is a sort of war on work. If you think about it, there are so few trade schools and there is all of this pressure for people to go to and succeed at college. But college and that type of learning isn’t for everyone. I happen to be a big nerd who LOVES school and writing and that type of work, but I know it’s not for everyone and I feel terrible for the people who do jobs that are considered undesirable because those people are really needed in society (even if they aren’t shown that or valued the way they should be). Great post! Thanks for sharing the video!
http://positivelypresent.typepad.com
hayden tompkins says:
That is SO TRUE. Secondary education is not for everybody.
April 24, 2009 at 2:04 am
curlywurlygurly
i saw DJ for the first time while i was in florida last week. it was the coolest show!!! it almost made me wish i had tv.
i can’t watch the video right now…my crap-top is acting up. i’ll check back because everyone seems to be enjoying it…so it must be good.
hayden tompkins says:
I hope you get to see it! You wouldn’t want to miss the part about
ripping off an animals testicals with his teeth…never mind.April 24, 2009 at 2:56 pm
Night Writer
We like the Dirty Jobs show, though I haven’t caught it for a little while. I recall that for a time they seemed to be going out of their way to find an excuse for Mike to take his shirt off.
Trade schools are a better option for many people, and it has nothing to do with “smarts”. I’ve been collecting data for some time on the college loan bubble that’s about to burst. A lot of students and ex-students are “under water” on huge college loans with high interest payments that they’ll never be able to gain on at the wages they make (which in most liberal arts cases aren’t much different from trade school grads and may be even lower). That’s on my “someday” posting list (and yes, Hayden, I know what post you’re still waiting for. Someday, Chica – perhaps when we get on the other side of this big wedding that’s coming up!)
hayden tompkins says:
“I recall that for a time they seemed to be going out of their way to find an excuse for Mike to take his shirt off. ”
You say that like it is a bad thing!
Nightwriter, you are preaching to the choir on “underwater on student loans”. In terms of my brother’s development, it was one of the best decisions I ever made. In terms of our finances, however, it’s been a disaster and the main reason I filed bankruptcy.
I know people who continue to rack up student debt because as long as you are an “active student” you don’t have to pay. But can a 30 year old stay in school forever?? It seems completely unsustainable.
April 27, 2009 at 3:55 pm
Night Writer
One way to look at it, Hayden, is that you got more of an education than you bargained for!
hayden tompkins says:
Har!