Day 19: Physical Labor vs Academics — Why the Judgment Needs to Stop
So I’ve been on a writing break for about a month and have made the startling (not really. I kinda saw this coming) realization that I can’t stop. I did, but I shouldn’t. I stopped because the holidays were busy, (as always) I was working non-stop, I had the next semester to plan for, and (worst of all) my depression was infiltrating every area of my life almost every day. I haven’t had so many bad days in awhile, and it was exhausting just getting up. But looking back at this month, I needed to write. I need the structure, but not just structure that’s demanded of me…structure that I’ve demanded. I need the control, and I’m not sorry to say it. I need the self-reassurance that when my brain is wrecking me in every way, I can still write and voice things. I’m not crazy, but I’ve got problems, and I’m glad to have blogging to work through it.
And one of the problems that certainly fueled the self-hating symptom of depression is one that I’m going to talk about today.
If you ask someone what’s harder, plowing a field or writing a dissertation, nearly everyone will say the former. Difficulty is subconsciously — especially for Americans — measured in physical work. Despite our plethora of esteemed doctors, lawyers, academics, scientists, and teachers, America has an internal conflict where physical laborers and academics are constantly judging and belittling one another’s efforts. This is most often seen when one family — which specializes in workers from one group — has a member seek education or employment in the other group. The mockery and lack of support produces hatred. The hatred produces stereotypes. Why do you think — in media — nerds are always portrayed as weak and helpless? Why are farmers or hired laborers (even in the retail/food businesses) seen as stupid and lazy? Stereotypes. And they have to stop.
In reality, both types of jobs are difficult. Both are necessary. Both are important. If a family of lawyers has a daughter who wants to work in construction or be a physical trainer, they need to give her support and pride that she’s accomplishing what she wants. If a family of mechanics has a son who wants to study music theory or culinary arts, they too need to realize the difficulty of his work and be proud in his accomplishments. And yes, I intentionally switched the gender examples because sexism can play a huge part in how much support your friends and family give you too.
My personal example I’ll keep short, but I want to share it. I live where there’s a university five minutes in one direction and acres of corn farms in the other. The clash between physical and academic laborers is consistent here. My father is a construction/landscaping guy. He works with stone and metal and wood and geometry all the live long day, and he’s very good at it. Unfortunately, his eldest is a girl, and an academic at that (yes, it was made clear to me early on that my gender was an inconvenience). For all of my life, my “nerdiness” mocked and belittled. Reading was a hobby (“That’s probably why you have such bad eyes! Now I have to pay for glasses!”); my appearance didn’t match up (“Short hair and arm flab? You better not turn out to be a lesbian.”); my work was never the real deal (“Well, you better have a REAL job lined up, because no one’s going to hire someone who just reads books and writes little papers.”). And yes, those are all real quotes from him. I’m an adult now, I’ve lived away from home, but each phone call and visit are still filled with reminders that, as an academic, I’m just goofing off.
But here’s my point. None of that helped me. It was all a sad, passive-aggressive excuse at “constructive criticism.” And both academics and physical laborers get it. And both sides shell it out too. No one wins, and there’s a lot of hurt. So if you find yourself buying into these stereotypes, please try to rework your view. Scholars work just as hard as coal miners; farmers work just as hard as teachers; at the end of the day, lawyers and construction workers are both tired. And each of them is important and (hopefully) self-fulfilled.
~River