Workers are taught to criticize each other across an arbitrary income divide rather than have class solidarity. Disdain for low wage jobs becoming disdain for low wage workers is a function of capitalists who constantly push out arguments about how they are "play" jobs for kids and not real jobs deserving dignity. They push this narrative because they receive criticism for the pay and working conditions at these businesses.
Dividing workers is a well-tested strategy for avoiding blame. Splitting up white collar vs blue collar in the same business is the same thing, and don't forget professional managers. The professional managers are also workers but they are employed to surveil the workforce, carry out the owner's interests, and take flak rather than the owner. The white collar workers are built up around propaganda that they are special and better, with compensation to reaffirm this. To enter, you must have qualifications that are mostly a stand-in for socioeconomic status, like an irrelevant college degree. If you have an irrelevant college degree, you operate around the expectation of a white collar job, as you're told that's the qualification that makes you good enough to get that money and specialness. If you're unemployed and are having trouble getting the white collar job, you becomd frustrated, as you thought you were entitled to it.
Anyways I have seen a lot of this attitude among people ascending the academic ladder. They think of themselves as apart from and better than the grocery store worker, or that they're trying to be. Luckily, it can be broken through with discussions and pushing class consciousness, but it is annoying to deal with.
White collar workers have entry level "administrative" positions and temp-worker positions that pay minimum wage or barely above it. People who do data entry, processing, secretarial duties, call centers, etc. are often considered "low skill" as well and kept in cubicle hell. I know a guy who has a college degree in business and still works in one such position full time for only around 35k per year in a relatively expensive state, that's not exactly living high on the hog. The class of middle income white collar college graduate is shrinking rapidly and being automated/offshored, a large percentage of "white collar workers" are working class and barely above poverty line living in a shitty apartment.
So the divide between white collar and educated vs. blue collar and uneducated is faker than ever, as it's not even backed by special compensation for white collars anymore to reaffirm the divide. It's a purely cultural and gender divide, the nerds/girls and the jocks/immigrants (women overwhelmingly work these low income white collar positions).
Yes there's a degree of reproletarianization at hand that is materially breaking down the visible aspects of the divide. The culture is playing catch-up.
Workers in America have developed a very solid consumer identity rather than class identity. That's by design, I think. It's why the most denigrated type of work is fast food service. It puts you on the other side of consuming, the one handing out the treats rather than receiving them.
It's really insidious and a big reason why America needs to go
Workers are taught to criticize each other across an arbitrary income divide rather than have class solidarity. Disdain for low wage jobs becoming disdain for low wage workers is a function of capitalists who constantly push out arguments about how they are "play" jobs for kids and not real jobs deserving dignity. They push this narrative because they receive criticism for the pay and working conditions at these businesses.
Dividing workers is a well-tested strategy for avoiding blame. Splitting up white collar vs blue collar in the same business is the same thing, and don't forget professional managers. The professional managers are also workers but they are employed to surveil the workforce, carry out the owner's interests, and take flak rather than the owner. The white collar workers are built up around propaganda that they are special and better, with compensation to reaffirm this. To enter, you must have qualifications that are mostly a stand-in for socioeconomic status, like an irrelevant college degree. If you have an irrelevant college degree, you operate around the expectation of a white collar job, as you're told that's the qualification that makes you good enough to get that money and specialness. If you're unemployed and are having trouble getting the white collar job, you becomd frustrated, as you thought you were entitled to it.
Anyways I have seen a lot of this attitude among people ascending the academic ladder. They think of themselves as apart from and better than the grocery store worker, or that they're trying to be. Luckily, it can be broken through with discussions and pushing class consciousness, but it is annoying to deal with.
White collar workers have entry level "administrative" positions and temp-worker positions that pay minimum wage or barely above it. People who do data entry, processing, secretarial duties, call centers, etc. are often considered "low skill" as well and kept in cubicle hell. I know a guy who has a college degree in business and still works in one such position full time for only around 35k per year in a relatively expensive state, that's not exactly living high on the hog. The class of middle income white collar college graduate is shrinking rapidly and being automated/offshored, a large percentage of "white collar workers" are working class and barely above poverty line living in a shitty apartment.
So the divide between white collar and educated vs. blue collar and uneducated is faker than ever, as it's not even backed by special compensation for white collars anymore to reaffirm the divide. It's a purely cultural and gender divide, the nerds/girls and the jocks/immigrants (women overwhelmingly work these low income white collar positions).
Yes there's a degree of reproletarianization at hand that is materially breaking down the visible aspects of the divide. The culture is playing catch-up.
Workers in America have developed a very solid consumer identity rather than class identity. That's by design, I think. It's why the most denigrated type of work is fast food service. It puts you on the other side of consuming, the one handing out the treats rather than receiving them.
It's really insidious and a big reason why America needs to go