The White Collar Man vs. The Blue Collar Man

[LBJ Revivalist]

I'm in college, just starting my second semester but am beginning to have doubts...
I like to read a lot, and I don't mean to sound arrogant but literally evertything fed to me last semester was something I already knew or something that could be learned simply by opening a book on your own.

My parents are professional people, Nurses, so I guess a job you could consider white collar ($80,000+ a year in the '90s when they worked)..But no so good personally (my father is a very mean person with alcohol issues and is miserable in his life and my mother has over an d over again enabled him; my father is a Hippie in the old fashioned sense of the word, long hair, sandals the whole bit) and they consider anyone without a degree to be a loser--an almost arrogant attitude.'

I'm expected to get my degree on time and be a little goody two shoes and do everything straight--and I have. I've never done drugs or drank, never been arrested (by the time my dad was my age he had been multiple times)--I'm chastised by my father for having doubts about college and wanting to take time off (for personal reasons) yet he didn't get his Associate's Degree until age 33 and his Bachelor's Degree until age 40...But I'm supposed to do it NOW or get out...But anyway.

I look at the models of their parents--my grandfathers. Both were blue collar men, hard workers who had the opportunity to go to college (because of the GI Bill) but declined and one worked as a Security Guard/Postal Worker and the other a Foreman for the Park's Department, and both loved their jobs and were respected--Yet made crap money. But they nonetheless loved their jobs, made friends there and didn't seek anything more--and they were better people in general
My parents on the other hand, were miserable at their jobs for the large portion of their careers yet made good money--but had personal demons or issues perhaps greater than those of their parents.

Maybe it's just that they came from the whole Hippie materialistic generation, that one's goodness or worth is defined by a degree--As I've said my parents have called those without degrees losers--and maybe it's simply the divide I have with them and that whole generation's mindset--or maybe it's something larger that many overlook in society.

It's just sort of a dillema I face and maybe some of you can relate to...It's not that I don't have regard for intellectualism or knowledge but I think those are things that you can teach yourself by picking up a book or just observing life or interacting with others. I don't think there's too much in college (except maybe Medicine and Physics) that a person of average or above average intelligence couldn't teach themselves if they really wanted to learn and expand their knowledge.

On the other hand, I realize that a degree is a greatly respected thing in our society and leads to a much higher salary....But in many ways it seems it's an ornament to many, like "Look at me, I'm great, I have a degree, you don't, you're not."

It boils down to the question of--what defines success in life? Is it the money you make, the job you have? Does it mean being a professional or college grad? Or can success in life simply be defined by being happy at what you do, even if you're not a rich man by the end? Is wealth  and ''being a success'' really everything there is to life? In my opinion, if that's the whole, most important point of life than life really is just a shallow pool of materialism...And maybe it is, and maybe I'm simply naive.

It's a philosophical sort of question I pose to you and something I've been asking myself since I sort of stand at the crossroads of my own life, being 19....

To put it this way:

Who is the bigger success in life: The rich man who is wealthy beyond imagination yet knows no love and works and lives in misery or the poor man who works hard at a rough job, loves it, is beloved by all he knows and content with himself?

[Lief 🗽]

The former.

[dead0man]

Clearly the second man.  But I think you're under illusions if you think all hard working poor people are happy and have no demons or that all college grads with decent jobs are depressed, selfish and hate their job.  There are depressed selfish asshats everywhere on the socioeconomic scale.

I'm not going to say a degree is worthless, but it certainly isn't as valuable as the adults around me told me it was when I was a kid.

[opebo]

If you think being 'a rich man who is wealthy beyond imagination' is an option for you then you're already living in a fantasy world.

Listen, friend, get serious.  You have got to try to survive.  Just survive. 

[MK]

If you think being 'a rich man who is wealthy beyond imagination' is an option for you then you're already living in a fantasy world.

Listen, friend, get serious.  You have got to try to survive.  Just survive. 

I agree.

[paul718]

It depends on what each guy wants.  If the rich guy gets the most enjoyment out of attaining wealth, then he is a success.  If the poor guy gets the most enjoyment out of being loved by others, then he is a success.

[opebo]

Guys, wealth is not 'attained', and rich people are almost always 'loved' more.

[○∙◄☻¥tπ[╪AV┼cVê└]

There's less of a difference in salary these days. White collar jobs are easily offshored or replaced with H-1Bs. Meanwhile that plumbing job isn't going anywhere. But I don't know if a nurse is exactly white collar.

[paul718]

Guys, wealth is not 'attained',

It magically appears?

You must be logged in to read this quote.

All the more reason to get rich, then.

[phk]

Depends on the person of course.

[Vepres]

The latter. However, there isn't any correlation between hPpiness and education or field of work.

[opebo]

Guys, wealth is not 'attained',

It magically appears?

It is exacted. 

and rich people are almost always 'loved' more.

All the more reason to get rich, then.

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

[opebo]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

Dream on you innocent lad.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

Dream on you innocent lad.

Give it up you lame troll.

[opebo]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

Dream on you innocent lad.

Give it up you lame troll.

Dude, virtually every rich person's father was rich too. If one in a million cases does not fit this format that doesn't change the fact that being rich is not something you can 'become' - it is about as likely you'll win the lottery as 'get rich' by 'efforts' or 'merits'.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

Dream on you innocent lad.

Give it up you lame troll.

Dude, virtually every rich person's father was rich too. If one in a million cases does not fit this format that doesn't change the fact that being rich is not something you can 'become' - it is about as likely you'll win the lottery as 'get rich' by 'efforts' or 'merits'.

Anyone can succeed provided with the social and economic freedom to do so.

[Grumpier Than Uncle Joe]

Anyone can succeed provided with the social and economic freedom to do so.

OMGZ U CAPITALIZT TOOL. 

[Earth]

Anyone can succeed provided with the social and economic freedom to do so.

That's a nice thought, but it's not realistic.

[Obnoxiously Slutty Girly Girl]

Anyone can succeed provided with the social and economic freedom to do so.

That's a nice thought, but it's not realistic.

But of course it is. How do you think the country got to be where it is today?

[Torie]

You can't 'get' rich - you either are rich or you aren't.  It is a class you are born into.

No, its not.

Dream on you innocent lad.

Give it up you lame troll.

Dude, virtually every rich person's father was rich too. If one in a million cases does not fit this format that doesn't change the fact that being rich is not something you can 'become' - it is about as likely you'll win the lottery as 'get rich' by 'efforts' or 'merits'.

Well I can think of about 6 exceptions to that within my clan: my father (well he went from nothing to the top end of upper middle class, so maybe he was not "rich"), my uncle (famous film special effects guy), my aunt (quite successful actress and real estate investor), my cousin, and my cousin's cousin.  And that is just for starters. The descendants of my grandfather's sister on my mother's side are incredibly successful in about 6 instances, and all by virtue of their own efforts. Two are or were senior partners of two of the largest and most powerful law firms in Los Angeles. Another owns a real estate empire of about 6,000 units.

I am not sure you know as much about "rich" people as you think you do Opebo.

[opebo]

Well I can think of about 6 exceptions to that within my clan: my father (well he went from nothing to the top end of upper middle class, so maybe he was not "rich"), my uncle (famous film special effects guy), my aunt (quite successful actress and real estate investor), my cousin, and my cousin's cousin.  And that is just for starters. The descendants of my grandfather's sister on my mother's side are incredibly successful in about 6 instances, and all by virtue of their own efforts. Two are or were senior partners of two of the largest and most powerful law firms in Los Angeles. Another owns a real estate empire of about 6,000 units.

Yes, you come from a rich family, Torie.  No surprise there.

[Torie]

Well I can think of about 6 exceptions to that within my clan: my father (well he went from nothing to the top end of upper middle class, so maybe he was not "rich"), my uncle (famous film special effects guy), my aunt (quite successful actress and real estate investor), my cousin, and my cousin's cousin.  And that is just for starters. The descendants of my grandfather's sister on my mother's side are incredibly successful in about 6 instances, and all by virtue of their own efforts. Two are or were senior partners of two of the largest and most powerful law firms in Los Angeles. Another owns a real estate empire of about 6,000 units.

Yes, you come from a rich family, Torie.  No surprise there.

Well, OK, whatever, but none of the persons I listed did (e.g., my dad during high school had to work nights with his brother to support the family), and notice I did not list myself.

I know it would cause you great mental stress to suffer from the possibility that your little template might be errant, but hey, life is filled with these annoying cognitive dissonances. We just have to keep functioning despite them. Now imagine just how rich you might well be Opebo if you could function as well vertically as you do horizontally?  Did you ever think about that? 

[opebo]

...Now imagine just how rich you might well be Opebo if you could function as well vertically as you do horizontally?  Did you ever think about that? 

I don't 'function' particularly well on any plane - I'm a very ordinary chap as are we all.

However it is worth noting that the poor is required to be able to do something (for the rich) or he will be eliminated.  The rich is not required to do anything.

[phk]

The rich guy of course.