Castration of the Blue-Collar Worker
Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent abolitionist and clergyman, once said that “The real democratic American idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him, without hindrance.” Beecher addresses how the American ideal has been skewed and the American people misguided into believing that we all should be on equal footing, believing that no social hierarchy should exist. Instead, Beecher believes that what America offers its people is the ability to fulfill to their greatest ability their utmost potential, while not being held back by the American system but, instead, propelled forward. However, as shown in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, no matter how …show more content…
Just as millions of jobs were displaced in the 2008 recession, aptly termed the “Great Recession,” the American dream faltered alongside the destitute, as hopes and dreams were washed away. Most affected by this Great Recession were blue-collar workers, with the Center for Labor and Market Studies referring to the Great Recession as the “Blue-Collar Depression” (Sum et. al 7). The disproportionate devastation felt by blue-collar workers and those from the lower, or disadvantaged, classes reveals that unlike what Beecher naively wished, there are, have been, and perhaps always will be hurdles that steadily force the disadvantaged to an even lower degree, greatly stripping them of their chances for advancement. Illustrating the devastating effects of the Recession, authors Sum, Khatiwada, McLaughlin, and Palma have found that in the three major blue-collar industries, including construction/manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing--all clearly essential in the daily operations of society--unemployment fell approximately 18 percent, with 4.523 million jobs lost. In the first two-month period of 2010 alone, blue-collar job losses accounted for 54
Henry Ward Beecher, a prominent abolitionist and clergyman, once said that “The real democratic American idea is, not that every man shall be on a level with every other man, but that every man shall have liberty to be what God made him, without hindrance.” Beecher addresses how the American ideal has been skewed and the American people misguided into believing that we all should be on equal footing, believing that no social hierarchy should exist. Instead, Beecher believes that what America offers its people is the ability to fulfill to their greatest ability their utmost potential, while not being held back by the American system but, instead, propelled forward. However, as shown in John Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, no matter how …show more content…
Just as millions of jobs were displaced in the 2008 recession, aptly termed the “Great Recession,” the American dream faltered alongside the destitute, as hopes and dreams were washed away. Most affected by this Great Recession were blue-collar workers, with the Center for Labor and Market Studies referring to the Great Recession as the “Blue-Collar Depression” (Sum et. al 7). The disproportionate devastation felt by blue-collar workers and those from the lower, or disadvantaged, classes reveals that unlike what Beecher naively wished, there are, have been, and perhaps always will be hurdles that steadily force the disadvantaged to an even lower degree, greatly stripping them of their chances for advancement. Illustrating the devastating effects of the Recession, authors Sum, Khatiwada, McLaughlin, and Palma have found that in the three major blue-collar industries, including construction/manufacturing, transportation, and warehousing--all clearly essential in the daily operations of society--unemployment fell approximately 18 percent, with 4.523 million jobs lost. In the first two-month period of 2010 alone, blue-collar job losses accounted for 54