To begin, intellectual ability is noted based on degree. Whether it be high school diploma or college degree, it shows much education one has gone through in their lifetime. Graff notes how intelligence is weighted, “We associate the educated life, the life of the mind, too narrowly and exclusively with subjects and texts that we consider inherently weighty” (264). It is evident that Graff identifies how society views what knowledge stems from, texts, subjects, and grades. And the truth is that is how it goes; from preschool to high school graduates, students are constantly graded on a standardized criterion over specific subjects. Graff argues that school systems do not account for how a student is outside of school. Schools need to enforce
…show more content…
A rose is a beautiful flower; yet some view it is a prickly mess and step in on it. Similarly, street smarts and blue-collar jobs hold the world together, yet the majority of people view it to be unwanted. Graff takes on what society thinks as he writes, “What a waste, we think, that one who is so intelligent about so many things in life seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work” (264). Perhaps it is that people are raised with the notion that they are expected to have a formal education with perfect grades. Reality is that those who do not live up to those expectations are overlooked and discarded by society as we focus on those who can actually thrive and succeed. Graff is able to view how street-smart people are intelligent as he too was once in that position. Where Graff could rise above in a conversation over a well-liked topic, he simply could not put it onto paper. Rose is not far from Graff’s views as he notes the history of the stereotypes of blue-collar work, “These assumptions run through our cultural history, from the post-Revolutionary War period, when mechanics were characterized by political rivals as illiterate and therefore incapable of participating in government, until today” (276). Today, mechanics are not looked at to be illiterate; however, several jobs are and it is unacceptable. Imagine back in the day, if a …show more content…
It is boring, dry, and quite frankly, some of his texts are just strange. Now imagine being sucked into a conversation of action: a favorite movie or a debate over the 2016 presidential election. A conversation opens up a world of criticism, debates, and much more. Gerald Graff expands upon this point as he recalls a personal experience, “It was in these discussions with friends about toughness and sports, I think, and in my reading of sports books and magazines, that I began to learn the rudiments of the intellectual life: how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas” (267). Graff makes it evident that talk holds much more than just statements and gossip, but rather it enhances a person’s intellectual thought process. Perhaps Graff is also hinting that a simple conversation over street smarts can lead to more than an analysis of a text ever will, as a conversation is more opinionated. While conversation enhances a person’s “academic” ability significantly, Rose focuses on the restaurant life, more specifically how his mother, a waitress, worked. Rose writes, “Like anyone who is effective at physical work, my mother learned to work smart, as she put it, to make every move count” (274). Rose further goes on to explain just how his mother
A rose is a beautiful flower; yet some view it is a prickly mess and step in on it. Similarly, street smarts and blue-collar jobs hold the world together, yet the majority of people view it to be unwanted. Graff takes on what society thinks as he writes, “What a waste, we think, that one who is so intelligent about so many things in life seems unable to apply that intelligence to academic work” (264). Perhaps it is that people are raised with the notion that they are expected to have a formal education with perfect grades. Reality is that those who do not live up to those expectations are overlooked and discarded by society as we focus on those who can actually thrive and succeed. Graff is able to view how street-smart people are intelligent as he too was once in that position. Where Graff could rise above in a conversation over a well-liked topic, he simply could not put it onto paper. Rose is not far from Graff’s views as he notes the history of the stereotypes of blue-collar work, “These assumptions run through our cultural history, from the post-Revolutionary War period, when mechanics were characterized by political rivals as illiterate and therefore incapable of participating in government, until today” (276). Today, mechanics are not looked at to be illiterate; however, several jobs are and it is unacceptable. Imagine back in the day, if a …show more content…
It is boring, dry, and quite frankly, some of his texts are just strange. Now imagine being sucked into a conversation of action: a favorite movie or a debate over the 2016 presidential election. A conversation opens up a world of criticism, debates, and much more. Gerald Graff expands upon this point as he recalls a personal experience, “It was in these discussions with friends about toughness and sports, I think, and in my reading of sports books and magazines, that I began to learn the rudiments of the intellectual life: how to make an argument, weigh different kinds of evidence, move between particulars and generalizations, summarize the views of others, and enter a conversation about ideas” (267). Graff makes it evident that talk holds much more than just statements and gossip, but rather it enhances a person’s intellectual thought process. Perhaps Graff is also hinting that a simple conversation over street smarts can lead to more than an analysis of a text ever will, as a conversation is more opinionated. While conversation enhances a person’s “academic” ability significantly, Rose focuses on the restaurant life, more specifically how his mother, a waitress, worked. Rose writes, “Like anyone who is effective at physical work, my mother learned to work smart, as she put it, to make every move count” (274). Rose further goes on to explain just how his mother