Saturday, June 28, 2014

Skin Color and Collar Color


A few days after I posted my thoughts on Father's Day, I came across the following ad campaign that illustrates my point in a different way. In trying to expose one kind of backwards thinking, the ad agency responsible for these ads (Publicis, Paris) has unwittingly enforced another kind. After all, who could possibly want to be a lowly Road Worker, a miserable Cleaning Lady, or nasty old Garbage Man (the titles of the 3 ads seen here)?

Hey minorities, how about doing something respectable with your life, like being a stock broker, doctor, or lawyer? Honorable professions that require a college education. Don't waste your time with inferior blue-collar occupations – you know, menial jobs that require physical labor and sweat. Jobs that may even require you to (gasp!) work outside under the sun. What a waste of potential! Do something that people value (especially rich people). Pursue a career that will make you worth something to society (because being human isn't enough). Reach for the stars! Or for God's sake at least try for some kind of desk job.

Everyone can agree with the headline: YOUR SKIN COLOR SHOULDN'T DICTATE YOUR FUTURE. All people should have an equal opportunity to become whatever they want to be, regardless.  But racism isn't the only form of bigotry. Many who claim to be the biggest supporters of racial equality are completely unaware of their classist prejudices – whether based on vocation, education or some other silly category cooked up by academic snobs and white-collar elitists. If an inner-city kid wants to go to Stanford and become a world-class millionaire athlete, OR go to work every day for three decades and retire as a garbage truck driver, how dare anyone say that the latter was a waste. Like I said in my previous post, what one does for a living – whether they "love" their job or not – should be secondary to one's character and commitment to family and friends.





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