Blue Collar Brilliance Mike Rose Analysis

In the article, “Blue-Collar Brilliance” by Mike Rose, he begins with an anecdote of his mother working her blue-collar job at a diner as a waitress. Rose vividly describes her common day that is packed with a constant array of tedious tasks she has to accomplish to make her living. The authors goal appears to be making the reader appreciate the hard work of blue-collar workers because society places a stereotype on them as being less intelligent than someone with more schooling or even a white-collar job: “Our cultural iconography promotes the muscled arm, sleeve rolled tight against biceps, but no brightness behind the eye, no inmate that links hand and brain” (282). I agree with Rose’s conclusion that if we continue to place a stigma on

He contributes personal examples and results of clinical tests that argue the misconception of unintelligent blue-collar workers. Rose witnessed the skill and intellect his mother, Rose Meraglio Rose or “Rosie” supplied in order to provide for her family. Especially when Rosie was working in the 50’s of crowded family restaurants, he saw her struggle. Rose observed his mother mastering memory skills to deliver the correct orders and maneuver around her workplace in the most efficient ways. Rosie had to balance many problems on her shoulders, all of which required both mental and physical fortitude. Nonetheless, he still disagrees with the assumption that “Intelligence is closely associated with formal education” (281). Although, this assumption has been implemented throughout history, there are plenty of more social interaction, planning, and problem solving that blue-collars are not credited for. For example, Rose disputes this misconception with the personal study of his uncle, Joe Meraglio. Joe began his journey as a blue-collar after dropping out of the ninth grade to work for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Although he did not receive what most might call a formal education, he eventually joined the Navy

Blue-collar jobs are incredibly diverse; his examples of a waitress, factory assembly line worker, hairdresser, plumber, and carpenter do not accurately represent this class of workers holistically. Rose emphasizes his mother’s and uncle’s work life for much of the article. His observations portray a biased insight of the manual labor his family members would endure. If Rose were to observe and judge non-family members, then their circumstances would permit a separate outcome. If Rose discussed a wider variety of situation with the same prominence as his mother and uncle, this could have been avoided. He just makes the argument for accrediting blue-collars for being more intellectual than the misconception, but if Rose wanted to place the worth of these workers on the same level as professionals of the white and pink collar workers, he does not make the cut in my opinion with the finite extent of information. Rose suggests this when slightly compares his mother, Rosie, to a psychologist, Rose states: “No wonder, then, that Rosie was intrigued by psychology. The restaurant became the place where she studied human behavior, puzzling over the problems of her regular customers and refining her ability to deal with people in a difficult world” (281). This appears to be a ludicrous endeavor to make a common demand of a blue-collar job