![]() For example, sports taught him how to make an argument, weigh different evidence, summarizing the views of others, and correctly entering different conversations. This led to him realizing that his “preference for sports over schoolwork was not anti-intellectualism, so much as intellectualism by other means.” (Graff 1) He says he learned multiple valuable things that helped him in the real world. Graff argued the fact that he had learned just as much about the real world while reading about sports as he would have while reading classic works of literature. Rose’s views are very similar to that of Gerald Graff’s because they are both saying that work obtained without formal education should not draw any negative assumptions about the kind of people that take it on. Society “promotes the muscled arm, sleeve rolled tight against biceps, but no brightness behind the eye, no image that links hand and brain” (Rose 5). Rose states that formal education is not the only way to attain intelligence and that we as a society have to come to realize that intelligence is diverse. They were all learned by observation, trial and error, and physical or verbal assistance from a co-worker or trainer. The tasks that she was required to complete quickly became a part of her muscle memory with experience. He talks about his mother and how he has come to understand that his “mother’s kind of work demands of both body and brain” (Rose 2). Blue-collar workers definitely have to be quick on their feet. Along with the most important condition when it comes to working, time. This is because of the conditions that apply to the blue collar line of work such as cost effectiveness, productivity, efficiency, problem solving skills, communication and much more. ![]() But based on his various experiences and observations, he states that the line of blue-collar work can often require more mental activity than it is credited for. In “Blue-Collar Brilliance”, Mike Rose says that we as a society solely base intelligence on grades and tests. He is basically saying that the hunger for learning about things that interest you is more important than school culture. He explains his belief that “street smarts beat out book smarts in our culture because street smarts are not non intellectual, as we generally suppose, but because they satisfy an intellectual thirst more thoroughly than school culture, which seems pale and unreal” (Graff 1). Graff says that they overlook the potential of street smarts. is that schools and colleges might be at fault for missing the opportunity to tap into such street smarts and channel them into good academic work” (Graff 1). He criticizes schools and says, “What doesn’t occur to us. In “Hidden Intellectualism”, Gerald Graff touches on his high school experiences and explains how as a child, his school of thought was more focused on sports and cars, rather than typical literary works that were taught in classes. After reading these two texts, I believe that these assumptions are unfair because the work involved with blue-collar work is challenging and requires a great amount of critical thinking, along with problem solving. There are many negative assumptions in our society today against blue-collar workers. They highlight that being street smart is beyond important and just as valuable as being book smart. Mike Rose, in “Blue-Collar Brilliance” and Gerald Graff, in “Hidden Intellectualism” both heavily analyze this subject. I knew that they had expected me to say something like “oh, I intern at a hospital” or even “I intern at an investment bank around Wall Street.” Their reaction to my choice of work was the epitome of how society views blue-collar work in a negative light. Their pleasant shock quickly turned to worry and a slight form of pity. I told them I worked at a vegan cheese shop as a food vendor. I told them that I worked, which raised their eyebrows due to pleasant shock. They asked me where I had come home from, since it was pretty late in the day. I remember coming home from work one day to a house full of distant family members from my mother’s side.
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