In his article, “Hidden Intelligence,” Gerald Graff puts forward the argument that intellectualism exists not only in academia but in other areas such as in team sports. He starts the piece by talking about conversations he had when he was a teenager, and uses these has a point of reference throughout the rest of the article. Graff’s suggestion is that there needn’t be two factions of individuals: academic and tough. Rather, is it entirely possible that people can be both.
Similarly, in his piece, “Blue Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose argues that, contrary to popular belief, workers of blue collar jobs need a high level of intellect. He lists the ways in which waitresses and builders have to think, analysis and learn. Rose claims to have spent a great deal of time learning about his subject as an adult and speaks with apparent authority. He says, “I’ve since studied the working habits of blue collar workers and have come to understand how much my mother’s kind of work demands of both body and brain.” Rose suggests that we do not assume that blue collar workers are unintellectual, simply because they have a non-academic occupation.
I think that Rose and Graff are both correct to point out that people should not be discriminated against or judged, just because of their occupation. I also agree that there are intellectual aspects to many blue-collar jobs. However I do not agree with the way Rose in particular implies that all people in blue-collar jobs are intellectual. This is untrue.
Works Cited
Graff, G. “Hidden Intellectualism.”
Rose, M. “Blue Collar Brilliance.”
