Gerald Graff’s article, “Hidden Intelligence,” puts forward the argument that intellectualism exists not only in academia but in other areas such as in team sports. There is substance to his theory of team sports being intellectual. However, this probably only applies to sports at a high professional level. In school rugby, for example, there are possibly several members of the team who are required to do a large amount of thinking and analysis. However, there are some team members who, it is generally accepted, are there to throw their weight, and very little else, into the game. While this text was interesting, it wasn’t overly convincing.
Mike Rose’s “Blue Collar Brilliance” discusses the intellectualism required for blue collar jobs such as waitressing and construction. I certainly agree with some of what Rose says. I know people who display blue collar brilliance. However, to me this seems to be a term which simply means someone being efficient at their job, perhaps because they have been in it for a long time and know their trade well. In the opening of the piece, Rose talks about his mother’s proficiency as a waitress. 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 does not mention, however, how long it took for his mother to learn how to be such an effective waitress. Perhaps the speed at which a person learns something needs to be taken into account in assessing this argument. Furthermore, I found Rose’s glorification of basic maths and literacy to be patronising.
Works Cited
Graff, G. “Hidden Intellectualism.”
Rose, M. “Blue Collar Brilliance.”
