Blue Collar Culture

The culture that I chose to do my research on is the blue collar culture. This culture consists of men and women who perform labor jobs that typically work with their hands. The phrase “blue collar” arose from the traditional blue uniforms that were worn by men who worked manual labor jobs (Scott, 2017). Despite the blue uniforms being obsolete, the term blue collar has stayed alive to classify those who work labor. The blue collar culture consists of different occupations with a wide spectrum of diversity. The most recognized jobs are construction, maintenance, carpentry, assembly, plumbing and heating, typesetting, and truck driving (Gale, 2008). The majority of the blue collar population is males that range from all ethnic backgrounds. In

has been the foundation for building America to where it is today. Our cities, highways, and houses all were all constructed by blue collar citizens. Despite the blue collar person being underestimated for not being “educated”, they deserve full respect for the work that they do. Living as a blue collar worker is not an easy lifestyle. A large amount of workers endure long, strenuous hours working in undesirable conditions. Across the country, despite the variance among the occupations, all blue collar workers experience the same hardships. This lifestyle is not easy according to the testimony of those that have endured this way of life. Often times workers experience stress, fatigue, and depression due to the repetitive tasks that they are given (Hurley). To be apart of this culture there is no set of rules or laws that an individual worker must follow. The main principles that this culture is accustomed to is difficult work and dedication. In a blue collar work environment qualities such as honesty and respect are important. Blue collar workers maintain a very personal relationship to their coworkers. This is due to the sufficient amount of time that they spend with each other. Workers assist each other to accomplish the task at hand. Teamwork is crucial in a blue collar atmosphere because of the challenging tasks that may be present on any given day. This culture thrives by using collaboration, however some blue collar workers do work

If a blue collar worker specializes in a specific trade such as being a mechanic for an example, then generally they will pass their knowledge of that trade their sons. Trade jobs are carried down from generation to generation. Children of blue collar workers might not have the opportunity to be with their fathers as much because of the long hours they work. Blue collar workers occasionally work during the night time to avoid the hot temperatures. Since employees are required to work at night, they sacrifice spending time with their children because they rest during the daytime. This is not true in all cases, but this is a reality for children that do have a blue collar father or mother. Interestingly enough, Children that are raised in blue collar households tend to use more profanity than children raised in white collar homes. The blue collar children also have a higher chance of facing consequences for swearing compared to the white collar