Shecky, I agree wholeheartedly. I said what I did because it seemed to me, I could be wrong, that T.R.C.C. sounded a bit defensive or embarrassed by being a plumber. I did not want him to be.
I was a carpenter at the studios and I stand in awe of craftsmen/laborers of any kind.
I think we're doing kids these days a disservice by making it seem that getting your hands dirty is low class or to be avoided.
Yep, that's cool. It's a stupid move to dismiss or pre-judge anyone of
any walk of life based on one narrow-minded view. Don't get me wrong - I've met ignorant, ham-handed mechanics who were interested in beer, p***y and hating people not like them, and I've met ivory-tower academics who sneered in a lordly manner at the "less learnèd" who were "too Neandertal" to do advanced study. There's a reason the stereotypes exist: there ARE those kinds of people in certain professions who leave a strong impression like that. That sort of person should be rejected for their own jackassery, not because they fit a prejudiced stereotype.
Anyone who's paid attention to the world around them instead of just listening to canned stereotypes already knows this. No need for anyone in ANY profession to feel shame just because they do a certain kind of job. The only standards for judgement are ones that Robert Heinlein found: "A whore should be judged by the same criteria as other professionals offering services for pay -- such as dentists, lawyers, hairdressers, physicians, plumbers, etc. Is she professionally competent? Does she give good measure? Is she honest with her clients?" The concept sounds racy, but it's just about the best guide to how we deal with people of almost any path in life.
