Below the Social Radar: Pity for the Overclass

It has been suggested by some that there are lower lifeforms among us. According to the likes of college professors, politicians and the endless string of vapid airheads on TV, these include such things as cockroaches, viruses and rednecks. They look at these things and see lower life forms. I look at these things and see the species which will survive the fallout.

Jeff Foxworthy describes the state of redneck-hood as "a glorious lack of sophistication". Fred Reed defines a redneck as "anyone without a college degree who can hang a door or lube his car." Thus far, I seem to fit into this category.

Foxworthy's use of the word "glorious" is fairly appropriate. A lifelong member of the Great Unwashed, also known as the working class, I relish the freedom of thought and speech afforded me by my blue collar surroundings, and the lack of expectations (or interest) from those who fancy themselves my intellectual betters. Rednecks say what they mean, and mean what they say. Whether or not what they say is in any way accurate is secondary, so long as they mean it. If one has an opinion or observation, he states it. Don't like it? Fuck you, wanna fight about it? If so, let's roll (this doesn't actually happen nearly as much as some people think, not even in Memphis). We like women who look and act like women (as opposed to stick figures who look like whores and act like us). We disregard polite society, ignore fashion trends, and have trouble understanding things that don't make no sense. A bushel of Chesapeake Blues and a case of Sam Adams constitutes "fine dining".

Sometimes though, I forget that others don't always have it so good.

I drive a truck. Few jobs are as emblematic of the blue collar working class (or of rednecks) as that. For the most part, my direct dealings are with other blue collar types: s/r workers, equipment operators, and lots and lots of Mexicans. Still, I do occasionally have to deal directly with the middle class types. Salesmen (excuse me, salespersons), planners, GMs and alike. Invariably, I see guys in polo shirts and khakis. Bad haircuts meant to simulate the hundred-dollar do's of various celebrities. All of the above scream "Look! I paid way too much for this crap at some trendy franchise department store/hair stylist/etc.!" A quick glance over the parking lot will instantly tell you which vehicles belong to which employees. Odds are real good that the polo shirt guy is hopping in the overpriced SUV or wanna-be sports car, and that the forklift operator is driving off in the Chevy pickup. The Hispanic shift leader will likely drive off in the '87 Dodge Ram, with the other 37 Hispanic workers in the back (ba-dum-ching!).

For the life of me, I just can't figure out the middle class types. People who go through four or more years of an overpriced, usually overvalued, education so they can spend the next 40 years in small offices and smaller cubicles doing mind-dulling phone and paper work all so they can...what? Live a prefabricated and static existence in suburbia? Trap themselves under a crushing mortgage on a poorly constructed house with a five square foot yard that looks exactly like every other house in their preplanned development? Overpay for junk of which they have no need?

Actually, I think that last one sums it up pretty well.

So much of what defines the middle class seems to be the principle of consumption for consumption's sake. Mindlessly they pursue whatever useless products the idiot box says are the flavor of the week. For instance, what on God's green earth does anyone need with a multi-disc DVD changer? How many movies do you plan to watch in a row? And is it really so hard to walk over to the machine and change the disc? For that matter, what purpose is served by a $10,000 flat screen TV the size of a small car? If you need a picture that big to see what's going on, I'd suggest a visit to the optometrist, not Best Buy.

Some say that it's all about status symbols. "Look at me, I wasted more money on useless crap than you did!" I'm sure there's some truth to this. Hummer SUVs are neither attractive nor practical vehicles, but their owners do seem to successfully "make a statement" with them, even if that statement is merely "I spent $55,000 on a car." They must be sending these statements strictly to each other, because I can honestly tell you that us working class types, really don't give a shit.

But frankly, I think it's worse than just vanity. They seem to consume junk almost out of desperation, as if they'll be un-whole if they don't have every trendy thing possible. Or worse, if someone else has something they don't. It's as if they're trying desperately to fill some void in their life with products, and are oblivious to the fact that it's not working. I think in large part, this is because the void is imaginary. A clever concoction of those who market the very junk the middle class buys to fill it.

Worse though, I think, than the ever-wanting nature of middle class life, is the ever-regulated nature of middle class life. Codes of conduct, speech and even thought are enforced strictly, albeit implicitly. In the old Soviet Union, saying the wrong thing meant spending the rest of your life in a prison/labor camp in Siberia. Somewhere along the line though, somebody figured out that such draconian measures were counterproductive and unnecessary. Controlling thought via the Iron Fist is a recipe for rebellion, but when done through coercion is nearly fool proof. Openly expressing the wrong opinion about a sensitive issue; stating (or even noticing) the shortcomings of a member of some protected Group; expressing an unappreciated sentiment or thought to an overly sensitive co-worker, can mean the loss of a job, or a promotion. It can result in legal action that can destroy companies and bankrupt individuals. When people have something to lose, they tend to conform, but they don't like it. Hostility born of resentment brews. They feel it, but are powerless to act on it. It brews more.

The purveyors of the Thought Codes are seldom anonymous, though to point them out or challenge them invites similar reprecussions. When I was in high school, and for a year after, I worked on the security staff of a community college near Washington DC. I was a part time employee, which despite working full time hours, meant I was eligible for no raises and no benefits. This didn't bother me, I never intended to make a career out of it. There were three other part timers there, all of whom had seniority over me, who wanted a full time position, which meant a good pay scale and excellent benefits.

Colleges, however, are bastions of political correctness and Thought Codes. When a full time position on security finally did come open, all of the part time units, save for me, applied for it. It was expected that the job would go to the senior part timer, who had been working there for over two years by then. But one of the full timers, who happened to be on the college's Affirmative Action Commitee, complained that there weren't enough women on staff (including the part timers, there were 15 guards total, 13 were men). There were over two dozen applicants for the post, and only two were women, one of whom got the job. Thing was, one of the job requirements was First Responder certification, and while she had once been certified, it was long since expired. Don't get me wrong, it was still a monkey's job, and she could and did perform it just as well as anyone else. Medical emergencies of the type that required such training were extremely rare. Still, the three part timers who applied had their certifications valid and up to date, which made them each better qualified candidates for the job than her. The simple fact was, they had each just been turned down for a job in favor of a lesser qualified candidate, all because they had the wrong genitalia. The boys were not happy.

To their credit, I never heard them blame or begrudge their new female co-worker. For her part, she simply applied for a job, and was hired. She was in no way involved in the politics of the matter. But the fellows had no recourse against the guard who was. The AAC was just about unassailable, and she was well known for her propensity for crying racism/sexism when people said things she didn't like. The men on staff walked on verbal eggshells when she was in the room. The part timers knew that if they complained, they were likely to be charged with sexual discrimination and have punitive action taken against them, which for part timers pretty much meant termination. All three of them were working towards careers in law enforcement, and such a black mark on their resum'es would likely be career suicide. So, they were silent. But resentful. And angry.

The further up the pay scale one goes, the more this kind of scenario seems to be the case. Of course, no matter where you are in the scheme of things, it is always right to be considerate of those around you. But if I have a co-worker who is lazy, or incompetent, and I wind up picking up his slack, when I complain to my supervisor about it, I won't be in fear of losing my job if said co-worker happens to be black, or female, or Mexican, or whatever. Cubicle workers and polo shirt types have to be endlessly mindful of such things.

But, just as I've chosen the life I lead, good parts and bad, they've chosen theirs, though I can't fathom why. But I will continue to feel a slight twinge of pity for the Overclass, even as I flip them the bird, pop the clutch and roll on down the great open road, carrying the freight they sold from the confines of their cubicles.