Manual underdrive

Society mindlessly denigrates the 'work of our hands' | Janie B. Cheaney

Robert Adamo

My nephew once told me he wanted to be an architect. Intrigued by this career choice from an eight-year-old I asked him why. "Because it's a smart job," he said—meaning cranial rather than manual. I'm not sure if designing buildings had any strong appeal for him, but he knew he didn't want to build them.

My generation may have been the first to dream­realistically of escaping manual labor. Our parents grew up expecting to go into a trade or keep a home, but we expected (or were expected) to go to college. Or else—"Do you want to dig ditches all your life?" Sure, plumbing, roofing, and maintenance were respectable jobs, but everybody knew that the real money and success came with a degree. That's why the plumbers, roofers, and custodians worked so hard to send their kids to college.