Barbara J. Hamby

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Respect Revisited

The results of a recent Gallup survey of teenagers are, in my opinion, quite noteworthy. They were asked about their career preferences. The combined top ten choices for both boys and girls were enumerated. To my surprise, teacher was No. 1, just above doctor and lawyer. Secretary didn’t make the top ten (not even with its fancy title of administrative assistant), nor did any type of skilled labor. Those two were the top of the female and male lists, respectively, in 1977. Athletics (sports field) is a new category in the top ten this year.

In this latest survey, girls chose teacher, lawyer, doctor, nurse, fashion designer, scientist/biologist, author/writer, veterinarian, artist, and medical field (e.g. lab technician.)

The boys’ choices were sports field, medicine, architecture, engineer, teacher, businessman, lawyer, military, science/biology and computers.

Who is going to repair the cars and the plumbing for these kids when they grow up? And who will be the paper pushers? Those jobs are difficult to out-source.

I can understand why secretary wasn’t included in the survey results, having spent half of my career in that position. It was no surprise to me when I found it near the top of a list of most stressful occupations. Secretaries must often cover for their bosses who give them little respect. Some of those bosses, themselves, are unworthy of respect.

A poem I wrote several years ago tells the story of the boss, now deceased, who introduced me as “My sexetary. She does good work, but she wears her skirts too long.”
Enough said.

It appears to me that, in our culture, skilled laborers are not accorded the respect that many an inept professional receives.

This year’s list of career choices still includes many high paying categories, but more notable is the fact that most of them are highly respected. Lawyers are maligned at length in jokes on the internet and television, but when someone gets in trouble, whom do they rush to call? Athletes, to my disgust, receive adulation as well as obscenely high salaries for playing games.

A poem my parents recited, which I can’t remember exactly, listed all the many moral choices that the poet would not allow her/himself to do.  I think there was the claim: “I’ve never been kissed,” among others.

The last line I do remember, “But, by heck, I’m respected.”