Comment Re:Re-thinking Skyshadow's comment (Score 1) 884
You're missing the point I was trying to make, which is that social structures shape the opportunities and perceptions of any given group. I'm not saying that individuals can't rise above circumstances, but that these social structures precede the individual presence in the world. Hence the difference in average income in black families and of women in the workforce.
But this is beside my main point, which is that we need to look at the position of technical workers in the established structures of the economy. As their position is (almost) never directly in line with "profit," which is the god of business in our capitalist society (at least as far as the perceptions of managers and laypersons are concerned) they are in a sense seen as secondary citizens. In other words, if there is a problem with "respect" in the industry, don't just whine, look at how it is produced (and re-produced) by societal structures which we reinforce in our daily lives.
But this is beside my main point, which is that we need to look at the position of technical workers in the established structures of the economy. As their position is (almost) never directly in line with "profit," which is the god of business in our capitalist society (at least as far as the perceptions of managers and laypersons are concerned) they are in a sense seen as secondary citizens. In other words, if there is a problem with "respect" in the industry, don't just whine, look at how it is produced (and re-produced) by societal structures which we reinforce in our daily lives.
