Isn’t it strange how very often a person is judged on the job that they do, or profession they choose. It even categorizes what ‘class’ you belong to.Very often, even now,when participating in any sort of consumer study or market research, the question is always asked as to, either the occupation of the ‘head of house’ (at least it is not assumed now that will automatically be a male) or the income of the main breadwinner, in order to determine which socio-economic group or class to slot people into.

People can be so snobby and superior if they don’t consider your job to be worthwhile or, if it required little or no qualifications, they assume that perhaps you must be a cretin and therefore unworthy of their attention. Mr Grump used to clean toilets a couple of years ago before his current job as a driver. (I may have mentioned before, but he is a trained and qualified chef, but after many years of stress and shift work, decided he wanted to do something different). I am an Associate Nurse  (not a Registered Nurse, I studied for 2 years not 3 as they do).

Anyway, the reason I mention it , is when we have met people and told them what we did for a living, we could see the disdain, and desire in them for a quick getaway to move on to someone else more interesting. (After all, we can’t be very clever if one of us cleans toilets and the other isn’t even a proper nurse)! Next time we got asked what we did for a living, we rather truthfully, but bluntly replied, “clean up other people’s shit”! If you are going to get a reaction, make it a good one!

I feel sorry for the stay-at-home-mums as well. Regardless of their skills, experience, knowledge and training, they have somehow, turned into an empty-headed, muzzy brained, frazzled mum, who does nothing all day but play with their kids and watch trash TV! Oh wouldn’t that be lovely if only it were true! What a bloody insult to be written off, as a non-entity who has nothing to talk about other than how well little Johnny is doing with his potty training, or how to treat cracked nipples when breastfeeding!

By the same token, people very often respect others with nice,trustworthy. middle class jobs, like doctors for example. (Ever heard of Dr Harold Shipman, one of Britain’s, if not the world’s, most prolific serial killers?) Oh yes, lovely man to have at a party. Just don’t introduce him to your wealthy elderly  aunty, or you might find that she meets an untimely demise under his expert ministrations! (Yes I know he killed himself now,but you get the point)!

So many swindlers, con men and fraudsters have supposedly ‘good’ jobs or are in respectable professions, just as there have been some awful abusive, spiteful and cruel people in ‘caring’ roles.Look at the dishonest Politicians,and their fake expenses claims,not to mention the philandering that goes on(and ends up in the Sunday Tabloids), What about the fat cat bosses and their huge pay rises? It is not  necessarily a safe assumption to base a person’s character on the nature of their work.

What do you think? Are you happy being judged on what you do, as opposed to who you are?

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