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Most active thread in this forum (aside from those GD affordable housing threads), is one for DSNY.
Cannot think of anything more "working class" than a garbage man, but reading that thread it is clear most of those guys (who have been on the job any given period of time anyway) are far from that as you can get. Otherwise why would everyone and their mother be trying to get into Sanitation?
OTOH most of those private carting guys truly fit working class if not down right busted/working poor. I've *NEVER* seen DSNY take food from garbage bags they collect, but those private guys do it all the time. They are right up in there with dumpster divers/homeless taking stuff out of bags and putting it on side of truck/inside cab. Heck one night a few weeks ago a truck stopped in front of an UES food place, backed up, guys got out to fetch some chicken from garbage bags, got back in their truck and drove away.
If you're so busted even when working, that isn't working class but straight up poor.
I've read somewhere that nurses are considered 'pink collar' or even white, rather than blue collar.
Posted link above; teaching (k-8), nursing, waitress, beautician, secretaries, etc... are all considered "pink collar" jobs, a subset of working class.
Mind you that all came about because historically such positions paid very low wages. However today professional nurses in NYC start (in hospitals anyway) at low $70's to a bit above $90k. In other parts of USA such as CA experienced nurses can (and do) pull six figure salaries.
Hairdressers, beauticians or whatever you want to call them both guys and women can also earn *VERY* good livings.
Again with this; class structures are constructs. It doesn't matter what you call someone, nor has it in decades.
As myself and others have pointed out numerous times throughout this tread many of those you people call "working class" could buy and sell half (or more) of the people posting on this forum ten times over, and still get back change.
Go out to large parts of SI, certain places in Brooklyn, Queens and Bronx, and you'll find plenty of "working class" households that *own* (not rent) their home or homes, have two or more rides (largely all paid for), kids in private schools, etc.... You don't see them here moaning and obsessing about "affordable" housing lotteries and other hand outs do you?
Some of you seem to have latched onto "working class" to equal working poor, they aren't the same thing at all.
I don't know how many times I can say this: class is not just about noney.
Back to the original topic, how exactly did Brooklyn retain such a population?
The majority of white people South of Prospect Park are Eastern European immigrants and Orthodox Jews. It's not the 70s anymore.
Don't let the good taste fool you; plenty of those "Eastern European" immigrants and Orthodox Jews have money; they are just crafty as eff in hiding it so can get various welfare or other government benefits.
Case in point Orthodox Jews being economically displaced out of certain areas of Brooklyn are flooding onto SI and parts of NJ buying homes. Many times often harrassing local property owners by showing up on doorsteps with bags of cash asking to buy someone's house.
Don't let the good taste fool you; plenty of those "Eastern European" immigrants and Orthodox Jews have money; they are just crafty as eff in hiding it so can get various welfare or other government benefits.
Case in point Orthodox Jews being economically displaced out of certain areas of Brooklyn are flooding onto SI and parts of NJ buying homes. Many times often harrassing local property owners by showing up on doorsteps with bags of cash asking to buy someone's house.
But economic class is only about money. What else would "middle" or "poor" be referring to?
No, it's not. One can be working class and have a decent salary, own a home, etc.
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