Art

I care.

2012-02-22T01:30:00.003-06:00

Middle-Class ... Working-Class

2012-02-19T21:14:00.003-06:00

"That middle-class students will go to college, strive for professional jobs, and live in typical, middle-class neighborhoods are matters that are clearly assumed by both the general population as well as by social researchers who are for the most part middle-class themselves."

Peter Kaufman-

Middle-Class Social Reproduction

As a young child my family was a working class family. My father was a mechanic and my mother stayed at home and raised the kids; three of us. Through his experience and connections my father was able to move into management and get a bigger salary. During the mid 1990's we enjoyed a typical suburban middle-class life because of what my father did for a living. As a middle-class family we would go on vacations every summer, we had toys, life was good. After dad lost his job and couldn't find another one, he got sick and was gone in less than 3 years. Mom had to go back to work and we had to down-size. There are a lot of 'could'a, would'a, should'a' moments but things went the way they went and it's useless to dwell on what might have been.

We are working-class and proud of it. As a working-class man I have done my best and gone into a great deal of debt to strive for college; completing seven, soon to be nine years of college. I am still striving for the professional job and the white picket fence, 2.4 kids.... maybe not in a middle class neighborhood, but.... One day I might find it and I might be able to provide a life like I had for my own family. Until then...

Matriarch Patriarch

2012-02-15T01:38:00.002-06:00

Roles

I come from a strong family. A family run by the women and backed up by the men. My grandmother ran the show and was the glue that held the extended family together. When she passed away the family never fully recovered. I was lucky to experience the kind of family that a strong relationship produces. In my later experiences I see that our family was an anomaly; nobody in our family ever got divorced. My parents actually loved each other and I know that it was the same for all of my aunts and uncles as well. There is no denying that there were problems, disagreements and disappointments... we had plenty of ghosts in the closet like any other family. But, no matter what, we were all kept in line and put on the right path by strong female leadership that was backed by a strong male presence.

I am not saying that this is what you must have in order to become a whole person. The definition of "family" can mean many things all of which can work if the members put forth an honest effort to make it work. This is where I came from, my experience.

Power Over Others

2012-02-14T00:21:00.003-06:00

Possession of objects without responsibility can lead to a sense of entitlement.

John

2012-02-11T21:26:00.005-06:00

John- "I thought I was having psychotic experiences. We were walking down the street... and there is a house down there with sunflowers out front; there is a girl out front playing with her dog or something.... the little girl goes running up to the front of the house, yells in the front door, 'Daddy, Daddy the Jews are coming down the street!'"

Me- "But, you're not Jewish, are you?"

John- "No, well, we have a Mezuzah on the front door that a friend of ours gave us... A couple weeks later I am pulling out of the Marathon station [and the preachers kid, who lives down the street], he's walking by the meat market and he looks at me and goes, 'Hey Jew!'."

Me- "How do people even know [the Mezuzah is] there?"

John- "All this started after we hosted the block party, and people went in to use the bathroom."

Me-"Did anyone ask you what it was for?"

John-"No, the only people that have asked are friends that we have known before we moved here."

I interviewed John in his home in Wheaton. If you are not familiar with Wheaton, it is located in the western suburbs of Chicago. Wheaton is the home of Wheaton College (an evangelical college that only recently allowed it's students to have a dance) and more churches per square mile than any other town in the country. It has been the seat of the Republican party in Illinois for years and is a very conservative community.

After hearing about John's experiences I came across this clip of Louie C.K. on Conan and found it to be an appropriate addition to the conversation. I was amazed by what these children had said to John and began to wonder how a child learns to speak that way to or about an adult or even another person. You don't look at a child and expect bigotry; in my mind bigotry can only be indoctrinated by an adult. While the clip of Louie C.K. is humorous it is also frightening that this kind of racial intolerance is still around. There is no doubt that the parallels are there and it didn't feel like too much of a stretch to put the two vignettes together.

How do you feel about these cases?

What are your experiences?

Iteration 20

2012-02-07T21:26:00.005-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 19

2012-02-07T21:26:00.001-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 18

2012-02-07T21:25:00.006-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 17

2012-02-07T21:25:00.004-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 16

2012-02-07T21:25:00.001-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 15

2012-02-07T21:24:00.004-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 14

2012-02-07T21:24:00.002-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 13

2012-02-07T21:23:00.008-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 12

2012-02-07T21:23:00.006-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 11

2012-02-07T21:23:00.004-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 10

2012-02-07T21:23:00.002-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 9

2012-02-07T21:22:00.001-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 8

2012-02-07T21:21:00.006-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 7

2012-02-07T21:21:00.004-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 6

2012-02-07T21:21:00.002-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 5

2012-02-07T21:20:00.005-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 4

2012-02-07T21:20:00.003-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 3

2012-02-07T21:20:00.001-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 2

2012-02-07T21:19:00.002-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Iteration 1

2012-02-07T21:18:00.001-06:00

Guy walks into the store.

He is greeted by the clerk, "hey, how ya doin'?"

"Twenty on five." says the Guy.

"Sure."

Guy walks out.

Some of us are Warm, some of us are Cool

2012-02-05T19:44:00.001-06:00

This White Collar existence is crippling me.

I can't work anymore.

Middle management is a hard place to be.

You don't belong to either side.

The middle is tough.

Advantage < Disadvantage

When I was a boy ...

2012-02-02T22:38:00.000-06:00

...my hero was my father.

Now I am a man and he still is.

Who had a positive influence in your life?

Relationships

2012-02-01T23:28:00.001-06:00

Some of us are warm and some of us are cool.

Do we pay attention to differences more than we do similarities?

How do I compare to you?

Feeling Nostalgic... up too late.

2012-01-28T01:07:00.002-06:00

Tires

Serendipity

Back Yard

Ashley

Tony

Rochelle

Mike Patton

C.O.D. in the Fall

Belleau Woods

2001

2004

Before

Graphite

Chalk Pastel

Conte

Graphite

Wires

...

Lights

Tower

Ground

Cell

Tree House

Iris

Kaitlin

Drive

2012-01-25T00:08:00.001-06:00

Throttle

Farmer

2012-01-19T23:31:00.002-06:00

Watseka, Illinois

The Archives

2012-01-19T21:10:00.000-06:00

Identification

If you dig deep enough

2012-01-19T00:38:00.000-06:00

This is important...

2012-01-17T23:18:00.000-06:00

...this means something.

Leisure

2012-01-15T20:26:00.000-06:00

Weekends

Won't Start

2012-01-15T18:33:00.000-06:00

Towed In

Up Too Late

2012-01-10T02:19:00.002-06:00

The Archives

2012-01-10T00:29:00.002-06:00

Identification

It's My Stuff

2012-01-08T22:40:00.000-06:00

I need it.

End of the Rope

2012-01-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

Hold on...

Standards

2012-01-03T22:31:00.000-06:00

How do you measure a person's worth?

Well...

2012-01-03T13:14:00.002-06:00

The Archives

2012-01-01T21:43:00.002-06:00

Identification

The Archives

2011-12-30T23:24:00.000-06:00

Identification

Displayed

2011-12-30T01:37:00.000-06:00

Objectified

up on the wall

Tom Thumb

2011-12-30T00:56:00.000-06:00

The Hardest Working Man Around

Union

2011-12-28T22:52:00.000-06:00

At Work

On Strike

Up on a Pedestal

2011-12-26T23:21:00.000-06:00

A Change is Coming

2011-12-25T20:30:00.001-06:00

Probably won't be pretty.

Automation

2011-12-22T23:05:00.000-06:00

The Archives

2011-12-21T23:07:00.000-06:00

Identification

Power Relations

2011-12-21T21:22:00.000-06:00

Manager

Unqualified

2011-12-21T17:27:00.001-06:00

All Thumbs

I Work Outside

2011-12-20T21:24:00.000-06:00

The Archives

2011-12-18T16:16:00.000-06:00

Identification

The Butcher

2011-12-17T23:10:00.001-06:00

Beef

2011-12-15T21:52:00.000-06:00

Turn off the lights when you leave.

Dig in

2011-12-14T22:13:00.001-06:00

Plant the post.

It's Clogged

2011-12-14T16:18:00.000-06:00

This worked last time.

In the Fields

2011-12-13T21:56:00.000-06:00

Put the pile over there.

The Archives

2011-12-13T20:53:00.000-06:00

Identification

Cut it up

2011-12-13T18:52:00.000-06:00

Tin Snips

The Archives

2011-12-13T00:52:00.000-06:00

Identification

Balance

2011-12-13T00:51:00.000-06:00

Doesn't quite add up.

The Archives

2011-12-11T22:39:00.000-06:00

Identification

Slacker

2011-12-11T21:28:00.002-06:00

I got nothin'.

Gears

2011-12-11T16:48:00.000-06:00

You are only limited to your own imagination.

The Hooks

2011-12-07T23:18:00.000-06:00

You can still use them to pick up heavy shit.

Throw them over by the forklift.

The Archives

2011-12-06T00:26:00.002-06:00

Identification

Lots of cutting to do today.

2011-12-05T01:10:00.000-06:00

It's my lucky saw.

You knew it was coming sooner or later.

Your Cutting Tool Specialist...

2011-12-04T15:49:00.000-06:00

The first one is important,

2011-12-03T23:59:00.001-06:00

it really sets the tone.

The Archives

2011-12-03T19:48:00.000-06:00

Identification

The File

2011-12-01T01:14:00.000-06:00

Use the rough side first to get rid of the big chunks.

It was the first day

2011-11-30T23:03:00.000-06:00

He was prepared, he was always prepared.

The Archives

2011-11-30T01:23:00.002-06:00

Identification

He felt...

2011-11-29T23:28:00.000-06:00

...completely out of place.

That wasn't suppose to happen.

The Archives

2011-11-28T23:45:00.000-06:00

Identification

The Archives

2011-11-27T23:34:00.000-06:00

Identification

The Archives

2011-11-27T22:09:00.000-06:00

Identification

I worked hard for this.

2011-11-27T21:31:00.000-06:00

Now I am going to put it to use.

Playing Cards

2011-11-27T17:04:00.000-06:00

Five of Diamonds

Six of Diamonds

Seven of Diamonds

This is Not a Drill

2011-11-26T23:36:00.000-06:00

Playing Cards

2011-11-26T00:28:00.000-06:00

Two of Diamonds

Three of Diamonds

Four of Diamonds

Ace of Diamonds

It's a job.

2011-11-25T00:56:00.000-06:00

Someone has to do it.

Fuckit

2011-11-24T01:17:00.002-06:00

"Go get a job, right after you take a bath."

Newt Gingrich

There is always something to do...

2011-11-23T00:09:00.000-06:00

...pick up a broom.

Sometimes...

2011-11-22T19:27:00.000-06:00

You find out the hard way.

I used my magnet

2011-11-21T01:08:00.003-06:00

To pick it up.

Repetition

2011-11-20T16:26:00.000-06:00

You just get used to it.

Yep...

2011-11-20T00:15:00.001-06:00

I fixed the car.

Work

2011-11-16T22:41:00.002-06:00

Screwdriver

Hammer

Drill

We did everything they told us to do....

2011-11-16T22:32:00.000-06:00

Why doesn't it work??

Pinwheel

2011-11-16T01:50:00.000-06:00

Inventory

2011-11-13T22:03:00.000-06:00

He worked it over a bit...

2011-11-12T23:43:00.000-06:00

...in his hands; it didn't hurt much,

his hands were used to the punishment.

Worked Holidays

2011-11-11T22:30:00.003-06:00

At straight pay

W[hol]e

2011-11-10T00:30:00.000-06:00

Body - Mind - Spirit

Sabotage

2011-11-10T00:26:00.002-06:00

I don't like working here...

I am going to put things away in the wrong place and then,

I am going to make you think I put them away in the right place.

That will teach you.

Dedicated Super Hero #1

2011-11-09T00:55:00.001-06:00

Mr. Challenge felt bold in his new uniform