The sweatier the better

By Te-Ericka Patterson

I love sweaty men.

I'm talking about the men who come home after a long day at work, fingernails all dirty, back aching and head straight for the shower, expecting a good meal on the table when they get out. Baby, I got your fried chicken, and yes, you get the big piece.

I'm so tired of the misconstrued value system that places men with brains above the men with brawn. Those 100-pound account executives who sit up in air-conditionined offices all day barking orders at their personal assistants, while having a hissy fit over a paper cut make me want to gag.

At the end of the day they go home complaining of migraines because they have been working their brain muscles. Poor baby, here's a Tylenol.

The pay scale falls in favor of the intellectual man. He goes to school, reads some books, learns to regurgitate what he has read and upon graduation he is deemed a highly valuable member of society. His salary continues to climb year after year and if he’s savvy enough to manage his money wisely he can retire comfortably without ever breaking a sweat.

The hard working man is overlooked. He is looked down upon because he doesn't wear a suit and tie to work. His expertise as an electrician may get him a smile and a thank you, but not the same respect that a pressed shirt would. Unappreciated and underpaid, the hard working man still rises at the crack of down to do his duty. He doesn't need a title or his name on the door to feel good about himself. He is content to work hard
serving his community so that his family is well taken care of.

Let's learn to celebrate the real men who do the dirty work most of us couldn't or wouldn't do.

What about the garbage men out there early every Thursday morning helping to keep our neighborhoods clean? They deserve some love. Let's not forget the barbers who stand on their feet all day, providing fresh cuts so that our sons, fathers and brothers can step out looking nice. We can't
overlook the warehouse workers on the third shift, who stay up all night packing up the products to ship to the stores that we shop in everyday.

The cab drivers, the construction workers, the firemen and even the security guards at the flea market all play an important role in society. Imagine what would happen if they all disappeared. There would be no one to build those new cabinets in your kitchen. There would be no one to drive the ice-cream truck that delights the neighborhood children. There
would be no one to come to our rescue in sticky situations or no one to man the front lines in the war.

Sweaty men all across the world, I salute you. Your work ethic and tenacity make this a better world for us all.

As Salt n' Peppa so eloquently put it, "What a man, What a man, what a mighty good man."



Sweaty men equal poor men

By Hansen Sinclair


That's all fine and dandy about your preference for a sweaty man, but if your sweaty man would have finished his GED, maybe he wouldn't be at the lower end of the payscale spectrum.

I'm grateful for all the garbagemen, firemen and construction workers out there, but don't be bitter about your jobs, do something about it. It is easier to blame your situation on society and complain than it is to go out and do
something about it.

Yes, getting a degree is hard work, and yes, it is time-consuming. But it pays off. It's like a 'get out of jail free' card. You go straight past 'go' and into the workforce.

Why should those of us with an actual education -- not to say that some of our blue-collar counterparts aren't intelligent -- be chastized and made fun of because we 'wasted' four or more years of our lives trying to better ourselves?

Sure, the economy sucks and we're stuck taking jobs that aren't remotely close to what we studied in college. But having that degree means we're more eligible for any decent positions that may pop up, and are pretty much in control of how far we want to advance in our career.

I hate high school dropouts whining about there not being any jobs that fit their qualifications. Exactly what are you qualified to do? You should have a job that fits your education. Let's see, I think Winn-Dixie is hiring bagboys (and don't break the eggs).

Before I go on, let me take a minute to clarify. If you were born before 1970, this article does not pertain to you. This is directed toward the high school, college and post-college aged individuals who didn't see it in their best interest to do something with their lives and prepare for their future.

Now they are stuck taking what is handed to them. And if I hear one more mother tell her child, "Not everyone is fit for college, so just worry about getting a ˜real job", I'm going on a Hooked on Phonics rampage. Why don't you just tell them what you really mean: "Don't bother graduating Dante, you're too dumb to even spell your name?" Stop planting those negative seeds of doubt in your child's psyche. Encourage the imbeciles...excuse me, children of tomorrow.

On the positive side, some individuals choose a life of blue-collar work. They are good with their hands and cannot be confined to four walls. They are free spirits, more or less. I have no problem with them.Heaven knows I couldn't put out a match, let alone a raging inferno, that's why we have firemen. The only thing I know about cars is that gas goes in
the gas tank and click it or ticket. That's why I'm grateful for the mechanics. Most of the time when I don't feel like cooking I make a run to Micky D's. Thank you burger flippers. You flip so well.

Everyone has their place in socieity, but we ultimately determine where our place is.