Probably gonna be my final typical ≠ stereotypical post, but… here’s something from decidedly non-kinky policy blogger Kevin Drum from Mother Jones
Just to remind everyone, here’s the list of jobs from yesterday that I found a bit odd:
- Fisherman
- Teacher
- Ferry boat driver
- Hydroelectric mechanic
- Rancher/Rodeo organizer
- Minister
- Barber
- Tribal chief
- Cinematographer
- Football coach
- Peanut farmer
- Boutique owner
- Blackjack dealer
- Bing Kong elder
- Case manager at refugee agency
- Barbeque owner
- Manager at lunch meat manufacturer
- Hotel worker, aspiring comic artist
- Oil field worker
- Airplane mechanic
- Volunteer hotline operator for transgender peer support
- Bakery operations manager
- Border patrol agent
- Wildlife biologist
Surprisingly, you guys figured out pretty quickly what was strange here. After circling around the answer a bit, commenter clawback got it: “Seems like office work is grossly underrepresented here.”
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Now, if your goal is to take pretty pictures and produce interesting vignettes, it makes sense that you might skip right past all the office jobs. But this kind of thing happens a lot, especially in pieces about what “real people in the heartland” are thinking these days. And that’s where it’s really annoying. I’m too lazy to look this up, but I’d guess that something like a quarter to a third of the workforce is made up of urban and suburban office workers: accounting clerks, web designers, paralegals, tech writers, telemarketers, stock brokers, financial analysts, DMV clerks, copy editors, etc. To read all these stories about wildlife biologists and tribal chiefs and barbeque owners, you’d think that all these ordinary 9-to-5 jobs either didn’t exist or were beneath notice.
Workplace surveys suggest that the majority of jobs in America – nearly 80%!!! – are sedentary or require only light activity. Meaning the majority of jobs in America rarely wind up in photo essays of “Americans at work.”
Same with kink, orientation, identity, sex-assignment, fantasies…
Chances are when it comes to your kink you’re not an “outlier.” Same if you’re a Dom in the Mister Rogers sweater. Same with the Sub you met who’s a drill seargent. Same if you’re a Little in the wheelchair. Same with your exhibitionist friend who always wears a hoodie and sweatpants. Don’t sell yourself or anyone else short!
Visibility ≠ authenticity; typical ≠ stereotypical
