Insightful Observation – KISSASS

I found an interesting article on Quillette. I encourage you to check it out. Here are a few snippets:

“…I finally hit upon the key to successfully placing an essay about working-class life in a prominent American publication. You’ve probably seen the acronym KISS, which stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. …

…Well, if you’re not a member of the professional class, the key to getting your personal essays published in prominent publications is KISSASS—Keep It Short, Sad, And Simple, Stupid.”

I’ve noticed the effects of this without pondering the cause. There’s never a media presentation of someone who’s happy with a blue collar job. It’s all about how much it sucks. Whether it’s an article about truckers, farmers, Walmart greeters, baristas, teachers, or farmers, journalists invariably play up the toil and suffering.

This, of course, is bullshit. Anyone who’s been around blue collar work knows it’s a mix of good and bad just as it is for white collar. Work is work but it isn’t like we’re galley slaves. Life for blue collar workers has gotten better with time too. A harried Amazon warehouse worker in 2019 may bitch about his or her job but it’s not like they’re a coal miner in 1907.

I hadn’t paid much attention to the pattern. I just chalked it up to clueless journalists having no experience whatsoever about the actual world of work. Us nobodies often have pretty great lives but “journalists” are initially too busy preening to notice and, in the long run, too arrogant to learn. But to the author has a more realistic explanation and it makes sense. Why the “short and sad” narrative all-pervasive? It’s the approved narrative:

“If you read about a working stiff in the pages of the New York Times, you’re almost certain to find it a downbeat experience. The working class in America are burdened with long hours of hard work for miserable pay. Which is why they are all so angry all the time. Or hooked on anti-anxiety medication. It’s why they are prime targets for populist nationalists like Trump. That, at least, is the conventional wisdom. This type of journalism becomes a self-replicating phenomenon.”

So there you have it. Every article about blue collar work blathers on about how miserable we are, and now we know the source of it. Kevin Mims, the author of the Quillette piece, has made a clear observation of truth. He’s onto something. Well done sir!