Old-School Labor Values

Ever since reading Limbo by Alfred Lubrano, I've wanted to do a post on old-school labor values. "Old school" is a phrase I hear a lot of in my local. It's a phrase I've heard all my life. I always knew that whatever I did or became in my life, I wanted to be "old school". I consider it an honor to be described as such.

What are old school labor values?

• your fate is inextricably tied up with that of your family and your community


• "family" is not limited to the nuclear family. "family" means extended family as well


• you have an obligation to your ancestors and your descendents


• life is struggle; viva la lucha!


• hard work is noble. your work is a part of you. take pride in it


• stoicism; endurance; strength; "toughness"; courage; loyalty; respect


• you have intrinsic worth as a human being. you are not what you own. you are what "they can't take away from you." what do you really own anyway? you own what you take with you when you die--your good name, your reputation, your respect. what people remember of you, what they say of you when standing around your casket--that's yours.


• remember where you came from; remember who you are


• you have the right to reap the benefits of what you sow. if a job is worth doing, it's worth paying someone a living wage to do it. to pay a sub-living wage is to deny a person his or her human dignity. one should not have to have their hand out for charity at the end of the work week.


• pretentiousness is a cardinal sin (or at least, worth ridicule!)


• justice. good should be rewarded and evil should be punished


• consistency counts. hypocrisy is also a cardinal sin (and worth contempt)


• your word is your bond. say what you mean, mean what you say


• action speaks louder than words. your actions show what you really believe


• old people are to be respected. one should have a lot of contact with one's elders


• thankfulness. gratitude for the gifts one has been given and the simple pleasures in life

along with these, I would add:

• if you didn't earn it through your own effort, you don't deserve it.

there is a natural disrespect for laziness, but the brunt of this attitude is really directed at the silver spoon set; slackers are despised, but less so than the aristocracy.

• women and men deserve equal status as human beings.

this is probably controversial, but this is a statement that bears consideration. There is a myth that working-class men are more sexist than the "middle class" (really, upper middle class, since folks one paycheck away from being on the skids will merrily refer to themselves as "middle class"). Without getting into a long discussion on "what constitutes sexism", which several long posts couldn't do justice, I hold that working-class men are less sexist than their middle class counterparts. And not just due to necessity. Maybe it's because I just got done reading The Da Vinci Code, but I think this is a vestige of dare-I-say-it? pagan beliefs. Or maybe it's the way my sicilian ancestors practice catholicism. Or maybe because one of my family names is Pagano. But women have never been devalued in the ancient "pagan" (meaning, peasant; i.e., the ancient working class) way of knowing. Carnivale is still celebrated, the Day of the Dead is still celebrated, and working class men still respect women. Viva these traditions!!

• personal responsibility is necessary. you gotta take the bad with the good. you earn respect by enduring hardships and meeting obligations. but along with this, your community has an obligation to you. the social contract works both ways.

"One for all and all for one." Empires fall when this idea is abandoned. If enough people---a critical mass---are abandoned, ultimately you are abandoning yourself. The old school recognizes a mutual responsibility.