Yes I think they probably are, and I think this is because of a few reasons:
- The majority of people in developed countries work in the service sector, and not in blue collar jobs. As is the case with most things in society, if a group is in the minority, they are usually victimised. It's a sad but often true fact of capitalist society.
- I also believe class factors have a huge role to play in this trend. People who work blue collar or manual labor jobs are far more likely to be from a working class background than say a banker or lawyer is. As is the case in most societies, the people in the lowest class are often denigrated for simply being part of that class.
- I think there is also simply a 'snobbish' element to it. The nature of blue collar jobs means that your prone to get your hands dirty. Which is something that people look down upon these days - they see it as dirty, and unsophisticated work.
This is a shame because for years blue collar jobs were the core of a developed nation's economy. With the rise of the Eastern 'tiger' economies and a shift towards service-based economies in the West, the number of people in these roles has dwindled. Making them an easy target for unfair criticism and denigration.
