

They also need to be able to work quickly and efficiently while still providing quality service.

For example, a grocery store cashier needs to be able to handle various types of customer requests and complaints throughout their shift. He goes on to say how people in lower-class jobs are constantly problem solving. Mike Rose begins his essay by describing his mother’s profession as a waitress and how she applied her brilliance to the job (Rose 3). Mike Rose used multiple case studies and real-world examples to explore how the average blue-collar worker is more intelligent than what society gives them credit for. He debunked the contemporary notion that employees who don’t have college degrees are stupid. The author of “Blue Collar Brilliance,” Mike Rose, claimed that because a blue-collar worker is intelligent and capable of participating in a democratic society, they should be included into the political process (Web). We also need to rethink the way we define intelligence, so that we can better recognize and value the abilities of all kinds of people. If we want to create a more just and equitable society, Mike Rose’s work suggests that we need to provide more opportunities for blue collar workers to develop their skills and talents.
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He argues that blue collar workers are often disadvantaged not because they lack ability, but because they lack access to the kind of education and training that would allow them to develop and use their abilities to their full potential. Rose’s work is also significant for what it says about class and opportunity in America. Instead, he shows that practical intelligence – the kind of intelligence needed to solve problems in the real world – is just as important, if not more so. His research challenges the common assumption that intelligence is primarily a matter of abstract reasoning and intellectual capacity. Rose’s work has important implications for how we think about intelligence and ability. In his book, Blue Collar Brilliance, he provides various examples of how blue collar workers are able to solve problems in creative and effective ways. He argues that these workers are often underestimated and that they possess a kind of “brilliance” that is not always recognized. Mike Rose is a sociologist who has studied the problem-solving abilities of blue collar workers.
