what do you americans mean by "blue collar people"??!?

Answer 1

Blue collars work; white collars manage.

Answer 2

Well to me blue collar means working at a job that doesn't require a college degree. Generally referring to factory workers. I think it is a rude put down to say blue collar. Now I have 10 years of college and am a dentist I would be called white color. I think that is equally wrong. The implication of blue is of poorly education and less intelligence. That is very wrong also. I was raised that there was no doubt I would only be white collar Also raised to not interact with blue collar people. That is WRONG as an adult I don't think or act in those terms.

Answer 3

Blue-collar workers are pretty much people who work for an hourly slary. This is probably from the fact that so many wage jobs have uniforms, and at one time, were blue. White collar workers are people who are paid an annual salary, not matter how many hours they work. This is probably because these people often wear white, button down shirts, with a white collar.

Answer 4

In the United States, a blue-collar worker is a member of the working class who performs manual labor and earns an hourly wage. Blue-collar workers are distinguished from service workers and from white-collar workers, whose jobs are not considered manual labor. Traditionally, white-collar workers earn an annual salary rather than an hourly wage, although paying white-collar workers by the hour is an increasing practice, especially among independant tech contractors. Blue collar work may be skilled or unskilled, and may involve factory work, building and construction trades, law enforcement, mechanical work, maintenance or technical installations. The white-collar worker, by contrast, performs non-manual labor often in an office; and the service industry worker performs non-manual labor involving customer interaction, entertainment, retail and outside sales, and the like. Some service industry workers differ as they perform tasks that are mostly unskilled in the service sector.

The term blue-collar occasionally carries a stereotype based on historical perspective, but is rarely perceived to be a negative one. The blue-collar worker in the United States is an embodiment of the American mythos of a work ethic and the dignity of labor. Some blue-collar jobs, such as those of janitors and assembly line workers, may carry negative stereotypes from perceptions that they represent minimal ability. Most involve levels of specialized skill that carry no stigma, and are contrarily a source of pride.

Answer 5

Blue collar people are usually working labourers. The " Blue collar" refers to the blue work clothes used by many labourers.

Answer 6

It generally means a person who is not a "professional." It can also mean a person who works for hourly wages, as opposed to a salaried person. A white-collar worker, on the other hand, would be one presumed to work in an office, or perhaps a person in management at an otherwise-blue-collar work site.

Answer 7

I know, it sounds weird, and I am American. Blue collar is
basically a job where they don't wear suit & ties to work, factory workers, mechanics, ect. Strange, but true. But then, in a way, I can see why they would call it that. Can you imagine a mechanic working on your car wearing a suit & tie? Or a factory worker in suit, shined up slip on shoes? so, I guess the expression fits. Does that answer your question?

Answer 8

Its a general English Term, Blue Collar is Manual Labour ie Foundry work, Engineers, Maintenance

White Collar is Office Workers

NB
Oh joy, Fireballs here. *waves goodbye to reasoned debate*

Answer 9

Simply put, "blue collar people" refers to skilled and unskilled workers who perform manual labor.

In the United States, they are members of the working class who perform manual labor and earns an hourly wage. Blue-collar workers are distinguished from service workers and from white-collar workers, whose jobs are not considered manual labor. Traditionally, white-collar workers earn an annual salary rather than an hourly wage, although paying white-collar workers by the hour is an increasing practice, especially among independant tech contractors. Blue collar work may be skilled or unskilled, and may involve factory work, building and construction trades, law enforcement, mechanical work, maintenance or technical installations. The white-collar worker, by contrast, performs non-manual labor often in an office; and the service industry worker performs non-manual labor involving customer interaction, entertainment, retail and outside sales, and the like. Some service industry workers differ as they perform tasks that are mostly unskilled in the service sector.

The term blue-collar occasionally carries a stereotype based on historical perspective, but is rarely perceived to be a negative one. The blue-collar worker in the United States is an embodiment of the American mythos of a work ethic and the dignity of labor. Some blue-collar jobs, such as those of janitors and assembly line workers, may carry negative stereotypes from perceptions that they represent minimal ability. Most involve levels of specialized skill that carry no stigma, and are contrarily a source of pride.

Origin of the term

The term blue-collar is derived from uniform dress codes of industrial workplaces. Industrial and manual workers wear durable clothing that can be soiled or scrapped at work. A popular element of such “work clothes” has been, and still is, a light or navy blue shirt. Blue is also a popular color for coveralls, and will usually carry a name tag of the company/establishment on one side, and the individual's name (usually first name only) on the other.

The popularity of the color blue among persons who do manual labor is contrasted to the ubiquitous white dress shirt that, historically, has been standard attire in office environments. This obvious color-coding has been used to identify a difference in socio-economic class. This distinction is growing more blurred, however, with the increasing importance of skilled labor, and the growth of non-laboring, but low-paying, service sector jobs.

Blue-collar can also be used as an adjective to describe the environment of the blue-collar worker: e.g. a blue-collar neighborhood, job, restaurant, bar, etc., or a situation describing the use of manual effort and the strength required to do so.

Education requirements

Some distinctive elements of blue-collar work are the lesser requirements for formal academic education which is needed to succeed in other types of work. Blue-collar work typically is hourly wage-labor. Usually, the pay for such occupation is lower than that of the white-collar worker, although higher than many entry-level service occupations. Sometimes the work conditions can be strenuous or hazardous. Skilled blue-collar work often pays as well or better than careers requiring professional post-graduate degrees.

Answer 10

Blue collar people are the working class.
White collar people are the bosses.