Why are people so prejudice against educated people?

Question

I have a master’s degree in Civil Engineering. My best friend from high school never went to college and works in Construction. He asked me to go to a party with him and a bunch of his friends who I had never met. His friends were all construction workers too. As soon as they found out I was an engineer, they started treating me like dirt. The whole night, every time something came up on TV that they weren’t sure about or didn't understand, they would look at me and say "what do you think BRAINIAC." It isn't just them either. The construction workers who work under me and my colleagues hate our guts. Why do people hate educated people so much?

Answer 1

It sounds like you intimidated them. Probably not on purpose. Prejudice can go both ways.

Answer 2

It's not everyone. Your HS friend's friends are insecure that you might know more than them.....

That being said.... there is a certain amount of knowledge that those "on the job" do know that book educated people have not learned. Be receptive to the knowledge of the people actually working the job. Sometimes they do know more than what your book education taught you.

It's my firm belief that even engineers should spend sometime in the field to learn what those who actually work out there learn and know.

For instance. My husband worked in the oil industry. There was a problem at a facility. The company sent in an engineer from The Netherlands to "fix" the problem. $60,000.00 dollars later the project failed. My husband and the other person with the same experience kept telling them it would not work. They were told to shut up and not correct the "Engineer."

After the engineer returned to The Netherlands, my husband and his counterpart fixed the problem for $800.00.

Sometimes being out in the field day to day teaches more than any University Degree can ever teach.

Treat the people who are out there doing the job with respect. Ask their opinions. Learn from Their Experience as well as from what the books told you.

Answer 3

Why are SOME people prejudiced against educated people? Well,not all people are.But your group is because they are quite simply insecure.They feel less important,less powerful when they are among people of a different background than they.

And hopefully,you acted humbly and not like a snobby know-it-all.By acting humbly,perhaps they learned a lesson:You can not build yourself up by cutting others down.

I had the fortune to go to some very good schools;the education I received is still very valuable to me.And to add to that,lessons learned on the job,gained through life experiences have just made me so much more informed.So,keep learning,from books,people and life!

Answer 4

Good question. Because they're threatened by the fact that your educated, and they're not. On some level, they're intimidated by you. Only ignorant people resent educated people. They're jealous because they probably don't have the smarts or discipline to stay the course and earn a college degree or beyond. Educated people, and people who are secure within themselves value education, and therefore appreciate and value educated people. They're not threatened by it. Just let the petty comments go in one ear and out the other.

Answer 5

These people sound intimidated or resentful of your education. If you want to be friends with these people, I suggest approaching these people in a manner that isn't condescending, grounded, without downplaying your education. Be very careful what you say, they might see your comments in a negative light because of your education. If you feel that this is too much work, you should really considering making friends with other engineers and other professionals.

Answer 6

You really shouldn't hang out and party with people beneath you. For the same reason cleaning ladies don't get invited to parties given by doctors or lawyers or 15 year olds shouldn't hang out with 48 year olds. Not too much in common. Find friends that are in your league. You'll be able to carry on a conversation and they might not disrespect you. What I can't understand is what kind of a friend would let this happen and not intervene on your behalf? Weird.

Answer 7

Just ignore those insecured people! They just envy you; probably thinking you had it easy and that is how you could make it. It happens at most places I work; most of the educated ones are actually more cautious and respectful. Most staff who has HS diploma shoot off their mouth and are being insubordinating half of the time to their supervisors. They are lucky their supervisors didn't write them up and give them warnings. It's just not the level of education; it's the lack of social graces and societal ettiques too.

Answer 8

They probably think that you think that you are better than everyone else since you have a degree and they dont. A lot of educated people are prejudiced towards uneducated people as well. They look down upon them. So they figure your like the rest of the educated people that look down upon them.

Answer 9

In my experience it has been people who are self consious about their own lack of education that have had the most derogatory comments to make to me about my having a master's degree. In your situation that may be compounded by the fact that you (or someone else with your same qualifications) are their boss. If your friend's coworkers have had negative experiences with their boss who they can not speak to that way, you may have been a convenient substitute.

Answer 10

A) internet degrees don't count...

B) engineers know about as much as architects as to how things actually work in the real world of construction...

C) its more of your holier than thou attitude and an 'education' that people hate...

Answer 11

when my father lived.. he was a miner... he use to come home pissed off at the white hats because these snot nosed kids would come out with their diploma's thinking they had all the answers... but what they lacked was experience.... who knows more someone who can put in on paper or some one who's actually built a few.... I know formal education is teaching people how to think like other people but without it you learn to think for yourself.... I went to college too and what they had to teach took me 3 months but it took 3 yrs of BS to get my diploma..... thinking for yourself is much better...