Firefighters Have The Most Prestigious Jobs? Please
NOVEMBER 28, 2007
SAN DIEGO (TNA) – There it was, the bullshit splashed across half the news sites in America: a recent Harris Interactive poll trumpeting “firefighter” as the most prestigious job in the country, above lesser-regarded professions, such as doctor, lawyer, and military officer.
Come on, firefighter as the most prestigious job in America? Really? Where did Harris do their polling, the Firemen’s Mutual Benevolent Association?
Don’t get me wrong, I respect firefighters. Out here in Southern California, they’ve saved more lives and property than any accountant or waitress has in the last two months. We’re all thankful and indebted, but we don’t truly admire them. And we certainly don’t think they have the most prestigious job in the country.
American Daydreams Everyone agrees that firefighters provide a valuable service to the community.
Since 9-11, it’s taboo to suggest that firefighters are anything other than heroes with the most glorious jobs in the work force. They’re the new Minutemen, the new G.I.s – we have to revere them.
So, when the pollsters come around, we say what a good patriot should say, and end up placing firefighters a few notches higher on the prestige board. Look at the empirical evidence, though. It tells a different story.
A good indicator of job prestige is the number of TV shows about the profession. Most shows focus on lawyers, doctors, and detectives. Why? Because we think these people do important things. Then there’s a show like “Baywatch,” which ran for 11 years because we think being a lifeguard in Southern California is glamorous.
American Daydreams How many chicks dressed up as sexy firefighters last Halloween?
How many shows about firefighters can you think of? I come up with “Rescue Me,” a drama on Fox’ second-tier network, FX. That’s about it. In film and music, the paucity is similar.
For an occupation deemed “most prestigious,” firefighters don’t get much attention from the entertainment industry.
What is it, exactly, about firefighters that’s “prestigious"? The American Heritage Dictionary defines “prestige” as “The level of respect at which one is regarded by others.”
Be honest: Do you and your friends really regard firefighters more highly than doctors, business executives, and stock brokers? Don’t get touchy-feely here – of course you don’t. If you’re like most people, you go by the age-old markers of prestige: money and power. And, based on “Baywatch,” glamour.
Firefighters have none of these attributes. They earn decent money, but nobody ever made millions fighting fires; and though they possess mental and physical stamina, we usually see them wrestling with forces of nature far more powerful than they. Conflagrations, after all, make news.
As for glamour, Americans can be vain. We like flattering uniforms – think of “Baywatch” – and firefighters just don’t have flattering attire, work or dress. Disagree? Alright. How many firefighter surplus stores do you have in your town? How many girls dressed up as sexy firefighters last Halloween?
Scott Sorweid What if accountants had saved the day on 9-11?
If you still think firefighters have the most prestigious jobs, give yourself the cocktail party test: Imagine you’re at a cocktail party with Tom Brady, a Supreme Court justice, and the chick from the Levitra ads. Oh, and some firefighters. Who are you are going to say you hung out with?
The truth is, we revere the elite and appreciate the heroic. I suspect that if accountants had flooded into the WTC towers and tried to save everyone, we’d feel compelled to lionize accountants. We’d raise placards in windows that said, “We love our accountants,” and “God bless our CPAs.”
But we wouldn’t think their jobs were any more prestigious.
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