Mike Rowe: MSNBC Host's Contempt for the Term 'Hard Worker' Shows 'There Is No Longer a Limit to What People Can Be Offended By

Mike Rowe, host of "Somebody's Gotta Do It" and fan of rolling up one's sleeves, was asked by a Facebook reader to comment on MSNBC host Melissa Harris-Perry taking offense to the term "hard worker."

Armed with his usual quiver full of common sense, Rowe proceeded to reply to Lenny Kostecki.

Mike Rowe (Image source: Getty Images)

"My take Lenny, for what it's worth, is that there is no longer a limit to what people can be offended by," Rowe began.

Rowe surmised that Harris-Perry's comments on her show last weekend means she's "put off" by the idea that hard work and success are typically two sides of the same coin. "She doesn’t like the fact that many hard-working individuals have not enjoyed the same measure of success as Speaker Ryan, who was being acknowledged on her show for his excellent work ethic," Rowe added.

Then Rowe offered Harris-Perry's own words: “I want us to be super careful when we use the language 'hard worker.' I actually keep an image of folks working in cotton fields on my office wall, because it is a reminder about what hard work really looks like. But in the context of relative privilege, when you talk about work-life balance, the moms who don’t have health care aren’t called hard workers. We call them failures. We call them people who are sucking off the system.”

Rowe wasn't buying Harris-Perry's slavery-equals-hard-work definition: "That’s a bit like hanging images of rape and bondage to better illustrate the true nature of human sexuality. Whatever her logic might be, it’s difficult to respond without first pointing out a few things that most people will find screamingly obvious. So let’s do that."

More from Rowe:

First of all, slavery is not “hard work;” it’s forced labor. There’s a big difference. Likewise, slaves are not workers; they are by definition, property. They have no freedom, no hope, and no rights. Yes, they work hard, obviously. But there can be no “work ethic” among slaves, because the slave has no choice in the matter.

Workers on the other hand, have free will. They are free to work as hard as they wish. Or not. The choice is theirs. And their decision to work hard, or not, is not a function of compliance or coercion; it’s a reflection of character and ambition.

This business of conflating hard work with forced labor not only minimizes the importance of a decent work ethic, it diminishes the unspeakable horror of slavery. Unfortunately, people do this all the time. We routinely describe bosses as “slave-drivers,” and paychecks as “slave’s wages.” Melissa though, has come at it from the other side. She’s suggesting that because certain “hard workers” are not as prosperous as other “hard workers” — like the people on her office wall — we should all be “super-careful” about overly-praising hard work.

I suspect this is because Melissa believes — as do many others — that success today is mostly a function of what she calls, “relative privilege.” This is fancy talk for the simple fact that life is unfair, and some people are born with more advantages than others. It's also a fine way to prepare the unsuspecting viewer for the extraordinary suggestion that slavery is proof-positive that hard work doesn’t pay off.

Rowe then pointed out one thing he has in common with Harris-Perry: "Like her, I keep a picture on my office wall."

Mike Rowe (Image source: Facebook)

"That’s me, squatting next to the most disappointing toilet I’ve ever encountered, preparing to clean it out with a garden trowel," Rowe wrote. "I keep it there to remind me of what happens when you need a plumber but can’t find one."

And with that he concluded: "It's also a nice reminder that a good plumber these days has a hell of a lot more job security than the average news anchor. (With respect.)"

Here's Rowe's complete post:

(H/T: Weasel Zippers)

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