Proletariat

Growing up in the depression, I went to school with children (in my neighborhood) who came to school with serious insect bites. When I visited my friend, Freddie, I noticed that many of the windows around his duplex didn't have screens. One day a child came to school with what looked like a rat bite or something, and was sent to the nurse. The clothes in class were very different, some people wore what might be called "rags," and shoes were defintely an issue. On the flat we had the poorest people, renters and the like. On top of the hills (the Moreno Highlands) the people with money lived, and most of the children came to public school.

Later the lots between the hills and flat were subdivided and we moved to this area after having had a house built. People were trying to upscale themselves here it seemed, and I guess we were among them. Thus it was possible to have a bedroom, a garden and lawn, a garage and pingpong table. Inevitable problems developed because a Filipino family tried to move in (and did!) then a Jewish family, then Chinese, gadzooks. I can remember serious discussion among the neighbors about the possibility of going to the City Council about this, even by those who has been earlier discriminated against.

My ultimate lesson in all of this was a parttime job my automotive mechanic Father got me with one of his wealthy customers. Seems that the man and woman liked to entertain, and needed some help in dealing with the guests, messes and the like. & the man needed some help with some of his stuff, personal affects and the like. The entertainment part wasn't much of a problem, but when it got down the the nitty gritty of picking up after this wealthy man, and doing his "personal bidding" things soon became difficult. He wanted a "pickup man," and I wasn't it. This was my first very serious lesson about class society; we had words and I was out of a job.

Another job I got through my Father was on weekends with a man who owned and managed a small manufacturing operation. He needed someone to go with him on Saturdays to do odd jobs which just couldn't get done during the regular work week. The difference between this man and the earlier mention one was that he was totally respectful about the work process. He explained everything, did not expect "miracles," and never acted like anything was beneath him. Seems to me that he had worked his way "through the ranks." truly appreciated the work of others, and I learned a lot from him.