Many trash collectors are union, and the pay is already good specifically because of the stigma, smells, finding bodies, etc. He might be making more than her.
this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2026
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also, many dress nice jobs pay poorly
For real, she could be making spreadsheets for 10 an hour for all we know
Aaaaaaaaannnd her job is now obsolete
Not just stigma, smells, and other mild/gross annoyances. Garbage collectors are in the top ten most hazardous jobs.
Main issues:
- Repetitive stress injuries
- Spinal and disc injuries
- Slips and falls
- Traffic strikes
- Crushing injuries and pinches
- Flying debris
- Needlesticks and sharps (diseases and infections)
- Bioaerosols and molds
- Animal and insect bites
- Toxic chemical exposure and diesel exhaust
- Thermal stress
- Hearing loss
Elevated cancer risks:
- Lung
- Bladder
- Gastrointestinal and liver
- Leukemia and Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma
- Skin
I didn't see anything that indicated that she would be ashamed of him. Am I missing something?
Same.
Also, in my city the trash collectors are paid well with great benefits. Very competitive and sought after jobs.
Ehh, they're paid so well because the jobs are very much not sought after. The smell is something else.
I mean, if my partner waltzed in one day and announced they'd gotten a job with ICE, "ashamed" wouldn't even begin to cover it.
Yeah but in this case the person is actually contributing to a better society
As always, context matters.
I do believe the comment was specifically in reference to "I can't fathom being ashamed of your partner for a JOB" bit. Which, yeah. I agree with. Working for ICE is a shameful job, and people are getting divorces over it.
That would be a complete moral failing
Yeah, that would be the end of the relationship. I would literally lay down an ultimatum. It's either that job or me. But hopefully, they wouldn't have gone and gotten that job or even applied to it without talking to me first.
Society can likely function just fine without a lot of the work that happens in offices, but that’s not the case with trash collection and many other blue collar jobs.
I'm glad people feel that way, because I'm ashamed of myself for working in a factory. When I was on dating sites years ago I'd "pass" on professionals because I'm not on their level. :/
Blue collar and white collar can work together very well. People that work with their minds need to rest with their hands and people that work with their hands need to rest with their minds. But there is considerable overlap.
Your competing capabilities could make for very interesting weekends in a long-term relationship.
As an engineer, I'm married to a professional, but that wasn't a foregone conclusion. I value intelligence, not necessarily career, other professionals have different priorities. I've dated tradeswomen, women with no career skills, women who've done sex work, and one woman with a bizarre skill set who's a farmer last I heard.
Don't pre reject yourself over insecurity
Without trash collectors, our society would be a trash filled wasteland or filled with smoke from burning trash heaps. Pests and disease would be far more widespread than they are now. They're underappreciated heroes. We quite literally couldn't have civilized neighborhoods without them.
Where I live this is one of the few union jobs left (besides cops, of course).
Odds are good that she depends on his health insurance.
(Unions are down to 10% of our workforce, down from over 40% in 50s. We need a labor party in the USA but good luck with that)
Shaming someone for having a job is wild
I mean ... Regardless of whether she should she ashamed or not, no matter which way you lean on the matter ... Presumably, if he's her husband, she knew his job before marrying him and accepted any stigma that might come along with it?
I'm damn insecure myself, but I don't like the fact that this is something to celebrate because it's too rare.
And shoutout to all people who don't withhold their love and support for their loved ones.
Is that Buenos Aires?
I think you're right.
Ashamed? For public kissing?
that's not her husband 😵