Ever notice on television shows and in movies how the exciting people are always in cushy jobs where they wear nice clothes and drive fancy vehicles? If they happen to show people who work in factories or are plumbers, carpenters or farmers, they are either incredibly boring or very unhappy in their work.

They are victims of a modern society stereotype that implies those at work with their hands are semi-literate second-class citizens.

I was thinking about that the other day when I watched a rerun of Royal Canadian Air Farce. The comedy show had a skit of the comedians being farmers and they yakked on about mad cow disease. The supposed farm couple was dressed in outrageous looking overalls and they wore large rubber boots. They talked like imbeciles. It wasn’t funny. BSE is not a laughing matter. Farmers are still dealing with the aftermath of those few infected Canadian cows.

Plumbers get a bad rap. Read the comic strip Blondie and you’ll see what I mean. The plumber that comes to Dagwood and Blondie’s house is sloppily dressed in overalls, a big cap and wears work boots with untied laces.

Carpenters and construction workers are usually shown wearing a hard hat and work clothes and they have a dour look on their face.

Factory workers get no respect at all. They carry a lunch box and they never smile as they walk to the plant.

A student who attends law school or becomes a banker or stockbroker is more likely to be considered successful by his peers than a student who becomes a mechanic or works on the family farm.

In society’s viewpoint my job as a newspaper columnist might be considered high-tech and even glamorous to some. Churning out weekly and monthly columns from home, people might even think I’m a smart and happy fellow — and smartly dressed sitting at the computer.

But do people think the same thing when they see me as a farmer on the loader tractor dumping buckets of manure into the manure spreader, or when I’m wearing rubber boots feeding cattle, or greasing machinery. Probably not!

Air Farce description

How do young urbanites see farmers? What comes to mind when you say the word "farmer"? I asked young adults in their early 20s (relatives and friends) who live, go to university, or work in cities —Ottawa, Toronto, Georgetown and Halifax. One works on a cruise ship that sails around the world, presently on holidays.

Don’t think of me when you’re giving the description, I said.

A female attending university in Halifax said a farmer in her mind would be wearing coveralls; he’d be on a John Deere tractor and would be chewing on a straw or stem of grass.

The young woman working on a cruise ship said farmers are important and they are hardworking. She sees them in overalls, a plaid shirt with a piece of hay or straw in their mouth.

My niece and her friend said the initial thought is overalls. The city gals said "plaid print and overalls".

My nephew, a university student, said "Not scared to get his hands dirty. Someone who appreciates the natural resources."

A just graduated dental hygienist in Ottawa was blunt. A hick, she said.

Other interesting observations include: work long hours; no holidays; work seven days a week; big hands and big feet; work all the time but farmers eat incredible good wholesome foods; they have great tans.

It’s looks like the young folks watched Air Farce. That’s how they see us.

I asked a buddy of mine who works in agriculture marketing how urban folks perceive farmers. Has it changed from the days he wore bib overalls and squinted beneath his hat’s dirty brim, chewing on a stem of grass?

He laughed and said farmers are looked at as being better off than they claim to be. They are known to be honest, hardworking and fairly high-tech. And quite wealthy with all the land they own.

Good! No Air Farce stuff!

(Maynard van der Galien is an agricultural writer. He wears lined coveralls when working outside in the winter. No long johns!)