Mike Rowe

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Everyone seems to be knockin’ the white collar guy! -Nat Hi Nat, That strikes me as a rather amazing observation. Please provide us with a few examples of how white collar jobs are being disparaged. I’m having trouble finding any. “Don’t we need each other to reach our full potential?” Of course. I’ve always maintained that blue and white collar should not be portrayed as opposites, but as two sides of the same coin. Have you read something to the contrary? Rationally, we all know that a healthy workforce needs both blue and white Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Slipping down a path is much easier than clamoring up it. And as humans we will put up with a great deal of nagging that all is not well before we will actually act. But the moment comes when a path must be chosen instead of randomly wandered down any further. -Kathy Hi Kathy, “Random wandering” is a lot less random than people believe. There are times, more for some than others, when we tell ourselves that we are just “going with the flow.” However, this philosophy, when intentionally applied, is really no less Read More

From the mrW Water Cooler Q: How do you beat the blues? – Ann In my opinion, you don’t “beat the blues,” you listen to them. I assume you’re not talking about depression. That’s controversial to say the least, and I have no advice on how to handle a feeling that some consider to be a disease. I do however, believe it’s naive to try and rush away or minimize a feeling of grief or sadness that may exist in your mind for a very good reason. What if, like physical pain, the blues are there to help us? What Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Do you consider “Dirty Jobs” an environmentally friendly show? If so, why? I’m ambivalent. On the one hand, I can think of no other program that positively impacts our environment more than Dirty Jobs. On the other hand, that impact is entirely coincidental. Dirty Jobs celebrates hard work, sweat, pain, capitalism, and humor. I have no environmental agenda, and no interest in publicly promoting the notion that our planet is in peril. In fact, I’d like to see the death of anthropomorphic propaganda. The Earth is not my “mother.” It’s neither loving nor angry, Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Crumbling infrastructure? Decreased enrollment in trade schools? How about letting the rest of us read it? -Moose Hi Moose, If I send it, you’ll see it, as will everyone else, since it will be an “open letter.” I haven’t decided yet if I want to go there, but if I do, it will be part of a dual effort to promote the show, while doing something worthwhile with this nightmare of a resume. Though unqualified in almost every way, I have been afforded an audience with the kind of workers both candidates seem desperate Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Mike, this goes way beyond the infrastructure crumbling because we cannot attract workers in the trades. When did this become acceptable? Society went from Catholic guilt to Protestant work ethic, to half done is good enough. Is this a natural progression? -Kathy Hi Kathy. Like the trades and the crumbling infrastructure, the issues you describe are not really problems – they are symptoms. The problem is the fact that we have turned work into the enemy. Today, we portray most work as a form of drudgery, and rarely celebrate any payoff beyond remuneration. As Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Lately Mike and others have been alluding to the fact that DJ’s is much bigger than just a TV show, and that it will now (or possibly has always) been/be a vehicle for a much larger agendas/goals/themes/whatever. – Arica Hi Arica, The notion of working for a living is, and has always has been, in my opinion, a large and encompassing theme – larger and more encompassing than a TV show – and something we all share, trust fund babies excluded. Dirty Jobs however, is nothing more than a TV show, driven by a Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Mike, Congratulations on mikeroweWORKS. I do wish you the best. Now please no hate mail. Mike asked for opinions and this is mine, right, wrong whatever it’s mine, it not going to bother him so please don’t let it bother you. Mike not that it matters but I don’t agree with you on this subject . I think your totally wrong and kind of out of touch on this subject. I maybe very wrong but I live a so called blue collar life.You don’t ! What does the infrastructures have to do with work Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: I particularly liked the last comment in an article: “If it fails, admit it frankly and try another. But above all, try something.” Isn’t that the gist of Mike’s message here? “Try something!” We (meaning the country) are very good at rhetoric, but when it comes to actually DOING something, that is where we fail every time. Liz – east1952 Not bad Liz. Not bad. These are all on my refrigerator. In a month or two, they’ll be in this site. They all come from Teddy Roosevelt, who knew a thing or two about Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Mike, I am sitting here thinking as I watch a NFL game and those players make six figures or more in salary. And there is stars, like yourself who make six figures or more for whatever you do. Then you have guys like plumbers and all who are lucky if they make 40 thousand a year, not to mention teachers, who probably make less then your average plumber. Now you please tell me what you think is wrong with this picture. I respect what you are trying to do, but you are asked for Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: What are your feelings on education? Did you start school with an idea of what you wanted to be or a degree you wanted to pursue? It seems you are a well-rounded individual and I’m just curious if there was anything you had ever considered pursuing as a career. You are obviously a gifted writer and enjoy reading; well-versed in literature. Also you seem to have some historical knowledge. You have musical talent as well. My point is that you’re a pretty smart guy and could have done anything. I also think you’d make Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Mike, My wife and I have been fans for years now. With our son being just over a year old now we have become intimately familiar with the Dirty Job that is Parenthood. One service we evaluated, yet chose against, was diaper services. Several of our friends use the Dandy Diaper Service and we just cannot comprehend why they would elect to use such a service. We were hoping you could answer that question as well as show us what a Dirty Job it is behind the scenes at one of the Diaper Services. Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Q: Really Mike, I’m questioning this also… are we being profiled to understand the direction of mikeroweWorks? – Nola Hi Nola, Obviously, that’s a tricky word, and I’m not sure how you mean it in this context. In a few months, when the things are a bit more organized, I’ll take the temperature of things, and decide if anything worthwhile is being accomplished. Moving forward will require some positive indicators. And the direction of the site will reflect the suggestions being made here. But I don’t think that’s profiling. That’s just listening. And I certainly Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Mike Rowe takes on the ‘Dirty’ job of rebuilding America ~ Now how in the world is Mike going to accomplish this goal? We’ll just have to wait and see. Maria Hi Maria, My philosophy here is a lot like my attitude on the show. I believe there is real equity in simply trying. “Succeeding,” or “accomplishing,” or “completing,” something is my hope, but not my goal. My intent is to simply be the guy who talks about the problem, through my own experiences and observations. In and of itself, that will not fix anything. Read More

From the MRW Water Cooler Haven’t heard that expression in years, but had to chuckle just now. The gate agent here at Burbank Airport is apparently a fan of Dirty Jobs, and wanted to express his enthusiasm for the show with an exclamation that was notable not just for its colloquialism, but for its sheer volume. Made me laugh and lurch at the same time. Now, as I look over the posts and conversations evolving here in The Workroom I’m tempted to respond in kind. Boy Howdy, indeed! I am seriously amazed and gratified by the level of discourse flying Read More