Sunday, June 15, 2008

Ruskin thou shouldst be living at this hour

Most construction workers — no matter what their trade or how narrow their job description — are fascinated by the entire scope of a project and proud to be a part of it. Another thing many don’t realize is the intense pride the men and women take in being part of creating something that will last for decades or even centuries. They take ownership of the project — as in, “I built this tower or that bridge or that tunnel.”

from Freakonomics

2 comments:

Mithridates said...

Why aren't we construction workers? I like:

What do you and your co-workers talk about the most?

I have had conversations ranging from Proust to comparative political theory to appreciation of the female form.

What’s the most memorable thing a co-worker has said?

It’s a toss-up between 1) “Haha — a Shakespeare book — that stuff any good?” and 2) “Jesus Christ, we should all be dead.”

Helen DeWitt said...

Isn't that great? And somehow I think looking at a tower and thinking 'I built that' would feel better than looking at my thesis and thinking 'I must have been mad.'