http://edition.cnn.com/2011/10/25/opinion/granderson-what-do-you-do/index.

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The question on everyone's mind

By LZ Granderson , CNN Contributor
CNN.com October 26, 2011 -- Updated 2037 GMT (0437 HKT)

Grand Rapids, Michigan (CNN) -- There isn't a question that's more quintessentially American than “What
do you do for a living?" It is just safe enough to start a conversation with a stranger, it is universal enough
so anyone can answer, and it strikes right to the core of what our culture values most -- money.

Sure, on the surface that question doesn't sound as if it's been taken from the Gordon Gekko "greed is
good" manifesto -- but the reality is it blows past the pleasantries and heads right into someone's finances,
revealing their place in the pecking order of society and thus a glimpse into just how happy they may or
may not be.

Since the end of the 20th century, "What do you do for a living?" has ceased to be an inquiry about how
someone spends their time during normal business hours and instead serves as a slightly grating, socially
acceptable manner in which we remind each other of the stuff we don't have or will never get.

We may understand that money does not buy happiness, but over the past few decades that notion has
been competing against a message that at every turn tells us we can't be happy without it. This dichotomy
has slowly disconnected the American dream from the idea of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness and
attached it to one's ability to move up the ladder.
If you're at a bar and someone's response to that question is "I'm a lawyer," the people around generally
assume that individual makes a lot of money, drives a fancy car and is not living paycheck to paycheck.
He or she is happy, if you will.

Obviously this is not the same rosy outlook people have about someone who says "I work at McDonald's" -
- if the person who is working in McDonald's actually even says so. That's not meant to slight people who
work in the fast food industry, but to illustrate my point. In our culture a person's worth is tied to his or her
profession -- the higher the salary or profile, the more valued the individual is as a person, and the happier
we assume he or she is.

And sadly the reverse is also true. If it weren't, women would not feel the need to defend their decision to
be stay-at-home moms in the era of the career woman. If it weren't, men would not feel challenged if they're
dating a woman who makes more money.

Nowadays, with so many people either out of work or underemployed, I find that question can not only
inject a small measure of shame into a conversation, but herd us into faceless categories like job creator
or illegal immigrant.

There's nothing wrong with trying to pass the time by asking strangers nonthreatening questions. But why
not ask about something not related to money, such as "When was the last time a moment took your
breath away?" -- getting back to what it means to be human as opposed to a consumer. Yes, jobs, career,
money are all realities and yes, we've all got to eat. But what's wrong with talking about good food as
opposed to what we had to do to pay for it?
Match the word or phrase with the definition Name: ______________________________

1. quintessentially A. a social order with ranks or classes

2. strike B. a period of 10 years
3. core C. a request for information
4. pecking order D. promising or hopeful
5. glimpse E. dishonor or disgrace; painful emotion caused by having
done something wrong or improper
6. inquiry F. at the present time
7. grating G. to affect or cause to affect deeply, suddenly, or radically,
as if by hitting
8. decade H. to treat with disrespect
9. Living paycheck to I. to have a harsh or irritating effect
paycheck
10. rosy J. a central or most important part
11. slight K. to amaze, surprise, or astonish
12. nowadays L. not fully or adequately employed
13. underemployed M. most typically representative of a quality, state, etc;
perfect
14. shame N. to assemble or come together into a group
15. herd O. an individual who would be unable to meet financial
obligations if unemployed because his or her salary is
predominantly devoted to expenses
16. Take your breath P. to take a brief look : see momentarily or incompletely
away

1. Does a person’s job or profession define their value in your culture? If yes, in what ways? If no, what
does define a person’s value? Give examples.

2. Does money equal happiness for you? Can people be happy without money? Explain.

3. Do you assume that someone who has an impressive job is happier than someone with an unimpressive
job? Explain.

4. How would you feel about being in a relationship with someone who earns a lot more money than you?
Why?

5. Is social status important for you in choosing a future career? Why or why not?