Kudos to menial jobs
During my first year studying letters at the University of Dschang, I gave this girl a knock on her head because she threw the wrapping of the biscuit she was eating on our departmental yard. What made me angry was because she threw it just some metres away from the trash can. Some months ago, there was a viral video about a young lady in Yaoundé who almost got beaten by some boys of her quarter because she decided to dispose of trash beside the trash can but not in the trash can. There's this general scorn I have for people who belittle the hustle of others. I've seen people litter the streets with only one excuse: "There are people who'll sweep those streets and who are being paid to do so." There's general contempt towards those who do menial jobs.
The word menial is an adjective (of work) not requiring much skill and lacking prestige. It also refers to a person with a menial job. A menial job can simply be defined as a job that requires little skills and generally lacks prestige. These people range from cleaners to porters and plantation workers. The North American synonym of menial is blue collar. Those jobs that most people are ashamed of doing or even being identified with even when it's their source of income. Those jobs some of our parents do/did to take care of us but that we still shun them for. The little jobs that we think we can't do because we've probably not been hungry enough. Every person probably wants to have white collar job forgetting that some might, will end up doing blue collar jobs.
Today I pay homage to those who do menial jobs. They are the real foundations on which our societies are built. To those who take out the trash... To those who sweep our streets... To those who mop our floors... To those who do the laundry... To those who till and sow our lands... To those who do those jobs which we and even they might consider as little and insignificant, but that permit us to be able to accomplish acts of grandeur. These are the real heroes and to be ashamed of them or to look down on them is one despicable act that we should be ashamed of. For their earnest efforts and contributions, I say Kudos to menial jobs.
