For my blog post, I am drawing from the Deborah Brandt reading, Sponsors of Literacy. I was particularly interested in the case of Dwayne Lowery. This man, who had no formal education beyond high school, went from a floor laborer in an automobile factory to a field staff representative in his local labor union only to be forced into early retirement when his job was replaced by a young college educated person.
This case is interesting to me because during this man’s career, a transformation of important literacy skills occurred. The bargaining skills that were part of Mr. Lowery’s success as a union representative began to be outweighed by the “essayist literacy” skills of the college graduates who replaced him and people like him. This change of literacy was a result of the increasingly levels of literacy, and the competitive advantage this brought, between union reps and the attorneys those reps negotiated with
In the state of the modern union, the years of experience and literacy skills developed by Mr. Lowery were not enough to for him to keep his job. I would like to for discussion, the perceived value of Mr. Lowery’s literacy skills. Would, by today’s standards, Mr. Lowery’s skills still be considered useful? I would also like to explore what brought upon those literary transformations. In the same vain, what kind of lessons can be learned from Mr. Lowery’s experience. Are there ways to predict and better prepare for literacy transformations like those experienced by Mr. Lowery?
This is an incredibly well-thought out series of questions. I don’t believe Mr. Lowery’s skills are useless by any means. In his previous work environment, his skills were gradually replaced by more technical ones—the ‘essayist literacy.’ I think the increasing trend of progressive illiteracy (such as the advanced rate of technological changes over time) is something many employers have taken into account. Rather, to draw upon “The Literacy Myth Reading,” Mr. Lowery had cultivated many of the ‘higher’ skills sought from the “leader and ‘symbol analysts’ who create innovations” (Gee, 8). Bargaining, persuasion, communication, and the ability to learn and grow are traits that typically cannot be taught as well as functional skills such as reading and computations.
With increased mechanization, service and communicative skills are becoming significantly more valued. In the current job market, Mr. Lowery would still be a competitive candidate. To tie in all of these points, because most careers either emphasize personal skills (communication or bargaining) or growth traits (ambition or flexibility), Mr. Lowery is far from useless. Careers that involve rapid changes and adaptation (business or technology) would welcome someone like Mr. Lowery who continually attempted to follow modern trends through his own grit. Even outside of a professional context, many everyday interactions such as purchasing personal services (having a car fixed, the house repainted, etc.), can involve a good deal of debate and bargaining. In his later life, as a volunteer with the Democratic Party, his knowledge of formal communication, while not sufficient for arbitration with a legal team, would be a great resource for community and political outreach. Recognizing where skill can be applied is often a skill in of itself, and it seems although Mr. Lowery always found a place for himself to be of use.
To answer the broader questions, transformations in literacy are not always predictable and it is not always possible to prepare for them. However, in certain places there are noticeable trends. For example, technological literacy has been on an incredible rise. Computer Science specialists can be used by almost any business, be it business, law, textiles, or energy. As a rule of thumb, any literacy that has the potential to make life collectively easier is something worth watching. Quicker and more efficient (to the point, or easier to transmit, in this case) communication is incredibly necessary in a global economy. Preparation, I believe, can be as simple as even of the slightest immersion. For example, when the first cell phones became popular, becoming a mobile expert would have been more than enough preparation for the coming boom, but even something as simple as owning a cell phone and being able to use most of its main functions would have also given someone a huge advantage in the coming years.
Two others trends that influence literacy are immigration and global standing. Whenever a new wave from a particular area or country begins, cultural traditions and new languages make their way into the new country’s culture. Additionally, changes can come from more dominant cultures taking root elsewhere. For example, Asian languages (forms of Chinese in particular) and languages from the Middle East have become more common as American culture and business interacts more heavily with them.
While I believe situations like Mr. Lowery’s are hard to avoid, being able to gain experience and following modern trends can be incredibly helpful to mitigate some of the damages. For example, Mr. Lowery might have been able to act as a consultant to the litigious factions, who in turn might act as translators. This is not to say Mr. Lowery is at fault, because it would be impossible to claim he made no attempt to integrate into the new literacy. For similar situations, however, this might make the difference between a position being redefined or lost.