So some woman are afraid of me because of my job....

[Paradoxrifts]

I'm not sure where you're from, but in Australia, pretty much the fastest way to get in a girls pants is to mention you're a "tradie."

Something I will never understand.

It perpetuates the whole stereotype of a handiman who can fix shit round the house, I have a few friends who are plumbers, paints, plasters etc. it's pretty good to just be able to call them up, have it done quick and all I have to pay is parts, plus a carton of beer. Women (here at least) seem to like the idea of a man who's good with tools and all that crap.[/quote

It also doesn't hurt that overall 'Tradies' get a pretty good gnaw on the bone in Australia due to a mixture of strong political clout and a mining industry that can't seem to get enough of them.

 

[DarkRyter]

You should try wolf whistling ironically.

 

[Mau95]

Where the hell are you from?

 

[Jaeke]

If anything would think people cross the street just because of a sense of politeness, that's what i would do.

 

[Mr Smith]

Not being a woman, I can't speak on this with any certainty. However, often if I come across some construction happening next to the footpath or the road, I'll cross over to the other side (or at least give a wide berth) just so there's no chance of me getting in the way or even accidentally hit by something. So, perhaps that's a reason for some women too.

 

[ablac]

Looks at OP's profile pic. Yep dont see where they're coming from. But no seriously it seems ridiculous to suspect all people who look like builders, carpenters etc of being rapists or potential rapists any more than your regular straight man. While rape is a serious thing I dont see why women as a whole would avoid you or be that wary of it in open daylight, in public.

 

[Section Crow]

well, the worst thing i can think of is a builder screwing up and dropping something on me because the builders around my areas don't know what the hell they are doing

but that's just my area, in most areas i have been to builders are quite decent and not savages who 'bravely' disregard all safety regulations

 

[Beryl77]

My father used to do the same when he was younger. Luckily it didn't scare my mother or I wouldn't be typing this.
He never told me that women looked at him differently but then again, that was in a different time.

 

[AhumbleKnight]

That's a weird story. What country do you live in? I don't know if that type of thing would happen here but I probably wouldn't notice if it did.

You should try wolf whistling ironically.

I laughed hard.

 

[DigitalSushi]

I help run a business that deals in your line of work OP, i.e. construction, and I've had a couple of female clients ask me if my workers are "thieves or perverts?".

It does get to you sometimes, but there's a stigma in all types of career choices.

Accountants? boring farts
Marketing Men? Coke heads
Charity Workers? hippies
Footballers? overpaid pampered babies (this one happens to be true)
Journalists? snooping fuckwads

 

[damselgaming]

Do you wear a hat, and one of those tool belts? Are you shirtless, because maybe they are sexually intimidated! I don't think I've ever seen anything like that happen- maybe its the area you are in?

 

[PatrickXD]

I usually cross the road if I'm on the same side as a builder, because I don't want to get in their way if they need to go to their van. For me it's just more of a convenience to us both to cross the road.

 

[Bad Jim]

Classism runs very deep with some people, yeah.

The fun part is that builders get paid rather well. Better than 90% of the people likely to be walking past the site anyway.

 

[fealubryne]

I'm a woman.
You've just made me really paranoid about offending builders.
See, I normally do cross the road, if there is scaffolding. I have this thing about walking under scaffolding, I hate doing it, so I'll cross the street in order to avoid doing it. I hope the people working on those buildings dont think I think they are rapists.

Yeah, I kinda gotta second this. I'll usually avoid workers because I don't want to get in their way. It's not that I'm afraid of them (my boyfriend does similar stuff and usually comes home pretty rough and dirty from work... I'll admit, I like it) I just don't want to be a bother. But now I feel sort of bad, I hope nobody thought I was avoiding them out of fear.

That said, I can't say most women think this way. From what I've seen there really is some level of unease around "working men." As I said, my boyfriend does similar work and I've noticed that depending on what he's wearing people react differently to him upon introduction. If he's dressed up nice, shaved, so on, it's all well and good. If he's just come home from work and hasn't had a chance to clean up you can sort of feel that unease, or even that, "Oh, blue collar..." sort of vibe. I'd agree with the first commenter, classism runs deep in some people.

 

[Sporky111]

I usually cross the road because I feel like I'm getting in the way if they're going back and forth to their van, like you're saying. I think your sister's friend is just a weird one, I don't think that opinion is one that would be common.

Or maybe they just watch "Holmes on Homes" so they're afraid of you installing plumbing incorrectly.

 

[Setrus]

Yeah, I get what you're talking about OP, being a scaffolder I myself I do earn myself the odd look now and again, and people usually don't want to sit next to me in the train if they can't help it. And I don't even carry my knife on me like some do, people just seem to assume you're a bit of a thug.
Which is kind of silly, since I like you can consider myself fit, but not in any way a fighter, nor have I stolen a thing in my life.
I can deal with this though, it's okay if people keep their distance and whatnot, makes it all the better when I'm the first to offer them some tiny smidge of assistance.
What I'm less inclined to accept is assumption that I'm lazy or that I'm "beneath" them.
A coworker warned a woman that they'll be tearing down the scaffolding near her car and that it would be wise to move it, she told him with a raised chin that she "doesn't speak to workers"...yeah, we didn't drop anything on purpose on the car, but I can tell you that falling debris did a number on the paint. (which was why we warned her, I mean jeez...)
I myself was along when we had our lunchbreak at nine (that's when we eat, I guess OP has the same time, roughly? ) and after having finished the entire group just sat there, resting our heads against the table because we were exhausted. Then some schmuck that walks by opens the door and notes us sitting there and goes to her boyfriend or whatever: "Oh they're all sitting here instead of working, no wonder the work never gets done..." Lady, I am nearly constantly lifting 20 kilos when I work, that might not sound like much to you, but I do it for eight hours, I've done it in rain, done it under a baking sun, done it wading knee-deep in snow while in SNOWSTORMS...don't imply I'm lazy.

Ahhh...that felt good to get off my chest.

So no, I don't think you're overly paranoid OP, but I don't think it's too much of an issue, a generally friendly and dispossition against everyone usually works in remeding these first impressions.

PS: On that wolf whistling, I've never done it, never heard any worker do it. What I have experienced was two women wolf whistling at me at work, several times, over a few hours. Was fun at first, then got old...

Im kinda rambling here... So people of the escapist, especially women. What do you think when you see a builder, or a labourer or tradesman of any other job. Am I just being paranoid for the most part?

I'm a woman.
You've just made me really paranoid about offending builders.
See, I normally do cross the road, if there is scaffolding. I have this thing about walking under scaffolding, I hate doing it, so I'll cross the street in order to avoid doing it. I hope the people working on those buildings dont think I think they are rapists.

Well, being a scaffolder I can say that that's not an entirely unwise precaution. Sure, when it's finished, if done by a professional group (which most firms are) there is next to no risk, but when we're putting it up it's a bit of a relief for us when people aren't walking directly beneath us, it makes us a bit paranoid.
Still it IS supposed to be safe under the scaffolding at all times, unless there's warning signs up or someone directing you to the other side of the road. And thank God, you sound like someone who actually does follow such directions. You wouldn't believe how many mooks like to ignore such warnings, thinking their lives are worth risking instead of losing 30 seconds to walk around a clear risk-zone.

 

[Zhukov]

This made me think of a nice, heartwarming story my Dad e-mailed me a few days ago.

Spoiler: Awwwwwww :)

A young family moved into a house next door to an empty plot. One day, a gang of building workers turned up to start building on the plot.

The young family's 5-year-old daughter naturally took an interest in all the activity going on next door and started talking with the workers.
She hung around and eventually the builders, all with hearts of gold, more or less adopted the little girl as a sort of project mascot. They chatted with her, let her sit with them while they had tea and lunch breaks, and gave her little jobs to do here and there to make her feel important.

They even gave the child her very own hard hat and gloves, which thrilled her immensely.

At the end of the first week, the smiling builders presented her with a pay envelope - containing two pounds in 10p coins. The little girl took her 'pay' home to her mother who suggested that they take the money to the bank the next day to open a savings account.

At the bank, the female cashier was tickled pink listening to the little girl telling her about her 'work' on the building site, and the fact she had a 'pay packet'.

'You must have worked very hard to earn all this', said the cashier.
The little girl proudly replied, 'Yes, I worked every day with Steve and Wayne and Mike. We're building a big house.'

'My goodness gracious,' said the cashier, 'And will you be working on the house again next week?'

The child thought for a moment. Then she said seriously:

'I think so, provided those wankers at Jewsons deliver the fucking bricks.'

That made me smile.

I'm an Australian. Specifically I work in the city of Launceston in the state of Tasmania. Lovely state, much colder than the rest of Australia in winter but less hot too. It's actually compared to England in climate a lot. Less rain though.

I guess that's all there is to it. Just be nice and try to change people's opinions. It feels good to vent these worries somewhere.

Hoy crap, another Tasmanian on the Escapist. I guess it was statistically inevitable but surprising none the less.

So yeah... greetings from the southern end of the state.

...

OT: Well, I'm a guy, so I can't really comment on the fear thing. However, I often cross the road to avoid work sites just to stay out of the way. I don't want to go blundering through someone's work space, especially when there's piles of building material and guys lugging stuff back and forth.

 

[BlackEagle95]

My father. That's what I think of when I see a carpenter. I believe he's been one since he came to the U.S from Jamaica in his 20's (He's 59). It's the only job I can remember him doing, and I have nothing but respect for workers and tradesmen because of him. I can't really see a reason to fear or disrespect them, to much T.V I guess.

I usually avoid workers just to not get in the way. Seems to be a common thing.

This actually annoys me a little that there may be women that think this way about him. Then again, he does look like someone you'd see on America's Most Wanted. The man can be scary, but he's actually really nice. Think the Grim Reaper who would help you jump start your car.

 

[Pipotchi]

I work in a blue Collar job that everyone assumes is very badly paid and therefore I must be a fucking idiot. However because it safety critical and unionised its actually very well paid and I'm actually well educated but yeah I feel your pain.

I generally think highly of tradesmen like plumbers carpenters and so on, always good to know and way more useful after the inevitable apocolypse than data managers and sales people.

 

[Ympulse]

No, it is not fair to men to have to deal with women suspecting them of being possible rapists, but rape is too real a threat to not be paranoid.

A vast majority of rape stems from women being retarded (Like getting way too wasted at a bar/club) and not the "Scary man from nowhere stealing you off!"

So no, your excuse is wrong.