They’re more deserving of the uniform than most generals.
Heroes
Society couldn’t function without them.
Society really couldn’t function without them. Anthropologist Robin Nagel did this fabulous ethnography of NYC sanitation workers called Picking Up where she actually became a sanitation worker herself. In NYC alone, there’s fewer than 10,000 sanitation workers dealing with a daily load of about 11,000 tons of garbage and 2,000 tons of recycling. It’s a more dangerous profession than firefighting or police work (cops and fire aren’t even in the top ten most dangerous jobs in the US), and if the sanitation workers aren’t able to do their jobs, cities become unlivable overnight.
(Also you should read that Robin Nagel book, it’s really fascinating. Even if you don’t live in a city, it’s a great read.)
They’re not called “New York’s Strongest” for nothing.