I recently wrote an email for my mum, explaining what my new job entails. It was over 400 words.
This is very, very unusual. For the vast bulk of human history, the question “So, what do you do?” was completely unnecessary, as 99% of people you ever met did exactly what you did; farming, hunting and gathering, or starving to death. Of course there was the odd priest and soothsayer about, and if you lived in a larger metropolis you may even have met a bureaucrat or a merchant, but for most people, the roles assigned in society were largely limited.
Even in times nearer to the present day, it was largely redundant. What does Mr Tailor do? It wouldn’t have anything to do with fixing clothes? What about the Cooper family that live down the road, next to the Bakers and the Smith family? Again, largely unnecessary.
Today, as jobs become more specialised and novel, and our economies become more complex and sophisticated, answering “So, what do you do?” has become a job in itself. At this rate, our grandchildren will be writing books on what they do to earn a crust!
Leave a Reply