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Mike Rowe: Media Wants To Impact Election By Labeling Trump Voters ‘Uneducated’

(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

Kaitlan Collins Contributor
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Mike Rowe said the press is trying to impact the election when it implies that Donald Trump’s supporters are uneducated.

Mike Rowe

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An electrical contractor wrote to the 54-year-old host of “Dirty Jobs” to say that he finds it offensive when the media constantly refers to majority of the Republican nominee’s supporters as “uneducated white men.” (Mike Rowe: Celebrities Only Encourage Their Fans To Vote So Liberals Will Get Elected)

“If the media is referring to Trump supporters who happen to be male caucasians suffering from a lack of knowledge brought about by an absence of formal or practical instruction, than I guess ‘uneducated white men’ is a fair description,” Rowe responded in a lengthy Facebook post. “However, if the Trump supporters in question are being dubbed ‘uneducated,’ simply because they didn’t earn a four-year degree, I’d say the media’s slip is showing.”

Donald Trump speaks during his campaign event at the Ocean Center Convention Center on August 3, 2016 in Daytona, Florida (Getty Images)

(Photo: Getty Images)

“Let’s assume that Donald Trump is indeed popular among white men who didn’t graduate from college. The first question is, so what? Is this information newsworthy? Obviously, thousands of journalists think it is.” (RELATED: Mike Rowe Was Refreshingly Humble When Asked Why He Didn’t Serve In The Military)

“To your point, the words ‘uneducated white men’ now appear in hundreds of articles about Trump. But if this is truly important information, where were these reporters four years ago? In the last election, an even greater majority of African-American males who voted for President Obama had no college on their resume. Maybe I missed it, but I don’t recall any headlines or articles that delved into Obama’s popularity among ‘uneducated black men.'”

“If the media didn’t care about the lack of college among black men supporting Obama, why do they care so much about the lack of college among white men supporting Trump? Moreover, when exactly did a lack of college become synonymous with a lack of education?”

Mike Rowe

(Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images)

“There are many ways to become educated that don’t involve the purchase of a diploma. Why would the media ignore thousands of apprenticeship programs, on-the-job-training opportunities, and all the other alternative educational options that have led so many people into so many successful careers? The answer is obvious — many in the press are looking for ways to impact the election. If a biased reporter can get away with labeling Trump supporters who didn’t graduate from college as ‘uneducated,’ he can simultaneously imply that any ballot cast for Trump is the hallmark of an ‘uneducated’ voter.”

“It’s impossible for me to have this conversation and not think of my grandfather.”

“Pop never made it to college. In fact, he never made it out of the 7th grade. But he never stopped learning or studying. He started as an electrician’s helper, became an apprentice, a journeyman, a master electrician, a contractor, and then a small business owner. Later, as an electrical inspector for the state, he was responsible for guaranteeing the safety of hundreds of buildings in Maryland, as well as all the rides on the carnival midway at the State Fair. He was a modest man of real intelligence, admired and respected by everyone who knew him. But today, he’d be right there with you, Albert — swelling out the ranks of ‘uneducated white men.'”

(Photo: Shutterstock)

(Photo: Shutterstock)

“Closing the skills gap and making college more affordable is beyond my pay grade, but it seems like we could start by reminding the media that a college degree is not the only path to success. It’s well and good to promote higher education, but it’s crazy to suggest the most expensive road to enlightenment is the best path for the most people. And it’s equally nuts to pressure our kids to keep borrowing vast sums of money to become “educated” in careers that no longer exist.”

“The media has minimized your work, insulted your intelligence, and ignored your contribution to civilized life. Try not to take it personally. Just keep doing what you do. Run your business. Vote your conscience. Keep the lights on for the rest of us.” (RELATED: Mike Rowe Just Called This Presidential Candidate ‘A Knucklehead’)