A much-dissed profession
Listen to this.
Maybe it's because I've only recently come to identify myself as a social worker, but I've lately begun to tune-in to how much of a bad rap social workers have in the media (case in point: Simpsons episode "Brawl in the Family," season 13).
A week or two ago I was watching one of my favorite crime shows, Without a Trace (Anthony LaPaglia makes my heart go pitter-pat!), and was dismayed when, upon finding two children abaondoned by their crack-addicted mother to be raised by their 15-year-old brother, Agent Spade, with a grim, knowing look, turns to Agent Fitzgerald and says, "Who's gonna call Social Services?"
It's not that social work, historically, is without blemish. Certainly, wrongs have been (and likely continue to be) committed. But I know a lot of social workers with good hearts who are passionate about social justice and making a difference. And I think some of us do.
It doesn't help that the profession has been in a century-long identity crisis, thanks in part to Abraham Flexner's 1915 critique. Honestly, it's a bit of a challenge to be pursuing higher education in a field that's, well, not quite sure what it's all about.
Yet, I remain optimistic and resolved to forge ahead. Maybe I can lend my brain (such as it is) to figuring a few things out. In the mean time, if you see us getting a bum rap on your boob tube, consider the benefit of the doubt. We're not all that bad...
Comments
Human Factors is a bit of an uncertain field as well. Its sort of an intersection of psychology and engineering, and there really isn't great consensus on exactly what we're supposed to be doing.
Posted by: Jerry | April 15, 2006 06:00 PM
Hey Jerry, at least y'all have the excuse of being "new-ish" right? Social work's been around for at least a couple of centuries and still can't figure it out! =P. It is a bit frustrating, though, to be having my own identity crisis on a daily basis within a field that's having a perpetual one. But you probably don't gaze at your own navel as much as I do...
Posted by: self | April 17, 2006 09:36 AM