What a shame that we Americans, who pride ourselves on what we think of as our democratic, egalitarian society, are among the worst when it comes to contempt fo

What a shame that we Americans, who pride ourselves on what we think of as our democratic, egalitarian society, are among the worst when it comes to contempt for certain professions. Secretarial work is perfectly respectable work. Someone has to do it, and it's not something just anyone can do. Would the denigrators of secretaries prefer that no one answer the phones, no one answer the emails, no one keep an organization humming smoothly? Ridiculous. Technology of course has reduced the body count; gone are the typing pools of yore, the large administrative offices full of (mostly) women typing and filing and answering phone calls. Yet, there still exists the need, to some extent anyway. It's hard to imagine an organization other than, say, a 5-person start-up, getting by without a professional answering service and professionally composed correspondence, reports, well organized filing systems, as well as the intangibles that make office life more bearable, such as selecting plants and artwork, remembering people's birthdays, keeping the kitchenette well stocked, etc.