No Boss Hogg “Round Here !

Peabody, Massachusetts                September 1984

I was never a big fan of the Dukes of Hazzard TV Series, but I loved Waylon Jennings Outlaw Country Songs including his theme for the show, and I loved Catherine Bach…”Daisy Duke”. The show aired from 1979 to 1985 at a time when I wasn’t watching much television,, and when it was it was usually new wave videos on MTV. From August of 1983 to September 1984 I worked as a Vocational Instructor for Heritage Industries in Peabody, Massachusetts. My job was to teach work skills to developmentally challenged adults.  

The pay was low but he spirit was high in our predominately young group of special educators. We were teaching   folks how to do important things like  lubricate sail parts or label phone company mailings. The individuals we taught were  learning how to push for goals ad make a little money.       

                We had a rebel spirit and attempted to unionize the ARC. We lost by one vote, 25-24 and some folks started to leave after the failed drive. I had suggested to the SEIU organizer that we should have tried to organize the individuals who we were teaching should have been included in our efforts. I said we were oppressed, they were super oppressed. To some of them, we were considered the oppressor. I used to laugh when the crazy old Frenchman Lucien would shout at me “Hey Boss Hogg!” cause in his eyes, I was the bad guy. I didn’t have the heart to tell him I didn’t regularly watch the show. Catherine Bach as Daisy Duke was all that held my attention. In an angrier moment Lucien had thrown a shoe at me and cold me a “goddamn hippie C*^t”. I nearly fell of my chair laughing. no Lucien, I’m just one of the good ole boys.