The Gray Area with Sean Illing

The moral dangers of dirty work

Listen Later

Vox’s Jamil Smith talks with journalist and author Eyal Press about "dirty work" — the jobs Americans do that, as Press explains, can lead workers to perform morally compromising activities unwittingly. They discuss examples of this kind of work (drone pilots, meat packers, prison aides), talk about its relation to the term "essential workers" that gained prominence during the pandemic, and explain how certain jobs highlight the disparities of class, race, and gender in American society.

Host: Jamil Smith (@JamilSmith), Senior Correspondent, Vox

Guest: Eyal Press (@EyalPress), author; journalist

References: 

  • Dirty Work: Essential Jobs and the Hidden Toll of Inequality in America by Eyal Press (FSG; 2021)
  • "What does it mean to take America's 'jobs of last resort'?" by Jamil Smith (Vox; Apr. 22)
  • Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynasty by Patrick Radden Keefe (Doubleday; 2021)
  • The Social Network, dir. David Fincher (2010)
  • The Jungle by Upton Sinclair (1906)
  • The Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison (1952)
  • The Civilizing Process by Norbert Elias (1939)
  • "Good People and Dirty Work" by Everett C. Hughes (Social Problems, vol. 10 (1); 1962)
  • The Line Becomes a River by Francisco Cantú (Riverhead; 2019)
  • "Inside the Massive Jail that Doubles as Chicago's Largest Mental Health Facility" by Lili Holzer-Glier (Vera Institute of Justice; 2016)


    Enjoyed this episode? Rate Vox Conversations ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ and leave a review on Apple Podcasts.

    Subscribe for free. Be the first to hear the next episode of Vox Conversations by subscribing in your favorite podcast app.

    Support Vox Conversations by making a financial contribution to Vox! bit.ly/givepodcasts

    This episode was made by: 

    • Producer: Erikk Geannikis
    • Editor: Amy Drozdowska
    • Engineer: Patrick Boyd
    • Deputy Editorial Director, Vox Talk: Amber Hall

      Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

      ...more
      View all episodesView all episodes
      Download on the App Store
      The Gray Area with Sean IllingBy Vox
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5
      • 4.5

      4.5

      10,510 ratings

      More shows like The Gray Area with Sean Illing

      View all
      On the Media by WNYC Studios

      On the Media

      9,131 Listeners

      Fresh Air by NPR

      Fresh Air

      38,189 Listeners

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The Political Scene | The New Yorker

      3,945 Listeners

      Gastropod by Cynthia Graber and Nicola Twilley

      Gastropod

      3,614 Listeners

      Switched on Pop by Vulture

      Switched on Pop

      2,628 Listeners

      Decoder with Nilay Patel by The Verge

      Decoder with Nilay Patel

      3,144 Listeners

      Explain It to Me by Vox

      Explain It to Me

      7,837 Listeners

      The New Yorker Radio Hour by WNYC Studios and The New Yorker

      The New Yorker Radio Hour

      6,670 Listeners

      Pivot by New York Magazine

      Pivot

      9,202 Listeners

      Channels with Peter Kafka by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Channels with Peter Kafka

      552 Listeners

      The Daily by The New York Times

      The Daily

      111,864 Listeners

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes by Vulture

      Good One: A Podcast About Jokes

      1,457 Listeners

      Radio Atlantic by The Atlantic

      Radio Atlantic

      2,319 Listeners

      Today, Explained by Vox

      Today, Explained

      10,141 Listeners

      The Cut by Vox Media Podcast Network

      The Cut

      1,585 Listeners

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat by New York Times Opinion

      Interesting Times with Ross Douthat

      6,751 Listeners

      Future Perfect by Vox

      Future Perfect

      584 Listeners

      Throughline by NPR

      Throughline

      16,034 Listeners

      Land of the Giants by Vulture

      Land of the Giants

      2,154 Listeners

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Unlocking Us with Brené Brown

      23,603 Listeners

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway by Vox Media Podcast Network

      The Prof G Pod with Scott Galloway

      5,397 Listeners

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe by Vox Media Podcast Network

      A Touch More with Sue Bird & Megan Rapinoe

      661 Listeners

      Hard Fork by The New York Times

      Hard Fork

      5,448 Listeners

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Celebrity Memoir Book Club

      6,309 Listeners

      The Ezra Klein Show by New York Times Opinion

      The Ezra Klein Show

      15,237 Listeners

      Unexplainable by Vox

      Unexplainable

      2,205 Listeners

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Waveform: The MKBHD Podcast

      5,926 Listeners

      The Interview by The New York Times

      The Interview

      1,463 Listeners

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward by Cam Heyward

      Not Just Football with Cam Heyward

      140 Listeners

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF by Vivian Tu

      Networth and Chill with Your Rich BFF

      1,709 Listeners

      Served with Andy Roddick by Served with Andy Roddick

      Served with Andy Roddick

      995 Listeners

      Prof G Markets by Vox Media Podcast Network

      Prof G Markets

      1,127 Listeners

      The Opinions by The New York Times Opinion

      The Opinions

      449 Listeners