Many people often wonder about the terms "blue-collar crime" and "white-collar crime". What's the difference? Is one worse than the other? Are they committed by different kinds of people? What does crime have to do with the color of your shirt?
First, it is helpful to understand that blue-collar workers are those people employed in jobs that require manual labor, and white-collar workers perform non-manual labor in an office setting. The terms can be dated back to the 19th century, when industrial workers and manual laborers were required to wear clothing suitable to the difficult work — which was typically a blue work shirt or blue coveralls. In contrast, professional workers in offices generally wore white dress shirts.
Today, the primary distinctions between white-collar and blue-collar crime are the social class to which the suspect belongs and the type of crime committed. Blue-collar crimes are committed by individuals from lower social classes (ie, less privileged backgrounds with fewer professional and societal opportunities), and white-collar crimes, conversely, are committed by individuals from higher, more affluent social classes.
The exact nature of the crime is also a defining factor of blue-collar versus white-collar crime. Blue-collar crimes tend to be relatively obvious (eg, vandalism, robbery, and shoplifting) or violent (eg, assault, arson, and murder) crimes that are committed out of desperation. White-collar crimes, however, are "quieter" crimes (eg, bribery, embezzlement, and computer crime) committed by people who have the means and opportunity to exploit professional situations.
It is impossible to say that one type of crime is worse than the other, for both have serious and lasting effects for the victims. Blue-collar crime gets more consistent exposure in the media, so we usually hear more about it on a regular basis. However, even though we might not hear many news stories about white-collar crime, it still occurs every day. The increase in computer crime and rising instances of identify theft are testament to that.
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