Not everyone could afford a college education. And that's still true today. Evidently, many think themselves better than 'buggy drivers' and snivel at the lower, unwashed among us in not too different manner than that of liberals who also think they know better than the average American. The same gallows that libs are hanging from today can always hold one more and it is no respector of party or person.
Excuse me. Anyone can afford a college education. Especially someone with a UAW job.
Not only that, anyone in a job can go acquire more skills to make themselves more valuable to their employer.
What state do you live in? Every state I have ever lived in had community colleges. These are basically very low cost. In many cases they are free.
I know of no one who looks down on somebody because of the work they choose, but at the same time you just can't be surprised that doctors make more than teachers or mechanics (unless you are an Internists vs a F1 team mechanic). If you want to become well off you need a plan. The richest people I know in the field of technology did not complete college (Gates and Elison). Not everyone desires wealth or needs it to be happy. And people are not always happy when the have money.
"Not everyone could afford a college education. And that's still true today."
Nonsense! Where there's a will, there's a way... There are grants, loans, the military, etc. There's so much $$$ for college it's ridiculous. And of course, you can always do what a lot of us did--work your way through school.