From the EU Parliament to the Garbage Truck: A Different View on Society by Quin Blokzijl

Quin Blokzijl is on a mission to challenge an overlooked inequality in society: the divide between university-educated and practically educated people.Despite making up a large part of the population, people with practical education are heavily underrepresented in politics, media, and public debate. Quin has experienced this firsthand — from being excluded based on educational level to working within institutions such as the European Parliament.Today, he works as a garbage collector by choice, while using his platform to question how we define intelligence, success, and value in society.In this conversation, we explore:- Why are vocationally educated people underrepresented in politics- How the system reinforces inequality- Why many people feel excluded from democracy- The link between this divide and rising populism- What politicians and society can do differently- How we currently determine one's worth, and what is the problem with this- How to break out of our bubbles and why it is so important This episode challenges how we think about work, intelligence, and who gets a voice. Quin brings bold ideas, like the need for politicians to do hands-on work, or for more people to work "50-50" - both outside and the office. 👷🏽‍♂️ Guest: Quin Blokzijl Garbage Collector & Opinion LeaderFollow Quin's work on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quinblokzijl/Or LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/quinblokzijl/🎙 Hosted by Vera BaloLevel With Me — nuanced conversations about the topics shaping modern life in Europe.Follow for my journey of building the podcast, as well as critical thinking material: Substack: https://substack.com/@verabaloLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/vera-balo/Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/6RJfOMuau3H2bPJPqj6qAn?si=389f7f4e32b54451Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/nl/podcast/level-with-me/id18762298360:00 Intro1:13 Quin’s journey & early influences4:27 Experiencing the education divide5:19 Why he became a garbage collector7:21 Life on the job & social perceptions11:38 Elites vs workers: key differences14:15 Core issues: money, pressure & recognition15:53 His mission explained17:29 Are vocational workers excluded from democracy?21:57 Representation & political inequality27:14 Why many feel disconnected from politics30:15 The communication gap in public debate34:18 Should politicians do physical work?40:30 Solutions & what needs to change44:12 What happened to unions?46:05 Climate, class & communication51:23 Quin’s future plans53:52 What individuals can do55:08 Breaking out of your bubble57:14 Outro