I grew up in the garage with my Dad. He was always building or rebuilding something, and it was our time together. It's when he was the most at peace. I inherited that desire, and ability to 'see' how things just work. As did my brother. To me, the thought of paying someone else to do something is distasteful, but sometimes I just don't want to do it (like drywall). But I would never consider taking my bike in for service, or my car (unless it's warranty work). I enjoy those activities, and it's a real sense of pride for me, as well as a way to silently relive that time in the garage with my Dad.
However I have friends who couldn't imagine doing these things. What Mr. Rowe has done here is to summarize the first few chapters of Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance into a 5 minute speech. And he did it very well, as he always does. I like him, he seems like a guy we could all hang out with, right? But there are some people who simply see that work as menial labor, and for others who are less advanced than them.
It's funny because I am a bit of a misfit in my world. I left the Navy after 12 years having learned (taught myself) computers and networks. I parlayed that into a short career with Microsoft and now own my own IT Consulting company. To me computers and networks are the digital representation of engines and house wiring. They have gears, make noises, have personalities, etc., just like every car and every bike I have ever worked on. And once you are see that correlation computers become like the toaster in your kitchen. They only do exactly what you tell them to do.
So yes, I'd vote for the guy, but he isn't slimy enough to be a politician. Changing from Mr. Rowe to Mr. Rockefeller was like going from zesty hot sauce to room temperature milk. Yuck.
God bless Mike Rowe, and god bless Dirty Jobs!