[amaurose]

I dont think it is as simple as that. Throwing everyone into the a-hole pool is a rather simplistic approach, and a very dismissive one at that. In particular, the first sentence is often a reply to someone lamenting their situation, while the second sentence is often a statement ment to insult upwards. Context is important.

[pc86]

Why is one of those better than the other?

[ozim]

Seems like amaurose would feel OK with dropping it on someone who is nagging about his current life circumstances while they could learn more.

Even if it is technically true - why would anyone actually say that to someone?

[bumby]

Maybe not assholes, but it is a pretty blatant status play. By denigrating someone else’s work you raise yourself up by comparison. And while a lot of our psychological health is tied to our relative status in society, that doesn’t make it healthy behavior.

Edit: it's also telling from a status standpoint that you characterized the blue collar comment as "insulting upwards." It would probably go a long way to avoiding those types of comments in the first place if people didn't implicitly think blue collar work is "below" white collar work.