Why do coal miners want to continue working such a horrible, dirty job?

[Warpy]

132. I've known miners who were incredibly proud of what they did

Going deep inside the earth in the darkness and danger is facing a lot of primal fears. I don't think what they mine is the important thing, the act of doing it gives them a great deal of satisfaction. It seems to get into the blood like a lot of other exhausting and risky jobs.

I know ex miners who are enthusiastic cavers, so go figure.

Once you learn a specialized job, especially a dangerous one, it becomes part of your identity and you want to keep doing it. It's not that they love a soft, pink man like Trump. It's that they know he'll want to keep the mines open. It's a losing battle, though, since the days of coal as king are over. Some mines will stay open as long as we make steel but deep, labor intensive mines will close in favor of open pits.