Fine. I'll say it: developers aren't smart enough to survive a blue collar environment.
My credentials? I worked in a factory in my youth. 12hr shifts, nightshift only, 7 days a week, on assembly lines.
Your average developer is definitely not risk averse enough to keep all their limbs. Where I worked, two people on two different lines lost limbs.
If you have ever used npm install on your daily driver without sand boxing it, you're too stupid to work in a factory.
That's way too strong. I would say "if you've ever done it and had an issue and not learned from the mistake then you're too stupid".
The trades differ from software and that there's a lot more "learning on the job" and making rookie mistakes in terms of how the physical world works.
There is learning on the job with software, but it's a much smaller component and much of that is being replaced with AI skills.