Donald Trump was on defense all evening: on his non-revealed taxes, his dodgy business dealings and much more. But one moment in that debate especially hit me. It was when Clinton noted that Trump had disparaged the 1996 Miss Universe, Alicia Machado, as “Miss Piggy” and “Miss Housekeeping.”

Not surprisingly, the “Miss Piggy” comment got the greatest attention. He was angry that Machado had gained weight. That’s presumably bad for business in the beauty pageant world, whose tawdriness is easily overlooked if you don’t pause to think about it. Trump also defended calling Rosie O’Donnell a “fat pig,” which he did in front of a laughing Republican primary debate crowd last year. As Trump put things last night: “Rosie O’Donnell, I said very tough things to her and I think everyone would agree that she deserves it and nobody feels sorry for her.”

Trump’s “Miss Housekeeping,” though, was even worse. It was at once a sexist slur against Latinas and a way of minimizing and mocking the hard work done by so many Americans. It’s a revolting display of Trump’s disdain for the dignity of difficult work. His particular combination of boorishness and lack of empathy is rare within the political profession, which so rewards emotional intelligence. In this moment, his incapacities caught up with him.

Those of us who lead lives of relative privilege often witness this difficult work close at hand. Certain class realities being what they are, such personal service work easily escapes our notice.

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Irony being what it is, their work allows me to enjoy various conference junkets on themes of poverty and inequality. I travel frequently for work. On one Washington trip, a hotel maid arrived to clean my room, her young daughter quietly tagging along as she went about the work. I don’t know why her daughter was with her. Maybe school was out that day, or her child-care arrangement fell through. That’s real life for many people.

People do this work to support themselves and to feed their families. I overheard one woman in a similar tough occupation tell a co-worker, “I don’t work for my boss. I work for my kids.” Millions of women do.