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I'm betting that I wouldn't lose any money if I put some on the fact that you have never been laid off from a high wage job or career. Americans set a very low bar for the expectations of others. That is the problem as I see it. Any honest work is dignified work? Erm... no. Some jobs are exploitation, plain and simple. I know a guy who because of the collapse of his banking career had to take a job at a state hospital. I mean a lock down facility where the residents are homicidal. He witnessed the killing of a co-worker and the physical assault of another. He developed an ulcer. Needless to say he is paying his medical bills out of his dwindling savings. As I see it, at minimum wage, which is what he earns, at minimum wage, he is paying his employer for the privilege of being able to call himself employed, not the other way around. And people like you support that. Its so ... ... noble... right. Let's hope you never actually have to put your *** where your ideals are. See what I did there? I could have said, "let's see how you do when you have to put your *** where your ideals are". But I didn't. I've chosen to believe that you aren't actually evil. Just insensitive. As for leeching... most of these people leech off of family if they leech at all. A LOT of them are actually doing the very honorable thing and blowing their brains out. Suicide by healthy, middle aged men is the fastest rising group of that demographic, and the rise has indeed been rapid. It doesn't concern anyone... yet, because the bigger concern was over what to do with these men after they are pushed out of gainful employment.
H
It's not just the men who are taking their own lives..women do too, but usually with pills. When you are single, middle aged and childless you might as well be invisible.
A guy like the electrician that has been out of work 4 years, living off of his spouse and an inheritance and has not either moved to where there is work or taken a job in some other industry is the biggest reason for the long term unemployed.
You have to get off the couch and do something, even if it's less money than you made before, or work that you don't find as much fun. He's "not ready yet" ??
This is beyond imaginable to me. He's okay with his wife taking menial, part-time work, though. We've been through this in my marriage and my husband took a job beneath him and one he did not want - more than once. I feel sorry for his poor wife. What a dud.
Quote:
Originally Posted by vision33r
American consumers prefers low cost goods and willing to accept some quality issues at the expense of jobs.
It doesn't matter if we can make a better light bulb or plastic tuffleware, consumers want to pay less and they don't mind lower quality as long as it's cheap.
So true. Nevermind the fact buying the cheapest supports slave labor practices worldwide.
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Originally Posted by gumisgood
what people are failing to realize is that the more that men are disenfranchised, replaced in the economy by women, the more likely we are to be headed towards war.
women kept the house, men gained the resources. it was a basic arrangement, followed universally. then women went to work, and men started having to compete against all other men, as well as women. men have become disposable, it is within our nature to work...that is how we define ourselves. we define ourselves by our abilities to gain resources for a woman. but, men aren't needed for that anymore. so you're seeing a lot of men opt out.
less men going to college. less men willing to work. because there is no real point. marriage isn't as emphasized as it was once.
but, when you have a bunch of idle men, it is almost inevitable that they will start warring with each other. war is still a man's domain, and it's where men will make a name for themselves.
the disenfranchisement of the working man leads to the empowerment of the warring man. you see men being criminals, almost glamorized. you see drug dealers living a life that an honest man can't hope to have. and you see men opt out, and go that route.
men are at war.
News flash: It's in the nature of women to work too.
You paint a picture of the most pathetic group of people I have ever seen. What a bunch of knuckle-draggers men are.
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Originally Posted by Land Fish
I just can't imagine just sitting around the house for so long. Unless you have young kids, where child care factors in, I would take a $10 after a 1 year.
The guy in the article is full of himself. He has a valuable, marketable skill but will only work for the "brotherhood". He may not make $40 per hour, but he can make more than $10. Quite honestly, I'm not sure an electrician being paid $40 per hour is commensurate with their level of education and training.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Emigrations
I was let go from a position last year, with little savings and no answers as to why I was let go. What could I do though? The next day I was applying for other jobs. A couple weeks later I had something, though it certainly wasn't what I wanted. It kept me afloat until I got a professional job this spring.
I'm not saying that it's not in people's self-interest to NOT work when earning minimum wage, but having a job means you're at least attempting to carry your own weight, which is more honorable than people sitting at home taking checks from others who are working.
]The guy in the article is full of himself. He has a valuable, marketable skill but will only work for the "brotherhood". He may not make $40 per hour, but he can make more than $10. Quite honestly, I'm not sure an electrician being paid $40 per hour is commensurate with their level of education and training.
That guy could learn something from you.
What I don't understand is why sit there and do nothing, holding out for a maybe. The union benefits incentivize that behavior. Historically these guys have been able to get those jobs, but that doesn't mean that will happen in the future.
When I got dumped on my ass, I had the choice of either lose it all or suck it up and try to bridge the gap. I received a raise, bought a new car, and within two weeks, was out of work. I made some bad decisions, then those bad decisions were compounded by unfortunate circumstances. Still, unemployment in TN wouldn't be the same as a $10/hr job, and I decided to work.
The guy who went from a banking career to minimum wage in a psych ward I doubt is even real. If you were a banking exec, why would a minimum wage psych ward hire you to restrain people? You have no experience in that and you'd bolt at the first opportunity. I'm not sure that person even existed.
it says that men simply can't compete with women in this new service based economy. women go to college in larger #s, graduate in larger #s, and are simply better at "relationships", which is key in a service economy.
i can't say i disagree.
so when you say that male workers are vanishing...all i can really say is, i'm not surprised.
Not surprising at all...just a sign of the decline of America, and subsequently the western world...women excel at service based jobs (healthcare, education/higher education and other pink collar jobs), but dont produce nearly as many tangible goods as men, havent historically been as inventive as men, and cost more to keep employed if they choose to start a family...this is detrimental to efficiency and productivity, and will ultimately place america in the mediocre realm of modest stature along with countries like denmark, and sweden etc. This will leave a vacuum for the inevitable rise of countries where males are still the engine of productivity like China. America will become a place where layabout men live off the tax dollars of mostly working women...this will be the reverse of what is currently recognized as welfare/wealth redistribution. Efficiency will win out everytime over social engineering.
The oil industry will be a beacon of shining opportunity for some American men...they will be able to utilize their superior strength and physicality to make 6 figure salaries to do the physically grueling grunt work that women either cant do or will continue to refuse to do as those women drown in student loan debt with their sociology degrees.
Last edited by soletaire; 12-12-2014 at 10:21 PM..
As places like North Dakota have caught up and surpassed the need for men in the oil fields, the pay is falling as much as half and the jobs are disappearing, with people leaving. When demand for people diminishes, job demand falls, wages fall, and people leave no matter what field we are talking about.
"Foreign competition and technological advances have eliminated many of the jobs in which high school graduates like Mr. Walsh once could earn $40 an hour, or more."
Yup
Hell, these days, some IT folks are lucky to get $40/hr as a W2 contractor
This will leave a vacuum for the inevitable rise of countries where males are still the engine of productivity like China.
Women far outnumber men in Chinese factories. Especially in Shenzhen and Guangdong.
Quote:
Originally Posted by soletaire
The oil industry will be a beacon of shining opportunity for some American men...they will be able to utilize their superior strength and physicality to make 6 figure salaries to do the physically grueling grunt work that women either cant do or will continue to refuse to do as those women drown in student loan debt with their sociology degrees.
Quote:
Originally Posted by oldtrader
As places like North Dakota have caught up and surpassed the need for men in the oil fields, the pay is falling as much as half and the jobs are disappearing, with people leaving. When demand for people diminishes, job demand falls, wages fall, and people leave no matter what field we are talking about.
Yeah. The labor need in the ND oil fields right now is in understaffed service jobs, not more roustabouts.
The guy who is with the IBEW and is idle could probably find nonunion work as an electrician, but refuses to do so because the union benefits are just too good.
How is an unemployment check better than a non-union check? And the guy has been fired repeatedly. So he's got some issues.
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