Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
So now everyone should be a farmer because there is a chance they would need the skill? What a ridiculous statement.
No, not everyone should become a farmer. But are basic survival skills and preparedness a bad thing? Perhaps knowing a bit about canning food? Maybe basic skills that people used to have before they didn't need to know anything anymore besides how to make money? Most people nowadays don't know how to wipe their own **s when you get right down to it (as far as survival skills). Unfortunately, I'm largely in that category myself, although I'm a bit ahead of some folks. I grew up in a household that still did some of those basic things.
No, not everyone should become a farmer. But are basic survival skills and preparedness a bad thing? Perhaps knowing a bit about canning food? Maybe basic skills that people used to have before they didn't need to know anything anymore besides how to make money? Most people nowadays don't know how to wipe their own **s when you get right down to it (as far as survival skills). Unfortunately, I'm largely in that category myself, although I'm a bit ahead of some folks. I grew up in a household that still did some of those basic things.
To make anything out of yourself you have to be very specialized anymore. I am a computer programmer. I would rather dedicate my life to one field and become great at it (and consequentially provide a much better benefit to society) than just be OK since I spent time learning how to farm. True innovations usually come from people who only do one thing their entire lives.
True innovations usually come from people who only do one thing their entire lives.
The opposite is true. Innovation comes from the renaissance man, who can look at a system from multiple educated viewpoints. It was farmers who were also chemists or mechanical engineers or mathemeticians who thought of ways to advance agriculture.
Years ago, I was reading in Encyclopedia Britannica about ocean waves. The article mentioned that very little is really known about the physics of wave action. I'm paraphrasing, but it said there are many men who have studied physics, and many who have spent their lives at sea, but the science awaits one who has done both.
Wouldn't people with higher intelligence be more likely to find harder/more challenging jobs?
Sometimes, it is more complicated.
Say Joe's uncle owns a company or knows a friend who does and makes a phone call. Let's say Joe is not very ambitious, or is downright lazy.
But they keep him on the payroll and make someone else do more work to cover for him because they can't afford to really have a slacker on the payroll.
Happens all of the time.
Nepotism, favoritism, buddy-ism.
So the smartest don't always get or keep the job. It should be that way. The best or hardest workers, the most diligent, the ones who go the extra mile, the ones who don't say, "It's not my job"...should be the ones who are employed. But it has never been that way. It is not a fair world in any sense.
I am poor, and have been my whole life. I would admit that I do fit into the lazy, and unskilled catergory. However, I am not stupid. I also have abstained from sex my whole life because I knew I could never support a child. I also do feel that sterilization of the poor is a good thing. If you can not afford to take care of yourself, you have no business having kids IMO.
I admire your sense of responsibility for your situation.
But we can never have forced sterilizations.
It is sad that there are so many though who will not accept responsibility for their situation. It isn't like they have one kid, they have several and then expect the Government to take care of them.
The opposite is true. Innovation comes from the renaissance man, who can look at a system from multiple educated viewpoints. It was farmers who were also chemists or mechanical engineers or mathemeticians who thought of ways to advance agriculture.
Years ago, I was reading in Encyclopedia Britannica about ocean waves. The article mentioned that very little is really known about the physics of wave action. I'm paraphrasing, but it said there are many men who have studied physics, and many who have spent their lives at sea, but the science awaits one who has done both.
Jeez, is this off topic, or what!
I agree. I have an idea I am working on when I am not working, to try to develop and market it. It will probably fail, but because I made one and it works in my home (for over 10 years), I think I have a small chance.
To make anything out of yourself you have to be very specialized anymore.
Only in your own social discourse and by your own definition. And that's fine. If it's working, that's good. All I'm saying is that if things suddenly 'change' for the worse, there will be many, many helpless people (I'm one of them). In that sort of world, computer programming will mean nothing, being a teacher at a college will mean nothing. We take that chance. If it never happens, well good! But it is a possibility and it would not be the first time.
I have lived among the "lower class" or underprivileged/wellfare recipients for the last 8 years or so.
I have found a majority of the ones I have met and spoken with are pretty crafty people.
The amount of energy, time, and manipulation involved with flying under the radar in order to keep their generational benefits of state wellfare flowing requires skill, and they have it mastered. If they don't, they know how to find someone to teach them the arts.
I worked with an elderly lady who is on foodstamps and has her whole family living with her, all on wellfare programs in the state of Illinois. She told me one day how they all survive. They only work enough hours to keep their benefits and not an hour longer. Since minimum wages without an education does not entice them to earn more due to the expensive nature of living in any place in America, they are not inclined to do more for themselves. I think we underestimate this class of people who are quite skilled at working harder to keep benefits then they work to keep off them.
Just to maintain unemployment benefits is a lot of work. Constant meetings, education on resumes, job applications, seminars, and these are usually weekly-monthly mandatory appointments you have to drive to and stay most of the day. I have a friend who works 6 hours a day doing various tasks and appointments just to stay on social security disability, food stamps, government housing, and you don't want to know what she does for her spending cash off the record to buy herself a car and means to get around in life. That is a novel all by itself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
