As middle aged males I have mentioned that our opinions finally reach a point that we begin to express them and really don’t care what others think. With that in mind, I feel that the American worker is losing their way.
In a world of “political correctness” and individual’s rights being more important than anything in the workplace, we have warped the American worker into a whining victim of perceived business thugs. Truth is the American worker is actually becoming a lazy, self centered, and something for nothing slug that would rather lie on their butts than create something of sustaining value or contribute to the success of anything admirable.
No matter where one lives in these United States, people are becoming more and more stupid. I am not casting any insult toward those that are truly mentally handicapped, but on the Americans who allow their brains to deteriorate through lack of use, avoidance of meaningful stimulation and self imposed brainlessness. It is the PS2, Xbox, television age when people work to get free money through unemployment, government agencies, worker's comp, identity theft, and pointless litigation to get their next fix of self centered, self gratifying (use your imagination) entertainment that is causing the demise of our country. Today in New York City a young 30 year old man punched a 101 year old woman in the face three or four times just to get her purse. That is a great analogy of my opinion of the thought process of the American worker.
Many workers feel computer skills can be written on a resume if they can surf the web's porn and gaming sites. Their brains are no longer of use to them for anything other than finding a way to make money without real work and sacrifice. Political correctness be damned, you can find this complacency in every race, creed, and social group, as the people in the United States are getting DUMBER.
In my current line of work, I have found some incredible Hispanic people that still know how to work hard. If Mexico, Peru, and the Dominican Republic ever get their act together politically, we could very easily become NORTH LATIN AMERICA. Unfortunately, many immigrants do fall into the same traps that US citizen's do and are enveloped by the stupidity like a fast growing Kudzu vine of the "dumb ass" variety. I want to start a website www.peoplearestumpdumb.com to highlight the stupidity of today's American, but I am afraid few would read the pithy comments of normal hard working people. Looking at ourselves in the mirror can be painful.
Workers’ unions have helped to nurture the type of American worker that I am discussing. Now, if you have ever read Upton Sinclair’s, The Jungle, you would understand the need and necessity of unions at a time when workers were treated as disposable property. Unions made great strides in strengthening employee pay, benefits, safety, and helped give them a voice in corporate America. Unfortunately, with great power comes great responsibility and humans traditionally are not up to the task, so when it has been time to change, unions have been unable to pull in the hand they have had extended for so long. Someone needs to research the positive effect that unions have had on technology and automation. Unions have priced themselves out of work by demanding higher than necessary salaries, and benefits that make capital investment in automation more profitable than keeping workers employed.
So as American workers continue to shun the idea of hard work, moral structure, and education, the rich will get richer and the poor will extend their hands and hope for some money to fall from the sky. Workers will continue to look for the “free money” available to them through government sources and pointless litigation. Individuals will look for new and improved ways in which their rights are infringed that will result in a cash pay out for pain and suffering.
Maybe we need to require the American worker to spend time with the immigrants from India, South American countries, and Asian countries that we stereotype as convenience store owners, laborers, and buffet restaurant owners. Hard working people that see the United States as the “land of opportunity” can still be successful.
The American worker must work harder to regain the momentum of entrepreneurship, and strong work ethic that made this country strong. It is time for middle aged males to step up and demand the work ethic of the past for more success in the future.
Soon I will share my opinion on the rise of Wal-Mart and how it has thrived in such a society of the current American worker. The first clue should have been the stylish blue smocks given to each worker. The back is emboldened with yellow print that asks “May I help you?” The reason they used this phrase is because many of the workers who just passed you in the store are unable or unwilling to use the phrase to address customers.
