Too Many Young Americans Have No Understanding Of The American Work Ethic

Toogood ^ | 11/6/03 | Paul M. Weyrich

[Age of Reason]

Too many young Americans have no understanding of the American work ethic.

Can you blame them?

Seems to me America has no respect for the work ethic, either.

And it's no wonder; after all, America holds lotteries that award tens of millions to people who do not earn it.

Which makes it official: the American work ethic is not respected by American government.

A fine example for the kids.

[God is good]

"Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping — they called it opportunity."

Not! Go out and find a real job, or get an education and then get a real job. Flipping burgers gets you nothing.

[LiteKeeper]

SITREP - WORLDVIEW - ECONOMICS

[God is good]

Maybe you don't know it, but you just made a case against the minimum wage.

[Mygirlsmom]

Good to see Charlie getting credit for his great insights. I seem to remember him saying that he often gets emails forwarded to him from people saying,

"Charlie, take a look at these cool 11 rules that Bill Gates came up with!"

[CodeMonkey]

You know what is the rule which everyone forgets: do what you enjoy that lets you live a decently comfortable life.

[XBob]

Those are the 11 rules of Bill Gates. What's going on here?

[Mad Dawgg]

>>>{"Not! Go out and find a real job, or get an education and then get a real job. Flipping burgers gets you nothing."}<<<

Explain please, does it not get you income?

[Jim Ralls]

I disagree here. Flipping burgers for the never employed is a way to learn minimal job skills, demonstrate a work ethic, learn to show up on time and do some work. That will carry over for the rest of their lives and forms a nice foundation to build upon.

[Pagey]

I took care of a neighbors yard (thoroughly I might add) once a week and thought $10.00 a month was alot of money in 1975 when I was 9 years old. After 6 months, I finally realized that there was a whole lot more I wanted out of life and have worked my ___ off ever since, just so I can have what I want and travel where and when I want. IMHO You can't give someone the drive to succeed,it has to come from w/in the person themselves. I know people who have spent 8-10-12 years of their lives being the perpetual student,who simply don't have the drive to get out and make it happen because they're lazy. I can proudly say I haven't seen them in years either. Imagine my amazement when one of them actually had the audacity to call me for a job. LOL Unfortunately for them, I don't employ people who are or were my friends (or thought they were) at any time, and I sleep just fine!

[Siamese Princess]

Get a few generations of easy living and this is what happens, Success has it's drawbacks.

A Roman historian, I think Juvenal, once said that "luxury is more ruthless than war."

[Siamese Princess]

The first rule is "Life is not fair — get used to it." The fourth one is "You will NOT make $60,000 a year right out of high school. The world will expect you to accomplish something BEFORE you feel good about yourself." That is followed directly by "Flipping burgers is not beneath your dignity. Your Grandparents had a different word for burger flipping — they called it opportunity."

Young people? I talk like this to ADULT liberals.

...and no, they don't quite get it either.

Liberals are nothing more than spoiled 12-year-olds in adult bodies. The pyschobabble term that comes to mind is "arrested development."

[don-o]

It's always nice to see parents braggin' on good kids.

Well,

My boy Ben just turned 14. This past summer he was earning around $100 a week from lawn mowing in the neighborhood. He has picked up some leaf raking opportunities, and with an elderly couple down the street has brightened their day.

I had something to drop of to Miss Virginia this evening, and she just went on and on about what a good boy he was, in doing the jobs they hired him for, including gutter cleaning, as well as yard work. She remarked on how polite and well spoken he was. This is usual input from folks who meet my homeschooled son.

I have another son, who wants to be just like Ben.

[FixitGuy]

Its terrible remembering this, but:

In high sclool, I took a part time job working i a shoe repair shop (1954)for a whopping $.25 (25 cents) an hour. Learned a trade and by graduation, was running the shop when owner was out (50 percent of the time) and was earning 85 cents an hour.

That was crappy wages even then, but it made me strong and developed a great work ethic.

Never became a CEO and great wealth is overblown if you have to give up your soul.

[don-o]

Not! Go out and find a real job

Huh?

What is not real about "flipping burgers"?

[FixitGuy]

Great to hear about Ben.

Often wonder about the great differences when kids turn the corner at puberty and some go in the wrong direction, succumbing to the wiles of the world???

No doubt home schooling played a role but....?

[Zeroisanumber]

Yep, the younger generation is going to hell in a handbasket. Also, when I was a kid the snow was a lot deeper, and I walked five miles uphill both ways to sit in an unheated schoolhouse. For a summer job, I picked rocks out of a corn field 18-hours a day before I came home to help my father pull tree stumps out of our bean field for the other 8 hours of the day.

Goddarn kids don't know what REAL work is!

[Pagey]

"...That was crappy wages even then, but it made me strong and developed a great work ethic..."

It was a major moment of clarity for me, There I was, doing physical work/gardening w/ the intent of keeping that yard looking great,(besides doing our own house) wanting their approval (at that age) that what I was doing was O.K.---They were hardly ever home and I realized "I really am worth more than this", and they finally said "nope....10.00 a month and no more". I thanked them for letting me have my first real job ( I became quite aware at a young age) and they never once thanked me for any of that work.Ever. Some people unfortunately, are just like that. Because of their behavior, Thank you's became even more of a habit in my life. They still are.

[Lady Jag]

Bump for the truth.