What Does The FL Think of So-called Black Friday?

[LizzieMaine]

All I can say is THANK GOD I learned a trade. Plumbing may not be the most glamorous work, and sometimes it can get pretty dirty, but it's proven to be a fairly recession proof industry. When the economy slowed down and fewer new buildings were going up there still was plenty of repair and service to be done.

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If I had kids of my own, I would have insisted they forget all about liberal-arts degrees and become plumbers, electricians, mechanics, carpenters, or roofers. I don't know a single electrician around here under the age of sixty, and there will always be a demand for their services.

I see a day coming where we have a nation of MBA's up to their kneecaps in sewage because nobody knows how to fix the toilets.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

Well, we've managed to get this far without a lockdown. Impressive.
I decided to sleep on my thoughts and best leave it as-is. Happy Hump-Day all

I dunno, we've had a few "trainwreck" threads that lasted far longer than this one before getting the axe.

 

[ButteMT61]

I've got plumbers, roofers, and a contractor all at my house now, banging away. They are have good lives with nice trucks and homes and families.
No matter who you are, and what the economy is doing, the ****er still gets clogged and the roof still leaks. lol
The trades were abandoned in the country both educationally, and socially. That's a damn shame too. When I was a kid, we had metal, wood, power-mechanics, and home-ec classes, not to mention three years of driver's ed. We were taught to be able to do anything. Today, you have kids with 200k in student loans for a fem-lit degree that is not worth the paper it was ink-jet printed on. What an elfin' mess.

 

[ButteMT61]

I dunno, we've had a few "trainwreck" threads that lasted far longer than this one before getting the axe.

Of course, there's still time, and as long as I don't stop, a good chance it will go souther.

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I've got plumbers, roofers, and a contractor all at my house now, banging away. They are have good lives with nice trucks and homes and families.
No matter who you are, and what the economy is doing, the ****er still gets clogged and the roof still leaks. lol
The trades were abandoned in the country both educationally, and socially. That's a damn shame too. When I was a kid, we had metal, wood, power-mechanics, and home-ec classes, not to mention three years of driver's ed. We were taught to be able to do anything. Today, you have kids with 200k in student loans for a fem-lit degree that is not worth the paper it was ink-jet printed on. What an elfin' mess.

And that's the greatest challenge of bringing manufacturing jobs back to this country because we have also allowed the pool of skilled workers to atrophy. We'd have to rebuild an entire workforce overnight. The average age of an American skilled worker is now 55.

 

[ButteMT61]

And that's the greatest challenge of bringing manufacturing jobs back to this country because we have also allowed the pool of skilled workers to atrophy. We'd have to rebuild an entire workforce overnight. The average age of an American skilled worker is now 55.

Absolutely. Most of the schools no longer offer these trades as an option, and worse, the schools that do appear to be more of a scam for loans that actually being good schools. You know the ones - you see them alongside of the Sham-Wow commercials on cable or late at night. Such a shame. I do hope this "in-sourcing" wave continues, and that we see schools quickly follow suit with proper trade programs again...

 

[LizzieMaine]

Absolutely. Most of the schools no longer offer these trades as an option, and worse, the schools that do appear to be more of a scam for loans that actually being good schools. You know the ones - you see them alongside of the Sham-Wow commercials on cable or late at night. Such a shame. I do hope this "in-sourcing" wave continues, and that we see schools quickly follow suit with proper trade programs again...

The biggest obstacle that has to be overcome is the middle-class idea that the trades are for people who "aren't smart enough" to sit in an office shifting one column of figures across the internet to another column 3000 miles away. And aside from them, we have too many young people rampant in the land who wouldn't ever even think of taking up a manual trade, because after all, they're artists and intellectuals, not people in greasy overalls with dirt under their fingernails.

The sad irony is that a lot of those young people *will* end up taking up a trade when they find that the market for their art and their intellect isn't what they expected it to be. But "barista" will never pay as well, or contribute as much to the well-being of society as "plumber."

 

[Feraud]

I'm sure Pope Francis would support the general consensus here regarding Black Friday and its greater social implications.

 

[jamespowers]

I'm sure Pope Francis would support the general consensus here regarding Black Friday and its greater social implications.

:doh:

 

[Feraud]

A bit late in the game to be worried about politics in this thread, no? [huh]

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

There was even a study by the Army that found that half of their recruits had never even changed a tire in their lives.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I'm just looking forward to the day when His Holiness shows up on Wall Street cracking a whip.

 

[dh66]

Absolutely. Most of the schools no longer offer these trades as an option, and worse, the schools that do appear to be more of a scam for loans that actually being good schools. You know the ones - you see them alongside of the Sham-Wow commercials on cable or late at night. Such a shame. I do hope this "in-sourcing" wave continues, and that we see schools quickly follow suit with proper trade programs again...

I taught at a trade school for about 4 years. It started as an off shoot program of a local community college, but ultimately morphed into it's own entity, which very quickly degenerated into what you just described. When the @#%& hit the fan back in 07-08 and people started losing jobs, and the govt. started handing out grants to people to re-train for new careers, things startrd to get kind of shady. One semester almost 50 people were enrolled in the course I taught, and after the first week or so only about half a dozen ever showed up, never saw the rest again.

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[jamespowers]

A bit late in the game to be worried about politics in this thread, no? [huh]

Just remember that the Vatican has dialed back that stuff saying that something was lost in translation etc. They are issuing a "corrected version." lol lol

 

[Feraud]

I'm just looking forward to the day when His Holiness shows up on Wall Street cracking a whip.

I'll gladly provide the whip.


It is a real loss that our country has dropped emphasis on the trades. It seems illogical as jobs like electricians, masons, carpentry, auto-mechanics, etc. is not something you can source out.

 

[jamespowers]

There was even a study by the Army that found that half of their recruits had never even changed a tire in their lives.

gee, I wish I had their problem. Just a month or two ago, I had to speed change a tire on my car in my work parking lot. It actually became a spectator sport so I can see that stupidity in such things abounds. I did it in about ten minutes too.

 

[jamespowers]

I'm just looking forward to the day when His Holiness shows up on Wall Street cracking a whip.

That will never happen. Where do you think they own a WHOLE LOT of property just happens to be? lol lol

 

[HoosierDaddy]

Stunning...

 

[LizzieMaine]

Well, even better. Cleansing of the temple and all that.

As for tires, the last time I had the tires on the Plodge rotated, I discovered that the mechanic had left one of the front lug bolts off. "Well, geez, four ought to be enough, hyuk hyuk hyuk!" More and more I feel like I can't trust anybody to do anything right, and I have to go around and inspect everything afterward to make sure it's done properly.

 

[jamespowers]

I discovered that the mechanic had left one of the front lug bolts off. "Well, geez, four ought to be enough, hyuk hyuk hyuk!" More and more I feel like I can't trust anybody to do anything right, and I have to go around and inspect everything afterward to make sure it's done properly.

Yes, you have to check up on them after they do anything. This is especially true if it involves your safety. :doh: