In reference to one of the comments made in the other thread about whites and blacks and their work ethic, here’s one I encountered yesterday with a younger kid. 19 years old. I have been in the construction industry for the last 24 years. I don’t have the power to hire or fire because to be honest I really don’t want it. I’ve been around long enough though that I can get someone a job pretty easy with our company. Yesterday I had a kid ask me if I could get him a job I knew he had been working for another company that was pretty decent and asked him what happened to his job with them. He told me “I messed it up”. I asked him how. He told me “I thought they were disrespecting me, so I walked off the job”. He had only been working with them about three or four months. I told him what an idiot he was and that he was the low man on the pole and yes, he probably was being disrespected by the old hands, but to be honest, that’s how you pay your dues and learn. Asked him if he was going to stand there and tell that to my face and then ask me to put my name on the line and put in a good word for him. I told him he must be some special kind of stupid. Honest but stupid.

If you don’t think you’re being treated fairly, leave. You’ll find something better.

Young people today think there is no thing as paying your dues and think they should start out on top.

It’s not just that. The newest generation in the workforce doesn’t tolerate the old heads talking chit and making crude jokes at their expense. It’s a different time and old heads are being sent home every day at a fast pace with all the new HR rules and more sensitive employees. Frankly, I enjoy seeing a young guy telling an old guy to eff off when he’s being disrespectful (different from just joking around). If you can’t treat everyone with respect, I have no place for you. I’m all for jokes, but some people can’t take them.

At a previous job I was working for a guy and I finally snapped one day and did just that, told him to screw off. Him and I got along great after we came to a mutual understanding

Goes back to the fella that told the train conductor he wanted his job when he retired, what do I need to do to get it? Conductor thinks a moment and says.. you see that mountain of coal over there.. once you’ve shoveled a hundred of them in the fire box over the next thirty years, they might think about it, but don’t get your hopes up.

There is pecking order. Ground men Younger guys Us high voltage worker picked on made fun of made them work. Yep made them ask store room guys for sky hooks and sent to personal for the free lunch box and knife pouch, ate their home made mamas lunch. Come lunch time bought them lunch, working we taught them the safe way the right way to get the job done and they were part of a brotherhood for ever. Ain’t no crying in line work.

There’s a big difference in paying your due and harassment. Most young people grew up with instant gratification, everyone deserves a trophy mentality.

None of that is nothing new, it’s recycled constantly.

Went thru a similar deal with digital photography threatening the old school folks. The music industry did the same as well. Desktop mixing boards and you could start a production company.
I photographed 3 guys that formed a production company. Kinda well known musicians and song writers. We shot pics around the large recording studio with a big 48 channel board. When we got done Gary showed me the software and his water cooled Mac where he did post production.

I forget how many studios in music row in Nashville closed down while others with the new technologies opened up

The biggest thing I’ve seen and heard from friends that own businesses and or are self employed is what Covid did to the workforce. Pretty much destroyed the numbers. If you find some young ones that are driven, working for others is not their end goal.

Until free stuff is stopped this will continue.

I’m all about giving someone a second chance to make themselves better and contribute.
The biggest disappointment I see is young black men. There are some good ones but few and far between. Huge difference between the young bucks and let’s say 45 and older. The hispanics I work around will eventually take those jobs. Young white guys have an opportunity and advantage if they will just hang on and learn consistency/work ethic. No racism here just what I see everyday.