Opinion question about work ethics and what it says about our sociery today?

I posted this question in politics and got some decent responses but wanted to see what the imigration folks thought of this.





I was reading some of the other poster's replys to a question I answered yesterday. One of the posters said that no "Real American" would do "Stoop" work like gathering crops in fields. This is a bold statement that to me highlights what is wrong with our country. To many "Real Americans" are afraid to go outside of their air conditioned lifestyle and sweat for a fair days pay. If we were doing these jobs ourselves would we have Illegals coming here to do it. Are we crippling our country by eliminating our own working class with laziness. Not everyone desires to get a college education, or work in an office. Looking foward to your thoughts on

Opinion question about work ethics and what it says about our sociery today?
You raise an important question. There are many points to it. I think you are right to say that Americans do not want to do the so called "dirty" jobs, on the other hand if they were to do it they would get unionized and ask for a $12.00/hour salary for starter plus everything that goes along with it ... the sector of activity would crumble under the prices and a pound of tomatoe would cost you $20.00 at your local market. Immigrants work at any cost because well it is better then nothing (which is what they get in their country)


Another important point is the mentality of these folks. For immigrants the US is STILL the Eldorado, the land of opportunity, of chances of making it ... for us ??? we are already there we are raised by a society that strives on the cult of oneself, from your youngest age you are told how great you are, how lucky you are, how wonderful your society and world you live in is. You grow up to be nothing but a wannabee with dreams that for you are not to be won over but given to you. Coming out of college anybody think they are going to be a big shot and everybody around them tell them so. Where has the "work hard" to get it gone? where is the idea that you don't get anything untill you worked hard for it? we lost that ideal ... Immigrants haven't. We still think that because we worked har till high school and because we worked hard through college we should get it ... the society OWES us, for our sacrifices and well because it is the way we think nowaday. We are Americans we should get the best shouldn;t we? well, THAT's Why they are here and THAT's why they work their tails off ... yes for less money and doing the dirty jobs we don't even dare looking at ... hell! mom and dad told me I'd be a great lawyer, they were right (even if they lied just to make me happy and not upset me)
Reply:We have definitely lost it. I posted a fake question some months ago to test the waters. In it I made up a scenario of a local cherry farmer whou couldnt get any workers because they were afraid of INS raids. Out of 127 answers, there was one person, a woman at that, who stated she would be willing do the work or any kind of work for that matter. That really told me a lot. Everyone else either said no way, or they wanted to be unionized with a good hourly wage plus benefits. I picked strawberries for .65 a crate when I was a teenager because that was only place a black teenager could be hired back then. It didnt kill me but rather motivated me to do well in school, get my degrees and be able to never have to do that type of work again.
Reply:I agree 100%





Too many in the US somehow think menial labor is "beneath" them. They are provided with obscene amenities, entitlement programs and welfare.. This breeds laziness. It needs to end.





There's nothing wrong with honest hard work picking produce, or flipping burgers for that matter. A little sweat never hurt anyone.
Reply:I agree with you. Our laziness perpetuates the problem. Perhaps if we offered tax breaks to American farm workers there would be more of an incentive to work those types of jobs. If I lived in a rural area and there were no other prospects, I'd do it.
Reply:Sorcery is becoming quite a large following of non-christian etc. peoples.
Reply:Gee, I wonder how the Towboat industry survives.


no illegal can get a job on any boat that sails under The American flag.


Whites and Blacks are the majority, although I did work under an officer who had Hispanic roots and with his son.


The work is in any weather conditions, day and night, 12 hours per day, seven days per week for the length of your trip--30-90 days non stop. There is no overtime you are paid a straight wage per day; compared to a normal job at eight hours per day with 4 hours overtime, the wages average 7-8 per hour.


The work is extremely physical. I did it for eight years and met some awsome hard working American citizens, there are thousands in that one industry.


I quit after being hurt and am now in College.


I hate you losers who call Americans lazy, don't judge all of us by your peers, we are not all like you.


And thank god at least one industry in this country still hires only Americans.





Edit: Sorry about the personal attack on you and your peers. I have known too many hard working Americans in too many industries to deal well with hearing Americans called lazy. I get bent out of shape easily on this whole topic. I can also remember dumpster diving for food and living in a shelter when I was young. I couldn't get a job with out a place to live and couldn't get a place to live because I was too proud to ask for help from the state. I finally swallowed my pride and went to live with a friend so I could find a job. I was never lazy and I knew many in the shelters who were not lazy either, but they didn't have any friends to go live with so they couldn't find jobs.
Reply:Some of the jobs I believe you are talking about don't pay enough to make it profitable to do them without living in a communal lifestyle given the cost of living in the U.S. My kids detasselled corn when they were teenagers. It was a nice little income for them, but I sure wouldn't have been able to support them on that, plus the fact that it is seasonal work.





I live in the midwest and there are kids and retired people who do these kinds of jobs, but in California and Florida it has been done by immigrants for many years because most of the crops have to be picked very quickly and by hand. I resent it when the geographic details are omitted making it sound like the whole country is the same as California or Florida. We don't even grow the same kinds of foods.
Reply:Well I was born and raised in Ky. in a very poor area of Ky. and my first job was grading and weighing apples in a fruit orchard. Did i like the job no, but it kept me from going hungry. Do I think that I am to good to go back to physical labor? No way, I will do what is necessary to feed my family and clothe my child and i think most americans feel the same way.
Reply:Whites want to be paid twice as much as other people for doing half the work.





That's why companies much rather hire an Asian or Hispanic person.
Reply:I'm not sure I buy this. Somehow before the influx of illegal aliens, the crops got harvested, the lawns got mowed, the buildings/homes got cleaned. The illegal aliens do keep the lawbor costs down for these activities making the jobs all the more unattractive.
Reply:For every person that thinks those jobs are beneath them there is another that would do it if that's all the work they can get. Fact is we are lucky in this country that there is tons of opportunity to do just about what ever type of work you want.
Reply:I think that just as the U.S. has a variety of cultures, ethnicities, religions, races, heritages, etc., so too we have a variety of ideas. There are some that feel they are "above" certain things, but there are also others that are willing to break their backs doing whatever it is they need to, to support thier families, pay for an education, etc. We have those that consider themselves elite, and there are also those who are humble. To me, a "real American" is one who embraces the liberties we have, and the right to our own opinions, whatever they may be. As for me, personally, I'd do anything I had to if it put dinner on the table.