In Reply to: OT, mechanical nightmares posted by Sam P. on April 25, 2003 at 16:01:33:
There's a simple reason for why this happens, and it happens everywhere, believe me. In this country we've decided that anyone who works with their hands is an idiot who can't get a desk job. 50 years ago, a trade was an aspiration and a way to make a solid middle class living. Today, only the worst students take "Industrial Arts" and go on to a minimum wage job at Pep Boys changing oil with a pair of channel locks to round off every drain plug and crush every filter taking it off. No apprenticeship, no wasting money on hand tools that could be better spent on beer. No pride in your work because you've been told only idiots do it anyway. No respect from your employer because you're just another idiot, and your replacement is a dime a dozen.We made the active or passive decision to become a nation of smart guys who don't get their hands dirty - we're a "knowledge based" economy now.
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