Americans are getting lazy...
- Thread starter Little Raven
- Start date
Erik Mesoy
Core Tester / Intern
Yeah. Robots, drones, major clean power sources, computers that can handle fuzzier tasks like "cut my hair" by getting more information, genetic therapy to make us immune to whatever diseases are convienent and develop anti-stuff for the rest.... along with robots. Oooooooh robots. Yay!
As for how this relates to the topic: It can be argued that laziness is the major force in civilizational development.
Domestication: "I don't want to run after deer. I'll start a farm. Then I can sit on my ass all year, growing plants and watching sheep."
The wheel: "This stuff is heavy. I'll make a cart. Then I can push it instead of carrying it."
Iron, steel: "I'm tired of having to repair all these items because they bend and break. Let's get some better metal."
The printing press: "My hand hurts. There's got to be a way of making books faster and easier than this."
Yes, the above are deliberately inaccurate oversimplificaiton, but I think that they are no more inaccurate than the anthropomorphisation constantly used of objects and creatures, e.g. "The computer thought it was the wrong sort of file..." or "the flatworm evolved in order to survive in environment X". The printing press was easier than hand copying.
So. If Americans are getting lazy, and want to stay competitive, they'll need technology that lets them be lazy. Let's hope.
Japanrocks12
tired of being a man
48 hours..? why aren't they content with just 40?
Winner
Diverse in Unity
It's not about how long you work, but how productive you are.
Bugfatty300
Buddha Squirrel
What a silly article.
Isn't it true that working over 48 hours a week generally a bad thing? Isn't it true that long hours are something we want to move away from as productivity increases?
Isn't it true that working over 48 hours a week generally a bad thing? Isn't it true that long hours are something we want to move away from as productivity increases?
Japanrocks12
tired of being a man
exactly.. however, most people and myself included are not so efficient as to do 50 hours work in 40 hours. hence, they see long hours as the only way to increase productivity
civverguy
Emperor
Don't Americans take the least vacations out of all the Western countries?
Less than a good share of them, at least.
Oh yeah. ~60% of my work-week is spent maintaining my life (including the government's share) - the rest is gravy. So I'm doing much better than someone whose entire paycheque is spent staying afloat.
Theoretically, I should be able to live entirely off of my passive income. Eventually.
Perfection
The Great Head.
Maybe if we didn't have to spend 10 hours a week stuck in traffic it would be feasible.
Perfection
The Great Head.
Maybe if we didn't have to spend 10 hours a week stuck in traffic it would be feasible.
Japanrocks12
tired of being a man
Maybe if we didn't spend two seconds a week doubleposting it would be more feasible
the 10 hours a week in traffic is solely the fault of american desires in regards to what kind of house they want to have. Most americans don't want to live in a condo, apartment, or multi unit housing. density is something that is frowned upon here in america and is only in cities that are on the east coast.
and before someone on the west coast tells me about density existing out here, they should be aware that the most dense urban areas, by far, are on the east coast and that is a model for what i mean when i say density. sure SF, parts of LA, parts of seattle, are 'dense' but only certain areas are.
and before someone on the west coast tells me about density existing out here, they should be aware that the most dense urban areas, by far, are on the east coast and that is a model for what i mean when i say density. sure SF, parts of LA, parts of seattle, are 'dense' but only certain areas are.
amadeus
Apply directly to the forehead
Are you kidding? I'd work 60 hours a week (and maybe even more!) if my employer would let me!
You should just as well know that it's easy to poo-poo work when you aren't strapped for funds all the time.
Pasi Nurminen
Deity
I can't understand the 35 hour work week. That's thousands of dollars less income per year than having a 40 hour work week, since many employers rarely grant overtime. If Canada switched to a 35 hour work week, a whole lot of people would instantly be poorer, and the economy would suffer.
jameson
Emperor
Leave it to Fortune Magazine to use a study from the ILO which describes a 48+ hour working week as 'excessive' and something which needs to be fought in order to scold Americans, and by extension, other Westerners, for being lazy slobs who might well work harder still. Here is the description of the report from the ILO website itself ( the actual report itself can be yours for $95 ). Using only the proportion of people working an excessive amount of hours as a proxy for the actual work ethic of Americans is just dishonest on the part of Fortune. Americans still work more hours per year than do most of their counterparts in the Western world ( source). You can hardly blame them for not acting even more like rats in a treadmill.
Pasi Nurminen
Deity
Some of the happiest people in the world are the poorest of the poor in third world countries. Should we strive to be like them simply because they're happier than we are?
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