There was a great piece I read a few months back about an auto worker who lost his job in 2008 finding himself in nursing. The guy makes like 4-5x what he made, works a few shifts a week and is working on his NP.
I guarantee you if we found a way to get some displaced auto workers into nursing and medicine they’d love it. Nursing ain’t the usual stereotypical female profession - depending on the ward it’s gross, bloody and sometimes physically dangerous. But culture is a big hang up there and humans like routine. Tough spot all around. Everyone’s arguments in the comments are all mostly spot on.
I remember during the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to “bring back coal” in West Virginia. Meanwhile, Hillary had posted online a detailed plan for federally supported job retraining. Nope; nobody wanted that and probably fewer even knew about it.
Policy proposals are for egg heads. Short, pithy empty promises; that’s what lights a fire under the working class. Maybe a hint of violence on the side.
Because people in grammar and high school are not taught critical thinking. In fact, it is probably prohibited because why would a person with the ability to think critically vote for Boebart or Santos?
I think “critical thinking” as a curriculum focus was banned in some red states, about 10 years ago, when the concept took root as having value for student success and educated citizens. You’re right; no mystery there.
I’m sure there’s some perennially angry blue collar dudes wanting to shoot bud lights, but most of them listen to Joe Rogan, like beer and are general apathetic to politics.
Democrats were the working class party during FDR and everyone shifted away after Reagan, but the difference between the two parties is astounding on this. MAGA is closer culturally, but light years away on actually helping working class folks. Dems are on another planet culturally, but are at least trying to do something.
Culture and vibes are powerful. They make people do really irrational and sometimes evil shit. It’s how wealthy plantation owners in the south convinced poor whites to lynch recently freed blacks (as one extreme example).
I know a lot of nurses, computer data entry clerks, teachers, waitresses, dog groomers who vote for Democrats. They are working class too. They live in the same town and go to the same bars and restaurants. Working class consists of a variety of people, not just autoworkers.
True, I do as well, but we can’t ignore that a large portion of white working class (mostly men) shifted away from the Democrats. They happen to be enough of the population, situated in just the right places, to let someone like Trump in again.
Evidentially, the regulations need to be tightened up again, and the technology improved.
In the 1970s I had a summer job at the Dept. of Labor as a clerk in the Black Lung Compensation program. The filings were horrible. Miners would sometimes die before they were awarded compensation. (Fortunately, their widows got something, as I recall.)
Silica dust is honestly a bigger risk at this point with all the measures we have, but ya regulations have been loosened. These aren’t regulations for performative nonsense either, it’s literally to prevent a completely avoidable scenario.
There was a great piece I read a few months back about an auto worker who lost his job in 2008 finding himself in nursing. The guy makes like 4-5x what he made, works a few shifts a week and is working on his NP.
I guarantee you if we found a way to get some displaced auto workers into nursing and medicine they’d love it. Nursing ain’t the usual stereotypical female profession - depending on the ward it’s gross, bloody and sometimes physically dangerous. But culture is a big hang up there and humans like routine. Tough spot all around. Everyone’s arguments in the comments are all mostly spot on.
I remember during the 2016 campaign, Trump promised to “bring back coal” in West Virginia. Meanwhile, Hillary had posted online a detailed plan for federally supported job retraining. Nope; nobody wanted that and probably fewer even knew about it.
Policy proposals are for egg heads. Short, pithy empty promises; that’s what lights a fire under the working class. Maybe a hint of violence on the side.
Because people in grammar and high school are not taught critical thinking. In fact, it is probably prohibited because why would a person with the ability to think critically vote for Boebart or Santos?
I think “critical thinking” as a curriculum focus was banned in some red states, about 10 years ago, when the concept took root as having value for student success and educated citizens. You’re right; no mystery there.
Retraining is change. Change is scary.
I’m sure there’s some perennially angry blue collar dudes wanting to shoot bud lights, but most of them listen to Joe Rogan, like beer and are general apathetic to politics.
Democrats were the working class party during FDR and everyone shifted away after Reagan, but the difference between the two parties is astounding on this. MAGA is closer culturally, but light years away on actually helping working class folks. Dems are on another planet culturally, but are at least trying to do something.
Culture and vibes are powerful. They make people do really irrational and sometimes evil shit. It’s how wealthy plantation owners in the south convinced poor whites to lynch recently freed blacks (as one extreme example).
I know a lot of nurses, computer data entry clerks, teachers, waitresses, dog groomers who vote for Democrats. They are working class too. They live in the same town and go to the same bars and restaurants. Working class consists of a variety of people, not just autoworkers.
True, I do as well, but we can’t ignore that a large portion of white working class (mostly men) shifted away from the Democrats. They happen to be enough of the population, situated in just the right places, to let someone like Trump in again.
😭
Miners do not get black lung nowadays. They are protected with extensive safety measures.
My sources were from the 1990s, when the disease was almost eradicated. Apparently there has been a resurgence since then. See:
https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/black-lung/learn-about-black-lung
Evidentially, the regulations need to be tightened up again, and the technology improved.
In the 1970s I had a summer job at the Dept. of Labor as a clerk in the Black Lung Compensation program. The filings were horrible. Miners would sometimes die before they were awarded compensation. (Fortunately, their widows got something, as I recall.)
Silica dust is honestly a bigger risk at this point with all the measures we have, but ya regulations have been loosened. These aren’t regulations for performative nonsense either, it’s literally to prevent a completely avoidable scenario.
And the choir replies, YES.
The answer to your last question is yes