Labor day weekend is such a drag for me. It spells the end of my annual freedom from work and yet another 9 to 10 months of mind numbing boredom as I go back to my lift and production line.
Since I continue to get paid for my annual Summer lay off I look forward to it and I spend each Summer getting pet projects finished. This Summer I built a new trailer for wood cutting, added on a huge amount to my garden and started a bee colony. OK pretty boring stuff unless your a hillbilly like me I guess.
One thing I always love about my projects is browsing hardware stores and small shops looking for just the right part or something that I can use. This year was no different in that respect but as I visited several stores and shops I did notice something missing..... Young Men.
Where are they all? Certainly there can't be that many young men overseas in the military. The local gas stations which used to be at least half or more staffed by younger men are now all female. Lowes was almost totally women with a few middle aged men working there. It was the same everywhere I looked.
Now that I think back on it I haven't seen a young male filter through the continuous flow of turn over within my own factory in well over a year.
Where are they?
I still see some after the local high school lets out but they seem to disappear after graduation and then show up again after they turn 35.
I haven't read any articles nor has an Internet search turned up any information. Maybe I am just not seeing them or maybe they leave my local area for lack of prospects. I just don't know.
Certainly I hope this isn't a trend.
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Hmmm. That is quite curious. My profession is still chock full o guys, so I haven't seen anything like this yet.
ReplyDeletePerhaps all the dudes are off playing xbox?
Probably a combo of migration, WoW, and premature death.
ReplyDeleteWell in truth where I work is kinda a last resort for men at least the ones in the 20's. Most at that age still have too much energey and self worth to put up with the BS.
ReplyDeleteBut still I just don't see the younger men around like I used to. I hope they are not all playing WoW. What a waste.
The sheer number of young men "hiding" in virtual worlds these days is quite staggering, I think. I say "WoW" not because all of them are in WoW, but as an umbrella for guys who are living their spare time lives in video games of one stripe or other. I like video games sometimes, too, but I do think that they are being used by a certain % of young men as a coping mechanism for dealing with a very man-unfriendly real world.
ReplyDeleteI should do a post on gaming.
ReplyDeleteI loved gaming but not until I got to be like in my 30's. Before that anything that took me away running around, partying and getting laid was a very "rare" and occasional thing.
I haven't seen this either, but I work in the software field which is nearly all male. They might be leaving your area. Where do you live? Another possibility is men not getting hired due to AA and fear of related lawsuits.
ReplyDeleteI agree that plenty of men are "hiding" in virtual worlds. That can include games, but also the internet in general. If you think gaming is such a waste, then what should young men be doing under the circumstances?
Well Young men should be partying, but of course that was a different time.
ReplyDeleteSo honestly I wasn't bashing anyone young for playing an online game. I guess that was a statement I made from my own experience not from one for today.