"This is the way the world ends, not with a bang but a whimper." Mr. Rowe reminds me of those famous lines by T.S. Elliot because as the type of person in his rebuttal grows in number so the possibility of humanity's progress diminishes. Did what Mike Rowe have to say penetrate? You and I relished it, and maybe even wished we said it . (Personally I have no compunction about stealing his words on some future outing.) My point is simple. All the logic and rationality in the world will not affect the type of person he was replying to. If they had any of that they wouldn't have sent him that stupid missive.

I saw Mike Rowe on the Bill Maher show once and he was given such softball questions. Maher treated him with kid gloves and I wondered why at the time. Because he didn't want his leftist agenda pounced on. At that time I only knew Mike Rowe as the dirty jobs guy. I've learned since then he was much more.

Thanks for that article. It was a good read and reading it for me was one of those moments where you just go "Ahhhh" because it reveals that others get it too.

Been a fan of Mike Rowe and his approach for years. The "soft skills" part is one thing that I've seen many times, where young people come in for an interview with pants at low mast, hat cocked, and an attitude.

I have liked him from the Ford commercials (and I don't even like Fords) to his other shows and guest spots. He is REAL. He has good values and this article shows it.
Thomas Sowell did not have everything going for him, but he picked himself up and made his way - to beocme one of the brightest men in the country.
As to "soft skills", today's youth are woefully lacking. From an inability to have a face to face conversation with a boss or co-worker, to their general attitude - it has to drive potential employers crazy.
I saw a lady fall at McDs this week in Ohio. The kid mopping the floor was mopping the same area over and over, and finding ways to kill time. He was acting goofy and failed to place a warning where the floor was very wet. When the husband asked him to put a stand there, the kid replied, "their ain't no more" - really. There were plenty of stands in dry spots. Not, is she alright, is she hurt, or not that he would find a stand to mark the slippery area. I felt like screaming at him! As far as he was concerned, the husband had interfere with his hanging out time. Later, luckily, the young manger heard what was going on, and came out from the cooking area and did everything like a good potential objectivist. Unfortunately, he was in a distinct minority for his age group.

It is true that there are many job opportunities available for those who want to work. They may not pay well in the beginning, hence the need for a second or sometimes third job to make ends meet. The problem is that many people are happy to subsist on welfare and simply do not want to work. I have to agree with Mike Rowe on that one. I see "Now Hiring" signs every day, and I know that the skills necessary are not difficult to master. If a person shows up on time every day, does not call in sick repeatedly on Fridays and Mondays, is polite and respectful and has a willingness to learn, he will be a valuable employee and when times are lean will most likely retain their employment.

I agree with Mike Rowe on his statement that the human baseline is that people do not want to work - those who do are the exceptions. I base this on my experience in Malaysia: If you are Malaysian ethnicity (about 50%), you have a guaranteed income, cushy jobs in the gov, and Malaysia will pay for all of your education - at any school in the world. Very few people take advantage of the schooling or jobs because...they have a guaranteed income. These are not 'bad' people - they are just people who do not need to work, so they don't.

I like the 'soft skills' term. Is there such a thing as 'medium hard skills' I wonder? That would be literacy, the ability to write an intelligent email, show up to work on time. (I assume that 'hard skills' are actual job skills.)

Jan

A real common sense, down to earth, stand up guy. Joe Public.

Now that was impressive. Good post.

I had not heard of Rowe, but when I looked at it I don't see politics. The items in Rowe's pledge are simply the truth. The writer is correct that Rowe doesn't have a solution for people who came from bad homes, and Rowe admits that.

When Rowe offers to sign the poster, he sounds genuine, not as if he's being a jerk. He's making all good factual points.
1. He doesn't have a solution for people from such a bad background that they can't work.
2. He doesn't stereotype members of the rich/poor as greed/lazy.
3. The left/right media prating about greed/laziness is a zoo of stupidity.
4. There are *actual jobs* that need to be done right now, and people are going into debt for education/training in the wrong areas.

I think he overstated the thing that people don't want to work. I think most people do, and they're happy when they get into "the zone" of work. I also think he overstates the thing that we're "churning out" people with no skill, ambition, etc. People have said that since the beginning of time. I agree the problems are real, just nothing new.

Most of what he's saying is just the facts, just reality, not politics.

Back when "Dirty Job's" was big, Mike was asked to testify before Congress. He spoke about the need for people to do things like plumbing, carpentry and so on. He discussed the need for training programs for skilled labor jobs that are getting more difficult to fill, while more people have college degrees that they don't need. I notice he hasn't been asked back and certainly hasn't been invited in the most recent administration and Congress....

as a department head, I learned that work ethic is
a characteristic which cannot be faked. . just a few
interactions with a teammate will tell you how they
stick to the job, apply themselves, and identify with
successful work. . there is nearly no feeling as good
as sponsoring someone whom you know to be
strong in this area. . they will not let you down,
the best of them, regardless of what happens
in the workplace. -- j
.

Mike Rowe is just great. Clearly not everyone can be John Galt, even though Harry Potter novels hearken every undeserving person to hope they to can be great even though they do nothing to merit greatness.

Great Article...Mike makes getting down and dirty downright fun!

haha. he promised to personally autograph the poster for the guy

I grew up on a family farm in North Dakota and from the time I was 8 years old there was no doubt about work. I once attended a camp and at this camp we were presented with a reformed gang member who complained that he could not find work. One of the kids said that his dad needed to hire a hand to help with harvest. The "reformed" member said that was ridiculous since that kind of work was "below him". (He had not finished high school and had no skills that I could perceive.)

I have seen this in a lot of venues. Glad it is getting the attention.