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Are the English lazy?
Submitted by JonV on Thu, 02/25/2010 - 10:03
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A program by Evan Davis aired on BBC1 last night ran an experiment - it put a few unemployed English people in jobs predominantly now done by foreigners (factory work, farming, Indian restaurant, etc). Although most of them had initially stressed that they were willing to 'do anything', about half called in sick on the first day and didn't turn up. Of those that turned up, issues ranged from poor attitude (not being able to take instructions) to sheer incompetence (when two factory workers wrongly packed hundreds of potatoe backs that cost time and money to fix, they found it quite funny.
So the question is, have the English lost the hunger to work hard? Has the benefit system made them too complacent?
You can read more about the show here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/local/cambridgeshire/hi/people_and_places/newsid_8530000/8530168.stm
Hot Forum Topics
what does lazy mean?
there are 'lazy' people everywhere but this takes on unfortunate resonances when applied to the labour market
who is 'lazy'? perhaps British workers remember a principle of not being exploited by unscrupulous employers using slave labour, yes immigrants are slave labour, they are dependent on whatever rubbish work they can get in order to survive; nobody asks under what conditions they live in order to send home money
perhaps the employers, not the workers, are 'lazy', for employing only at minimum wage level (or less); this philosophy is now creeping up the wage ladder, making it frankly impossible to sustain rent or life for a young generation. additionally there is an ethos of lengthening hours of labour, not going home before the boss, home-working, no longer any distinction between what is 'work' and what is 'life', or any questioning of why people work the way they do
the sheer volune of recent immigration has confirmed this new form of slavery as being normal, everyone jokes about 'how hard the Poles work'; there is a serious consequence to this: it undermines the minimum standard of wages that should be expected, also safety at work issues etc etc
when my parents came to this country - a long time ago - they were blacklisted by fellow workers for exercising their Stakhanovite/Protestant work practices in the factories of the 1950's - it pains me to say it but my parents were going against the established work practice in which workers had some power, now totally eroded
of course, in general, immigrants are motivated to do anything, they want a future; their children will inherit their efforts. I can vouch from my experience in Eastern Europe that there are plenty of people moaning about the state of the country and why doesn't someone else do something about it, plenty of people who won't make effort because they believe in the corruption of the state but don't see the part that they contribute to this.
workers are un-empowered: immigrants because they have no say, indigenous population because they are too scared to say anything.
popular television, with audience numbers as its principle consideration, is not going to deliver a fair exposition of so complex an issue. I say good for the 'lazy! perhaps they are honest about unsuitable work.
I beg to disagree. As part of
I beg to disagree. As part of the English community, I can say that mostly English are industrious and hard working. It just so happened that maybe they find it hard to cope up in the field of work they get into. The English are not contented in only one work, as possible as they can, they find part time jobs for them to earn little extra cash.
No
Like any country, the UK has its fair share of bums but the welfare state makes it easier for them to keep bumming.
I watched the show and think its a good wake up call for all the people claiming immigrants are stealing jobs.