Interesting graphs and charts department

[Undertoad]

Labor force participation rate for teens. Where does the idea come from, that our young people are lazy and entitled? Get off my lawn -- and get to earning your way at fast food, like we did in the olden days!

[glatt]

Remarkable. I can think of only two stores in Arlington that hire teens.

[Griff]

I would assume that under-employed adults take a lot of those low-skill jobs now. I see a lot of kids doing basically nothing (Insert pet video game rant here) and other kids are focused on school, sports, and what they perceive as resume builders. I'm not sure what I'd have done if I weren't driving tractors all Summer. Please ignore the previous as that is now an illegal activity.

[Clodfobble]

Yeah, I think it's more because adults are taking those crappy jobs right now. Even in 1996-1998, when I was a teen working in food service, my best friend and I were the only teens working in either of the locations we worked in. The other employees were all adults, most with families. One or two were earning extra income at night while they got a late-life degree, but the majority knew they'd be working crap jobs like this for their whole lives, and wanted nothing more than to eventually get to be a manager.

[glatt]

It's a disturbing trend.

I want my kids to get jobs when they are in high school. Starting around junior year or so. But I'm not sure they will be able to. Having a crappy minimum wage job is an extremely important learning experience. Where else will they learn what it's like to have a boss who won't take shit from you? "I don't care if you want to go home now. Scrape that gum off the bottom of those chairs, or don't bother coming back."

[orthodoc]

I think the best possible job for teens is in agriculture. There's nothing like shoveling shit for months on end, starting daily at 0430, to take the entitled starch out of kids. In addition to shoveling the shit, they get to see the cycle of life from start to end, and how we depend on it. They get to decide if they want to support agribusiness or not; they get to decide what they think about a lot of important issues.

Whether it's beef, chickens, sheep, or horses, I say ship the kids to the country and let them experience where food/life comes from. They'll come back with a new perspective.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by orthodoc

I think the best possible job for teens is in agriculture. There's nothing like shoveling shit for months on end, starting daily at 0430, to take the entitled starch out of kids. In addition to shoveling the shit, they get to see the cycle of life from start to end, and how we depend on it. They get to decide if they want to support agribusiness or not; they get to decide what they think about a lot of important issues.

Whether it's beef, chickens, sheep, or horses, I say ship the kids to the country and let them experience where food/life comes from. They'll come back with a new perspective.

I'm not sure teens would make the best ag workers, we'd all starve in about two growing seasons.

[orthodoc]

Originally Posted by footfootfoot

I'm not sure teens would make the best ag workers, we'd all starve in about two growing seasons.

Shipping urban teens to the country probably wouldn't go well, I admit. (although I've known a few who benefited greatly). Maybe get them working when they're young? Part of educational requirements, maybe ... spend time on a family farm learning where food comes from.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Ch-ch-ch-ch-Changes...

[glatt]

Hmm.

Instead of a snapshot in time, if I look at my life as a whole, I'm 46, and I spent 21 years living with my parents, and my kids have spent 15 years so far living with me, so that's 36 years in a household with two parents and kids. I spent 1 year as a man living alone, and 5 years in non-family households, and 5 years as a married couple without kids.

I predict that by the time I die at age 80, it will be about 47 years married with children, 1 year living alone (I hope), 5 years non-family household, and 27 years married with no kids.

YMMV.

[Undertoad]

[Undertoad]

oh, wait... there's a detail that makes this entire graph and/or chart much less interesting

[glatt]

These charts are fascinating. I was about to post that teen one on facebook, but then thought better of it. If I want my kids to get jobs locally, the last thing I need is to raise a discussion with parents of other teens in my neighborhood about how teen jobs are worthwhile, but scarce. Don't need to fuel competition.

[Undertoad]

Philadelphia and Toledo win the misery index for snowfall this season. (But shhh there's another storm on the way next week)

[glatt]

Interesting chart. I would have preferred to see the increase as a percentage instead of as a real number of inches.

The +36 inches in Caribou sounds like a lot more than the +15 inches in DC,
But Caribou was only 38% more than usual and DC was 98% more than usual.

Of course Philly is still misery center because it's like 216% more than usual.