Either that or globalization.

Probably a combination of both.

Let’s go back to the 19th century.

Unskilled folk left school at an early age and worked 7 days a week (6 with a Sundays off for church if they were REALLY lucky) at jobs that PRODUCED stuff.

Farm labourers for food, factory workers for things.

Fast forward to now and what have we got?

Manufacturing’s anywhere but where WE are in a race to the bottom cost-wise and food is produced (and wasted – 60% in the USA goes to the dumpster-divers) in massive quantities by very few people.

And the rest?

Service jobs.

Employing people with little or no aptitude or skill-sets for what they’re doing.

That’s the way it was in well over half the interactions today.

And especially the idiot at the front desk of the Marriott Courtyard in Long Beach who barely looked up from his computer screen to give me blatantly incorrect information.

I’m not calling for a return to the satanic mills and their ilk, but a 70 hour week in a button factory would soon sort him out.

Keep him out of my way, anyway….