May 24, 2006

THE NATIVES ARE THE PROBLEM:

When Germans join migrant field hands, the harvest suffers (Andreas Tzortzis, 5/24/06, The Christian Science Monitor)

In Germany, the spring asparagus is harvested by migrant farmworkers. But the labor ministry has a new rule that says 10 percent of seasonal farmworkers should be German.

With only 170 German field hands in the state of Brandenburg so far, the experiment is off to a rocky start. And German farmers are angry, saying native-born pickers are only half as efficient as the Poles.

Unemployed Germans lack both practice and motivation, farmers here say.


Just as the Three Stooges parodied Hitler we could really use a sketch where they're nativists forced to do real work.

Posted by Orrin Judd at May 24, 2006 5:17 PM
Comments

OJ, that movie's been filmed a dozen times. Anyone who's had to work with someone forced to do "community service" or similiar has seen it.

Posted by: Robert Mitchell Jr. at May 24, 2006 5:33 PM

Remember when Russia fractionated back in the early 90's? Everyone scattered all directions and the crops were left in the fields to rot. No locals knew which crops to pick, when to pick, how to organize trucks, where to get pickers, etc.

Posted by: Tom Wall at May 24, 2006 6:54 PM

Actually, I was thinking more of Lucy and Ethel, with a conveyor line to sort and box onions in 100-plus degree weather replacing the conveyor line at the candy factory.

Posted by: John at May 24, 2006 9:39 PM

It isn't just farmwork and grudge labour either. I can't remember the last time I walked into a convenience store owned by a native-born. They won't put in the long hours (bad for the self-esteem) or "exploit" their little darlings by making them work rather then letting them express their creativity and individuality at the local shopping center.

Posted by: Peter B at May 25, 2006 8:27 AM

Make that grunge labour.

Posted by: Peter B at May 25, 2006 8:30 AM

I think grudge labour works better, Peter. I don't know of any grunge labour outside of the military, but I know plenty of grudge labour.

Posted by: Robert Mitchell Jr. at May 25, 2006 11:58 AM
« IS CONSISTENCY IRONIC?: | Main | HOW'D THEY LEARN ALL THAT STUFF WHILE WAITING IN THE WELFARE LINE? (via Matthew Cohen): »