What do we all do for a living?

I just wondered what everyone here did for a living, whether we are all workers or not, because (if I'm honest) when I read some of the posts here I can't help thinking they weren't written by people that work on building sites.

I'm a tiler/floor layer.

I've been many things, but for years I was a painter and decorator and most of my work was on building sites.
Then after getting fed up with 'boom and bust', I went to University, got a degree and trained as teacher. Then got ill and got retired as disabled before I had a chance to teach.

Student, hoping to become a writer.

I for many years was a forest fireman in the wesern US. In later periods I have been a field leader in outdoor youth development and an over the road tour coach driver working throughout the southwest. In the Youth program we did some construction, remote trail bridges and such. In wildland fire one tries to keep nature from deconstructing.

One thing I have noticed working for both the public and private sectors is a particular breed of bureaucrat, one which seems to thrive in petty power jockeying and climbing over others. Perhaps it is just that I was never particularly skilled in this area- many of these people were decent up close, without their official hats on- but watching them attempt to rise in their spheres was a sharpening experience in seeing how the model of ongoing acquisition of wealth and power directly supports the deadening and monolithic system prevailing today. As someone on that Other Board wrote recently, why shouldn't we all try to emulate and get in on the leavings of the corporate bankers and brokers? (Quick side note - Mauritius is now pounding the drum for D Trump as US Pres).

Yeah, I never made much money in the woods, but no regrets. I'd still rather be there. Brushfires tend to keep one focused on the fundamental things.

I am unemployed right now ( living off the land of one of my friends) but I was a handyman before I ran out of work.

Godfaesten wrote:Student, hoping to become a writer.

Pretty much the same here.

Sotnyk wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:Student, hoping to become a writer.

Pretty much the same here.

Sweet.

I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

AlbertCurtis wrote:I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

Where are your ancestors from?

All my ancestors were peasants as well. My great grandfather on my mom's side, and my grandfather on my father's side, being the first not to be peasants in my family.

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

Where are your ancestors from?

All my ancestors were peasants as well. My great grandfather on my mom's side, and my grandfather on my father's side, being the first not to be peasants in my family.

Well, my Moms people are German on her fathers side and some of the first Whites in this here territory, and Scots-Irish(?) on her mothers; they have been here since before the English were sent packing. My fathers people are English and Irish, with a bit of French tossed into that mix and they have been here since just prior to the Civil War about 1860ish; fought both sides went West.....ect.

So I am a 1/4 German, about 1/4 Scots, about the same English and the rest Irish and French. Oddly my surname is that of a Welsh Saint from the early 6th century though, whose main church is in England. Odd how it all works out really.

And yes my grandparents on both sides were the first to NOT be farmers or not otherwise employed at agricultural/woodsman type 'jobs' like logging, trapping, brush picking,poaching....you get it. In fact when I was born in 73' we were still on the farm and needed the old two acre plot to eat. I remember killing pigs every spring. 'Cut the throats and then gut them', the old polack next door would say in this odd rhyme he had, that he would hum to himself as him and my granddad would butcher the pigs.

AlbertCurtis wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

Where are your ancestors from?

All my ancestors were peasants as well. My great grandfather on my mom's side, and my grandfather on my father's side, being the first not to be peasants in my family.

Well, my Moms people are German on her fathers side and some of the first Whites in this here territory, and Scots-Irish(?) on her mothers; they have been here since before the English were sent packing. My fathers people are English and Irish, with a bit of French tossed into that mix and they have been here since just prior to the Civil War about 1860ish; fought both sides went West.....ect.

So I am a 1/4 German, about 1/4 Scots, about the same English and the rest Irish and French. Oddly my surname is that of a Welsh Saint from the early 6th century though, whose main church is in England. Odd how it all works out really.

And yes my grandparents on both sides were the first to NOT be farmers or not otherwise employed at agricultural/woodsman type 'jobs' like logging, trapping, brush picking,poaching....you get it. In fact when I was born in 73' we were still on the farm and needed the old two acre plot to eat. I remember killing pigs every spring. 'Cut the throats and then gut them', the old polack next door would say in this odd rhyme he had, that he would hum to himself as him and my granddad would butcher the pigs.

That's interesting thanks! So, why did you run away?

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

Where are your ancestors from?

All my ancestors were peasants as well. My great grandfather on my mom's side, and my grandfather on my father's side, being the first not to be peasants in my family.

Well, my Moms people are German on her fathers side and some of the first Whites in this here territory, and Scots-Irish(?) on her mothers; they have been here since before the English were sent packing. My fathers people are English and Irish, with a bit of French tossed into that mix and they have been here since just prior to the Civil War about 1860ish; fought both sides went West.....ect.

So I am a 1/4 German, about 1/4 Scots, about the same English and the rest Irish and French. Oddly my surname is that of a Welsh Saint from the early 6th century though, whose main church is in England. Odd how it all works out really.

And yes my grandparents on both sides were the first to NOT be farmers or not otherwise employed at agricultural/woodsman type 'jobs' like logging, trapping, brush picking,poaching....you get it. In fact when I was born in 73' we were still on the farm and needed the old two acre plot to eat. I remember killing pigs every spring. 'Cut the throats and then gut them', the old polack next door would say in this odd rhyme he had, that he would hum to himself as him and my granddad would butcher the pigs.

That's interesting thanks! So, why did you run away?

It was not nice at home to say it nicely. I hail from a savage people.

AlbertCurtis wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:

AlbertCurtis wrote:I ran away from home at about 13 and did most every hard laborous task you can name until I was disabled, crippled more really at about 34ish. So I am working class and descended from peasant stock before that. About half my kin are what you might call hill people.

Where are your ancestors from?

All my ancestors were peasants as well. My great grandfather on my mom's side, and my grandfather on my father's side, being the first not to be peasants in my family.

Well, my Moms people are German on her fathers side and some of the first Whites in this here territory, and Scots-Irish(?) on her mothers; they have been here since before the English were sent packing. My fathers people are English and Irish, with a bit of French tossed into that mix and they have been here since just prior to the Civil War about 1860ish; fought both sides went West.....ect.

So I am a 1/4 German, about 1/4 Scots, about the same English and the rest Irish and French. Oddly my surname is that of a Welsh Saint from the early 6th century though, whose main church is in England. Odd how it all works out really.

And yes my grandparents on both sides were the first to NOT be farmers or not otherwise employed at agricultural/woodsman type 'jobs' like logging, trapping, brush picking,poaching....you get it. In fact when I was born in 73' we were still on the farm and needed the old two acre plot to eat. I remember killing pigs every spring. 'Cut the throats and then gut them', the old polack next door would say in this odd rhyme he had, that he would hum to himself as him and my granddad would butcher the pigs.

That's interesting thanks! So, why did you run away?

It was not nice at home to say it nicely. I hail from a savage people.

Ah, ok.

I'm a student struggling to stay afloat by a combination of debt, meager family assistance, scholarships, and low wage work.

Capitalism doesn't spare anyone around here.

Celtiberian wrote:I'm a student struggling to stay afloat by a combination of debt, meager family assistance, scholarships, and low wage work.

Don't you just love the gifts of Capitalism?

Godfaesten wrote:Don't you just love the gifts of Capitalism?

How could I not? Wage slavery, environmental degradation, and the commodification of everything is my idea of a good time.

Leon Mcnichol wrote:Capitalism doesn't spare anyone around here.

The reactionaries would surely contend that it's our fault for not taking advantage of the innumerable opportunities capitalism has offered us. Apparently, all of us lack the talent and/or ambition to succeed!

Celtiberian wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:Don't you just love the gifts of Capitalism?

How could I not? Wage slavery, environmental degradation, and the commodification of everything is my idea of a good time.

Yeah, but at least every now and then 2% of the population will benefit!

Celtiberian wrote:

Leon Mcnichol wrote:Capitalism doesn't spare anyone around here.

The reactionaries would surely contend that it's our fault for not taking advantage of the innumerable opportunities capitalism has offered us. Apparently, all of us lack the talent and/or ambition to succeed!

Not even that, they even call workers lazy! Just see DasReichDivision's posts on SF.

Godfaesten wrote:Yeah, but at least every now and then 2% of the population will benefit!

Excellent point. I'd have to be absolutely sadistic to want to infringe upon their "right" to accumulate even more wealth.

Not even that, they even call workers lazy! Just see DasReichDivision's posts on SF.

Oh god, that imbecile? I'd rather not. I dealt with his nonsense enough in the past.

Celtiberian wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:Yeah, but at least every now and then 2% of the population will benefit!

Excellent point. I'd have to be absolutely sadistic to want to infringe upon their "right" to accumulate even more wealth.

Exactly! You see that's what "Socialists" don't understand. Most of the 2% worked their way to the top. They had to survive the terrible ordeal of being born into an extremely rich family! God knows what horrors they had to suffer...

Godfaesten wrote:Exactly! You see that's what "Socialists" don't understand. Most of the 2% worked their way to the top. They had to survive the terrible ordeal of being born into an extremely rich family! God knows what horrors they had to suffer...

Frankly, I've lost sleep contemplating the tribulations the bourgeoisie face in life.. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to own capital and, and a result of that mere ownership, be entitled to the surplus your workers alone produce? I stand in awe before their obvious superiority to me.

Celtiberian wrote:

Godfaesten wrote:Exactly! You see that's what "Socialists" don't understand. Most of the 2% worked their way to the top. They had to survive the terrible ordeal of being born into an extremely rich family! God knows what horrors they had to suffer...

Frankly, I've lost sleep contemplating the tribulations the bourgeoisie face in life.. Can you imagine how difficult it must be to own capital and, and a result of that mere ownership, be entitled to the surplus your workers alone produce? I stand in owe before their obvious superiority to me.

I feel your pain. Fortunately though, the bourgeoisie are kind enough go through the trials of enslaving the populace for us. They could have chosen the easy way out, by choosing a career that involved long hours of meaningless manual labor and payed very little, so that you had to look poverty and starvation in the face every day. But fortunately, the bourgeoisie aren't lazy like most of us.