Is the internet creating a new breed of scary basement dweller?

[slackerinabox]

Nobody factored in the fact that a HUGE reason teenagers/young adults have a hard time findings jobs is:
a)Government overregulation/taxation.
b)Illegal immigrants taking the jobs(largely Mexican)

It is what it is.

Illegal immigrants are not taking the jobs people want, I think it's MORE Americana to admit that lots of American kids are just lazy and entitled, and I have much respect for my Mexican neighbors who clean out toilets for 80 hours a week because some American would rather play video games and bitch.

 

[OverVolt]

H1B visas would disagree with you.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H-1B_visa#No_labor_shortages

 

[sdifox]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

 

[OverVolt]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hikikomori

And notice how as our economy begins to mirror theirs (QE, deficits, welfare, and demographics) we are going through the same social problems.

They have names for lots of stuff, like working yourself to death.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karōshi

I see this with some of my friends who become salaried and are expected to do like 100 hour weeks. (7 days 14/day) At my current work alot of the managers are doing 8am-8pm 5 days a week now because of the economy (5 days 12/day). They are salaried.

People are either unemployed or overworked. So color me unsurprised.

 

[JulesMaximus]

I was listening to a conservative talk radio program the other day (Mark Levin I think-never heard him before but holy crap what a load of horseshit those guys spew) and a caller spouted an absolutely ridiculous number of 90 million unemployed americans in the US right now and the host didn't even call the guy on it. He actually agreed with the guy! Makes you wonder how much bullshit people spew and others believe without ever questioning.

I guess if you include my 11 year old son the unemployment rate in our household is 33%...

 

[sixone]

I was listening to a conservative talk radio program the other day (Mark Levin I think-never heard him before but holy crap what a load of horseshit those guys spew) and a caller spouted an absolutely ridiculous number of 90 million unemployed americans in the US right now and the host didn't even call the guy on it. He actually agreed with the guy! Makes you wonder how much bullshit people spew and others believe without ever questioning.

I guess if you include my 11 year old son the unemployment rate in our household is 33%...

You weren't listening very carefully. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting 90 million Americans who are listed as "not in the labor force", but could be. They are not counted in as "unemployed", because they aren't actively looking for work.

 

[OverVolt]

Well yea no one knows for sure what is going on. The overall employment rate as oppose to the unemployment rate is showing weird trends. Hours worked is showing weird trends. It is what it is. One doesn't discount the other its just the facts/statistics as they are.

He meant the "not in the labor force" number which does include children, 20 year olds going to college hiding from the economy, the disabled, etc. So who knows. Since it was a conservatard crazy he probably spewed a ton of vitriol retardedness afterward.

I don't go only by the unemployment rate but I'm also aware that some of the 90million "not in the labor force" are going to be there good economy or bad. Its just that people giving up looking for work is a new trend. The long-term unemployed. There isn't really a way to spin falling unemployment because people give up as good for the economy.

 

[JulesMaximus]

You weren't listening very carefully. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is reporting 90 million Americans who are listed as "not in the labor force", but could be. They are not counted in as "unemployed", because they aren't actively looking for work.

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

 

[sdifox]

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

According to Wiki, (well, CIA World Factbook)

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)
15–64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)
65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2010 est.)

so, half of America's working age people ain't working :biggrin:

 

[OverVolt]

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

Its also dishonest at best that people who can't find work and give up aren't in the unemployment figure. Both are flawed.

 

[Meghan54]

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

The lower cutoff point in age is 16, but there's no upper age cutoff limit, so your 90 year old great-grandfather is counted as not in the labor force, according the linked .pdf

 

[JulesMaximus]

According to Wiki, (well, CIA World Factbook)

0-14 years: 20.2% (male 31,639,127/female 30,305,704)
15–64 years: 67% (male 102,665,043/female 103,129,321)
65 years and over: 12.8% (male 16,901,232/female 22,571,696) (2010 est.)

so, half of America's working age people ain't working :biggrin:

LOL! That just makes the 90 million figure even more ridiculous. Fucking conservatards, it is good to know my bullshit meter is working. :biggrin:

 

[JulesMaximus]

The lower cutoff point in age is 16, but there's no upper age cutoff limit, so your 90 year old great-grandfather is counted as not in the labor force, according the linked .pdf

I have two grandparents in their 90s. I guess they're both unemployed, as are my retired Mom and her husband. I have a friend whose wife is a stay at home Mom, I guess she's unemployed too.

 

[OverVolt]

I have two grandparents in their 90s. I guess they're both unemployed, as are my retired Mom and her husband. I have a friend whose wife is a stay at home Mom, I guess she's unemployed too.

The over 65 demographic isn't really retiring. Your grandparents in their 90's are from the greatest generation but the older boomers who are 66, 67, etc. Aren't retiring.

http://news.yahoo.com/poll-half-older-workers-delay-retirement-plans-072807063.html

Which is significant because its the baby boomers demographic.

I'm willing to say 70% of the top bracket are truly "not in the labor force" giving you 11.82 million additional unemployed(gave up). That might be high, might be low, I don't really know.

 

[sixone]

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

No, they're counting people who were employed, then were unemployed, and then gave up looking.

 

[sixone]

Are they counting children and elderly in those figures? Because that's nearly one third of the population of the country...

Seems kind of dishonest at best.

Yeah, it's dishonest not to count them as unemployed. But that would not work in the Administration's favor, so they don't do that.

 

[OverVolt]

No, they're counting people who were employed, then were unemployed, and then gave up looking.

What about people who won the lotto and called out rich?

Kidding.

 

[sixone]

What about people who won the lotto and called out rich?

Kidding.

I would be one of those people sooooooo fast...

 

[sixone]

LOL! That just makes the 90 million figure even more ridiculous. Fucking conservatards, it is good to know my bullshit meter is working. :biggrin:

So you're disputing the information coming out of the BLS? On what basis?

 

[mode101wpb]

"It rubs the lotion on the skin or it gets the hose again"

 

[Jeff7]

Its also dishonest at best that people who can't find work and give up aren't in the unemployment figure. Both are flawed.

This. I think that the employment rate is more important.

If you're not working and you've given up, the only way that's really beneficial is to someone touting the official unemployment number for political reasons - in other words, for a pointless endeavor.

 

[JulesMaximus]

So you're disputing the information coming out of the BLS? On what basis?

Hmm, let's do some quick math.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

According to the BLS website the current unemployment rate is: 7.2%

Using the figures sdifox provided of age 15-64 (206 million people) and even including all the 65+ (another 39 million people) that would be 245 million people potentially in the work force. 7.2% of 245 million is about 18 million people.

18 million is nowhere near 90 million (which is the number I was disputing). :whiste:

Hell, even at the highest point in recent years the unemployment rate was right around 10% so assuming that those people have lost their unemployment benefits and just given up looking for work that would be around 24 million people which is still nowhere near 90 million. Either way you look at it, 90 million complete bullshit.

 

[sixone]

Hmm, let's do some quick math.

http://data.bls.gov/timeseries/LNS14000000

According to the BLS website the current unemployment rate is: 7.2%

Using the figures sdifox provided of age 15-64 (206 million people) and even including all the 65+ (another 39 million people) that would be 245 million people potentially in the work force. 7.2% of 245 million is about 18 million people.

18 million is nowhere near 90 million (which is the number I was disputing). :whiste:

As was pointed out earlier, "not in the labor force" is not the same as "unemployed". The former is the number of people who have given up looking for a job, while the latter is the number of people who are collecting benefits while still looking (we know how that works, right?).

The difference is supported in the link I posted earlier. It lists the employment-to-population ratio as 58%, and the number of American's who have LEFT the labor force as 90 million.

 

[sixone]

http://www.bls.gov/cps/lfcharacteristics.htm#nlf

Persons who are neither employed nor unemployed are not in the labor force. This category includes retired persons, students, those taking care of children or other family members, and others who are neither working nor seeking work. Information is collected on their desire for and availability for work, job search activity in the prior year, and reasons for not currently searching.

 

[Hugo Drax]

Yes.