Sports Radio carried a commercial touting the advantages of workplace bonding by go-kart racing at a local indoor facility. "It's Joe from Accounting in the lead and here comes Barry from Shipping!" Nothing relieves those workplace frustrations like spraying the boss with dirt and exhaust fumes as you slingshot past him on the final straightway. That's got to beat Trust Exercises - "Just relax and fall backward. Surely the guy you screwed over to get your last promotion will catch you."
The kicker came when the location of the "massive indoor karting facility" was announced as "the former Mack Assembly Plant 5C in Allentown."
So now we have the site of what used to be the largest employer in Allentown as a go-kart racing track and the old Bethlehem Steel site, formerly the largest employer in Bethlehem as a casino. Who needs dump trucks and structural steel when we can have go-kart racing and slot machines? We will let Mexico and India actually make stuff while we keep ourselves entertained with racing and gambling.
Actually, it is a good thing that the Mack and Bethlehem Steel sites are being used for something rather than being allowed to rot. Although the days of Mack and Steel workers bringing home paychecks and benefits sufficient to support a family are long gone, the go-kart and casino workers are off the unemployment rolls. Still, it seems that "bread and circuses" are overtaking hard work and productivity.
No comments:
Post a Comment