Scott:
Work ethic is the basis of my doctoral research. Quite frankly, (on this
short of notice) I suggest you approach the topic from the point of view
of consumerism. My understanding of teens is their needs are the same as
others. Their psyche is as durable and flexible as anyone's. Immanuel Kant
has two basic imperatives that I believe sum up work ethic. The first is
to treat people as means and not ends. That is the dignity and respect
required of most people is a source of work ethic. And it is a two way
street. If area employees have a reputation with the teen population of
being unreasonable, then who is to say if the "work ethic" ofthe teens is
in question or if the consumerist culture we live in coupled with poor
corporate social responsibility is the source. I am sure that if the
teens see a horrible life in front of them compared to the good life
behind them (of childhood), then who is to blame "work ethic."
The second imperative is treat each action as if will become a universal
law. That is, if an action today becomes the standard of behavior for
tomorrow, then a rational, and natural, system orset of symbols replaces
the current cultural symbols (and norms).
Who is to say the children do not know a bad deal when they see one?
In sum, I suggest pointing out common beliefs about work ethic (aka
Protestant Work Ethic?) and how these are based in theology and craft
guilds. Then, I suggest talking about how to treat people according to
natural laws. Finally, I would discuss consumerism and how the employer
is "purchasing" services from them.
This is an of-the-cuff discussion and I know it is a complex subject with
no agreement in sight. Good luck.
Jesse W. White
jeswhite@comp.uark.edu
"Industry without art is brutality" - Coomaraswamy
--"Jesse W. White" <jeswhite@comp.uark.edu>
Learning-org -- Hosted by Rick Karash <rkarash@karash.com> Public Dialog on Learning Organizations -- <http://www.learning-org.com>