Skip to Content
Opinion

Is the Open Thread Before Labor Day Gonna Be About Work? Hell Yeah It Is.

As we do every Friday, we're turning Racket over to you, the readers

Tristan Ruark via Unsplash

On the Friday before Labor Day last year, I asked you to tell me your work history. So I can't do that again—though I also can't stop you from sharing your work history if you weren't around or didn't get a chance to last year.

So let's take things back a generation. What did your parents do for a living? Did they both work? Have they retired? Did this affect your attitude toward work in any way?

I'll go first. My dad installed siding for most of his life, with a little roofing thrown in as well. As he got older he transitioned to kitchen installation, though he was climbing up and down a ladder till he was older than I am now, a fact that makes my joints creak in terror.

I worked with him a few summers, just enough to sour me on manual labor for life. Whatever I wound up doing, I swore, it would involve less physical exertion and exposure to extreme hot and cold weather. (Roofing, in particular, is grueling work.)

But he was self-employed, which probably helped make the idea of having a boss feel so dumb to me. (Many of the bosses I had also contributed to this belief.)

My mom did secretarial work when she was younger, and temped on and off when I was in my teens.

Her dad worked a good union job at GM. My dad's dad was a alcoholic truck driver, and his mom waited tables.

OK, your turn now. Oh, and hey, if you have kids, are they working? Are they on the career path that they want to be?

As always, feel free to ignore this prompt and talk about whatever you want. This is your Open Thread after all.

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from Racket

It’s the Year of Yia: Vinai Racks Up More National Accolades

Plus BCA finally confirms detail in Winston Smith's death, hurting colleges attempt to go big, and a Target Center tragedeigh trifecta in today's Flyover news roundup.

December 3, 2024

December Is Here, and So Is Your Complete Concert Calendar: Dec. 3-9

Pretty much all the music you can catch in the Twin Cities this week.

December 3, 2024

MN’s Giant Roadside Oddities Get Substantial NYT Coverage—Finally

Plus grad student worker union gains, investigating why Honeycrisps suck now, and Rainforest Cafe's local angle in today's Flyover news roundup.

December 2, 2024

Rampaging Santas, Pissfest, Gingerbread Parties: This Week’s Best Events

Plus U.S. Bank Stadium opens for workouts, Dillinger Four returns to First Ave, and last call for the Minneapolis Uprising murals art show.

December 2, 2024

Who’s That Guy in the White Suit Coat Walking Down 38th Street?

Meet the famous Neal Baxter—and then go on a guided neighborhood stroll with him.

See all posts