I'm not sure I trust any gross generalization to paint an accurate picture of the productivity of US workers. There are so many factors to consider.
It's true that the sort of laborer work ethic seen by the bricklayer in the original video is probably scarcer. But I have seen it. It happens in young, highly-motivated men. Especially young blue-collar fathers, where their tasks are physical and clearly defined. They work even harder when an alpha male leader is present to motivate them (even if he's not officially a leader in the org chart).
I do think that these sort of men are becoming scarcer due in equal parts to the rise in single motherhood, breakdown of communities, emphasis on college and service professions and scarcity of jobs for laborers. But one must also consider technology and nature of work. Most any job in the US that is as simple and repetitive as bricklaying is going to be done with technology. And when jobs are not simple and repetitive, it's much more difficult to practice them well enough to put on the kind of performance you see in the video above.
And professional jobs... they are a whole different issue. I have thoughts on that too but this post is already too long.
It's true that the sort of laborer work ethic seen by the bricklayer in the original video is probably scarcer. But I have seen it. It happens in young, highly-motivated men. Especially young blue-collar fathers, where their tasks are physical and clearly defined. They work even harder when an alpha male leader is present to motivate them (even if he's not officially a leader in the org chart).
I do think that these sort of men are becoming scarcer due in equal parts to the rise in single motherhood, breakdown of communities, emphasis on college and service professions and scarcity of jobs for laborers. But one must also consider technology and nature of work. Most any job in the US that is as simple and repetitive as bricklaying is going to be done with technology. And when jobs are not simple and repetitive, it's much more difficult to practice them well enough to put on the kind of performance you see in the video above.
And professional jobs... they are a whole different issue. I have thoughts on that too but this post is already too long.