Should the 40-hour workweek be cut back?

College Confidential Community
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<p>I’ll probably end up working about 50 hours a week wherever I go though. This boring insanity is killing me.</p>

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<p>I know- its incredible to see how lazy and complacent we’ve become. </p>

<p>My father works with a company in China and I’ve seen first hand how competitive and productive some of these workers are. We don’t want to go head to head with them because we WOULD lose. Its quite frightening.</p>

<p>And these same Western countries want to cut hours. That will really help with competition and productivity as compared to the rest of the world.</p>

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<p><a href=“http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060223/hl_nm/life_work_dc;_ylt=ApqIUylsV2YKE0ZKh2amMDsDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl[/url]”>http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20060223/hl_nm/life_work_dc;_ylt=ApqIUylsV2YKE0ZKh2amMDsDW7oF;_ylu=X3oDMTBiMW04NW9mBHNlYwMlJVRPUCUl&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

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<p>Cut back by whom?</p>

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<p>Just to add on to scarletleavy’s post, I was reading The Globe and Mail the other day, and there was an article about the suicide rates of scientists in China. (<a href=“http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20060218/CHINASUICIDES18/international/International[/url]”>http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/freeheadlines/LAC/20060218/CHINASUICIDES18/international/International&lt;/a&gt;) There is so much pressure for scientists to publish, in an attempt to match/beat the Western countries, that some scientists are overwhelmed, and commit suicide.</p>

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<p>Or they lie and embellish about their discoveries, like the researcher from Korea.</p>

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<p>True, but Korea is not in the same place as India or China so that’s not a real appropriate comparison.</p>

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<p>The scientist from Korea sort of had it coming to him. If one’s going to keep on pretend they’re about to make a breakthrough well aware that they’re not, then by all means, TELL THE TRUTH!</p>

<p>CDN_Dancer, scientists there are of a complete different than Americans. They make considerably so much more than American scientists in the attempt by China to push them to develop in time. Chances are, it’s probably working.</p>

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<p>Work more, earn more. That’s the mantra by which Americans live their lives. No matter where a person is in the economic spectrum, the average American works like a madman. From the doctor and the investment banker who works 80hr+ weeks to the street vendors in New York, work is their Bible. That type of work ethic is embedded in us. If America is the land of opportunities, it is that drive that makes it that way. </p>

<p>I don’t see how decreasing the work week will change that.</p>