from Markus Langemann
In recent months, I have often heard SMEs groaning under the weight of their work, the social circumstances and the burdens imposed by the state. Quite a few are on the brink of ruin. It seems to me that there is an astonishing amount to be heard on the streets about the actual state of economic life in the country, but little from those affected in the leading media. Ivory tower analyses by chamber of commerce presidents or recorded speeches by association presidents are the maximum of observation.
How insightful it is to give a voice to the unheard middle class. As you know, this middle class has long been the backbone, perhaps even the convenient state reinsurance, of our prosperity. I picked up the phone and simply asked the winemaker who recommends his wines to you on the website and in the newsletter for an interview.
This is not intended to be an advertisement for him, but rather the short path to a young, committed entrepreneur who boldly and clearly formulates his view of the current state of motivation in Germany and what he would like to see in 2023. It is a brief, selective insight into the engine room of our country. You will be surprised.
Feel free to share your observations and experiences with readers and me in the comments section. Feel free to make visible what is not being written about and what you do not see shown on your paid channels.
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10 Responses
Hi, I'm new here but I'd still like to have my say.
I finally arrived in West Germany after reunification and woke up at the same time.
I also got my craft business through the GDR but gave it up in my new home in 2001. In the meantime, I have retired and have finally found time to think about my life and the current form of society.
I am shocked by the catastrophic state this country is in, especially the younger generation. Virtues such as a sense of duty and a love of one's profession are written very small today. Craftsmanship, agriculture, pride in the results achieved are all foreign words. I do not see a positive future for this country without a radical change of course, but please not with the current parties.
LG
First of all, I would like to thank you for the comments you have already written.
There is no such thing as youth, but after thirty years in the teaching profession, I can only conclude that the children have become increasingly sicker, less energetic and sadder. I'm talking about middle and upper school here. Children don't get much time out in nature because they are occupied all day. Free time without cell phones, without any distractions is missing. The concentration span of children and young adults has decreased significantly. Many parents and their children believe that they can't do anything without a high school diploma. What children can do and where their strengths lie is sacrificed to a vague fear of losing out. By the time they've made their way through school, they no longer feel like doing anything. Many are just tired, sad and without an inner compass. Corona measures have put the icing on the cake. Ten hours with a mask means that children get significantly less oxygen. Headaches and discomfort are part of it and lead even more to the children losing their access to their bodies.
Ich habe diesem „Kasperltheater“ seit einem Jahr den Rücken gekehrt.
Perhaps during the lockdowns, many people came to their senses for the first time in their lives. And one realization could be to finally set out in search of the holy grail. The journey to themselves, their body, their heart, their soul. These people are de facto no longer resilient and are only available to the system to a limited extent.
My thoughts are another piece of the puzzle, on the subject of resilience and commitment in the world of work.
If you judge the contents of the cask by the quantity and not by the quality of the liquid, you shouldn't be surprised if you end up with nothing but undrinkable brew.
And don't tell me the supposedly middle-class middle class didn't go along with it. Too much state, too few people, no identity, no achievement, ergo no prosperity. But on the other hand, Germany shows attitude, is essentially socialist and feminist, but above all highly opportunistic. I don't ask myself why so few people want to work, I ask myself why anyone still works at all, those who have money emigrate, those who have none immigrate and those who open their mouths in this country because they can no longer stand all the nonsense and bullshit and are fed up with being disenfranchised and dispossessed are enemies of the state. Shut up, otherwise you're a Nazi.
Mein Kompliment zu Ihrem Kommentar, selten habe ich in so einem kurzen, aber präzisen Statement so viel nackte – und gleichzeitig bittere – Wahrheit gesehen. Gerade in den letzten beiden Sätzen steckt der komplette Werdegang von ‚Schland‘ innerhalb der letzten beiden ‚Corona-Jahre‘ und seine neue Ausrichtung ‚danach‘ drin.
Small objection! This also applies to wine: "socialist and feminist" is a fraudulent label! To my regret, the vast majority of libertarian freethinkers fall for it by praying down the false label in the old habit without hesitation, even though Orwell's language has long since been used. Personally, I continue to claim the label "left", although those who call themselves "left" label themselves as "right". Of course, I am also still "emancipated" because I believe that equal rights for all are absolutely desirable, but have remained a utopia since the French Revolution. For this very reason, I am a vehement opponent of the gender craze and prefer blind tasting to misunderstood labels ;-)
Dear Mr. Langemann,
I think the view here is a little narrow for once.
In my opinion, the lack of staff in the hospitality industry is an after-effect of coronavirus and the associated policies. I also see this within my family. My daughter trained as a hotel manager at the Bayerpost. She later worked in Spain, Turkey and Austria and in January she ventured a new start in the south of Spain. The hotel opened in the spring and was closed shortly afterwards. It resumed in July and closed again at the end of August. That was the end of her career in the restaurant/hotel industry. She loved her work and it was a difficult step to say goodbye to it. What were she and the people in the hospitality industry waiting for? The sword of another closure was constantly hanging over them. I'm sure she wasn't the only one who had to give up and look for a new direction.
Das Bild über die aktuell „Jungen“ ist meine ich, ebenfalls etwas verengt, zumindest zu verallgemeinert.
Take a look at the Ahr valley, watch all the videos (e.g. DZN - Dachzeltnomaden), read about the projects. The amazement at the young people was huge. So many of them got involved and are still doing so after more than 1.5 years. There is no such thing as THE youth, there never has been. Think about yours, or were they all the same back then? 😉
Even my daughter said about 15 years ago: Mom, I'm so glad we were allowed to do so much. Some people in my class (home economics school) can't even boil water.
My aim was to teach my children to be as independent as possible. They should be able to help themselves if I can't or am not there. However, some mothers think that a good childhood is only possible if the child doesn't have to do anything themselves.
A good time to get involved is when the children come of their own accord and want to help. Unfortunately, this is often prevented. After all, something could break or they could hurt themselves. Of course you have to pay attention to safety, but more trust in the children would be important.
The reasons why many young people are unwilling, lazy or overwhelmed are not solely down to them. There are reasons for the completely wrong image of work, scope, earnings and everything else that goes with working life. What images are being conveyed to young people today? What is worth striving for, what is worth investing energy in? How does getting ahead work? Do I want to get ahead? Do I have to want more than the average? Can I be satisfied? Even with less.
Im Arbeitsleben erlebe ich gerade das Spiegelbild der „Regierung“. Aalglatt, freundlich lächelnd (die anderen für Dumm verkaufen). Alle einer Meinung, alle haben sich lieb. Kante zeigen, klare Kommunikation – Fehlanzeige. Das stört das schöne Bild.
Wie ist es heute in der Schule? Läuft es da auch schon so? Woher kommt das „Was, 8 h arbeiten? Das ist viel zu viel!“?
A happy 3rd Advent to all.
I can only agree with Mr. Rhein's analysis. It is very difficult, almost impossible, to find good staff or apprentices. There is hardly any willingness to work, punctuality and identification with the company among the younger generation. I run a dental practice and we constantly experience that trainees complain after just one or two days that the work is far too strenuous. We and I are told this even in what is a completely normal working environment for us. Not to mention when it gets really busy in between.
In discussions with my colleagues, we realize that almost everyone feels the same way.
The outlook for the future of the economy and SMEs in Germany is bleak. Not only in terms of the personnel situation. Unfortunately!
As a self-employed engineer, I'm now at the point where I'm going to stop. It's not just that you have problems finding employees. My impression is that people in their 20s are deliberately taught to be stupid - or rather stupid - at school. I am convinced that there is a method behind this. It's also a way of destroying the German economy.
I can only share your view of young people to a very limited extent. I am also a self-employed engineer. Over the past three years or so, I have been responsible for the planning and construction of a new final car assembly line together with a young international team. Rarely have I experienced smarter, more interested and more motivated engineers and technicians.
What is undoubtedly true is the fact that the distraction and variety of demands in all directions today has reached a level that is often barely manageable and prevents in-depth engagement with individual but important topics. However, this is not a special characteristic of young people. It is common to all age groups. Furthermore, our zero-risk society often prevents children and young people from being able to move freely and thus develop freely. This hinders their development. In addition, educational institutions are becoming more and more ideologized. When I opened my son's school textbook years ago and read that it contained a diatribe by a well-known climate researcher who was critical of wind energy, among other things, I was shocked. Instead of promoting independent thinking, young people are increasingly being indoctrinated by doomsday fantasies of self-appointed world saviors. You can only get an idea of how thin the ice is on which this group of people move when you start to question their theories in detail.
If young people need something again, then it is a perspective for the future and not the world view currently conveyed by the media, which paints an overheated, burning, stormy, broken and therefore barely liveable world for the future, which can only be saved from the worst - if at all - by massively sacrificing the freedom and quality of life of the individual. Those who act in this way should not be surprised if young people believe that sticking to the asphalt is the greatest contribution they can make to shaping their future. A future for young people whose door is supposedly closing for them.
Many thanks for this outstanding insight, which in my view is very practical and accurate ...
This is the middle class ...
The problems are extremely diverse ...
it is no longer worth being self-employed ...