Re Laurie's list: One large and continuous subject for "shop talk" that I remember (while working on assembly lines at Ford and GM in NJ) was *gambling*. This most frequently took the form of discussing "lotto" and what workers would do _when_ they won $1 million. Every other form of gambling as well was discussed ad infinitum. Many, especially, were into the "ponies." The discussion of organized sports (which Laurie did mention) was also practically tied to the question of gambling. Not only was gambling discussed at length, it was also done heavily in the plant with different workers having alternative gambling franchises for different types of gambling activities. For instance, if you were in the Chasis Department and wanted to bet on a football game, there was a designated person who would take your money and pay you any winnings. The same for other types of gambling, including lotto and check pools (where one could win several thousand $/week). If you can't understand why these workers spent so much time discussing and doing gambling, you have never had a job like working on an assembly line. Most workers wanted to do something else with their lives. Hardly anyone said: I _want_ to work on an auto assembly line. But they start working, and before they realized it, they had some seniority to protect and basically accepted, on a logical level, the idea that they will work there until they are old and retire. Yet, this is a difficult and harsh reality to completely accept so they must create a dream world where they can escape and do something else -- more -- with their lives. For many this means gambling. For others, it's drugs, booze, or sex. Anything to keep your mind off of the drudgery of work and to create a fantasy that would allow you to live your life as you wish. Jerry
