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Very recently, a huge online debate unfolded as conservative commentator Charlie stirred the pot with a post that questions the narrative that Americans do not want to get into hard physical labor such as roofing. Since the original tweet was unclear and at times mixed languages in translation,” further responses have exacerbated the existing debate around immigration, labor, and workforce in America.
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Responding to him, some commenters narrated stories from the workplaces as they have witnessed roofers and drywallers working in the area without speaking English. He proceeded to explain that in their system, plumbers, and certified kinds of work might be American, but most of those trades outside of that are the domain of immigrants. The strategies over why certain sectors seem to be heavily foreign-land-oriented followed.
Some commentators justified it by saying in fact it’s not a question of capability but willingness. One ex-roofer was completely straightforward: “It’s not that we can’t; it’s because we will not.” He described the sorrowful and body-damaging nature of roofing work. The chorus of affirmations insisted that it was those working conditions that deter American workers and that those jobs pay very poorly, at least when compared to other kinds of skilled trade.
Several more joined in accusing business owners of preferring illegal workers so as to cut their costs, and the whole talk thus assumed highly political overtones. “They’ve gotten so comfortable hiring illegal labor for much cheaper,” commented an Internet commentator, pinpointing the economic rationale for such employment. The stage was thus set to debate whether undocumented workers truly brought wages down or simply filled jobs unwillingly taken by American workers.
Debates of quality of work dematerialized the flames. Part of the folks could boast of hiring and paying all American crews to do wonderful work, while others disparaged the argument that immigrant workers bring about worse results. “Those 20 white boys will install it properly the first time,” said one, provoking numerous retorts centered around warranty claims and workmanship standards.
Interestingly, the argument smoothly drifted beyond roofing toward seasonal farmwork and process plants. One related working 73 consecutive 12-hour shifts in a Teamsters-represented seasonal gig for $13.50 an hour and concluded that even union jobs in some industries struggle to attract long-term American workers.
Numbers came into play. One quoted Bureau of Labor Statistics data that in January 2025, there suffered 236,000 unfilled construction jobs. It was an attempt to move this emotionally charged debate into hard numbers, but most of the debate was about what those numbers actually say about the work ethic of the American and the trend of the labor market.
The genuine chasm lies in the differences in the view of the American workforce. Some felt Kirk’s article acted to disprove the myth of the inability of American workers, while others felt it did not even begin to encompass the already complex labor market reality. At one point, the said debate on roofing jobs had turned into a smaller reflection of the much broader discourse on immigration policy, labor economics, and the cultural perception of work.
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More and more with each comment, these questions seem to just keep admitting no answers. Lawn care would suffer from wage pressure and safety; it would also be about changing demographics and education priorities. What is for sure about it is that this polemic has secured the explosive political reaction from all sides, and Cullen Kirk’s post has sparked much more heat than light about where America stands actually being built.
You can view the original article HERE.
