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15 Jul 08 - 09:25 AM (#2389552) Subject: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif (ATTN: Steve Parkes From: GUEST,Chapman In the John Henry forum Parkes mentioned that there are numerous songs that share the John Henry situation where a man is competing/racing against a machine that will replace him. This one comment has sent me on a long, wild chase with very little to show for it. He specifically mentioned something about a mail sorter racing a mail sorting machine. So, I will put the question out to everyone and hopefully Steve will find it, too. Do any songs/ballads/tales come to mind that tells the story of a man competing/racing against a machine that is threatening to take his job? |
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15 Jul 08 - 11:32 AM (#2389666) Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif From: gnomad Not quite according to your brief, but this William Brown might be of interest. |
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15 Jul 08 - 11:50 AM (#2389683) Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif From: Barry Finn The "Threshing Mill " is an Irish song that doesn't pit man against machine so much as it relates changes to a field worker's life from one advancement in technoloy to the next. In this case the loss of the threshing mill to the huge combines. Barry |
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15 Jul 08 - 03:23 PM (#2389980) Subject: RE: Folklore: Worker/Machine Motif From: GUEST Gnomad, Thanks. On a quick glance there seem to be interesting similarities. The pressure to work harder coming from the top and in neither case does not end well. |