End of the Tradition Weekend?

ArnoldC

Member
Location
Texas, USA
Something I've been thinking about for quite a while. Here, in the U.S., traditional weekend is Saturday and Sunday. Streets, roads, parks et all are crowded to over-crowded like a mass of humanity.

Figuring it will take a two phase paradigm shift to relieve congestion that seems to continue growing. Phase 1 will be a shifting of the traditional weekend to a Fri-Sat for some, traditional Sat-Sun for others, and Sun-Mon for yet another group. Phase 2 will encompass the entire seven day week with a shift in weekends for the population.

Sounds crazy, I know. But know of no other way to address the congestion. Of course, only a thought puzzle. For one thing, the stick-and-ball lobby would go apoplectic over such a proposal. As well as the general population. So never happen. But still have thought about it.
 

Something I've been thinking about for quite a while. Here, in the U.S., traditional weekend is Saturday and Sunday. Streets, roads, parks et all are crowded to over-crowded like a mass of humanity.

Figuring it will take a two phase paradigm shift to relieve congestion that seems to continue growing. Phase 1 will be a shifting of the traditional weekend to a Fri-Sat for some, traditional Sat-Sun for others, and Sun-Mon for yet another group. Phase 2 will encompass the entire seven day week with a shift in weekends for the population.

Sounds crazy, I know. But know of no other way to address the congestion. Of course, only a thought puzzle. For one thing, the stick-and-ball lobby would go apoplectic over such a proposal. As well as the general population. So never happen. But still have thought about it.
this has been a thing here since lockdown and the onset of millions working from home. It's barely gone back to people working 9-5 ..and so those of us with no children who could look forward to going to the beaches/parks/museums on a weekday on our day off... instead of the packed out weekends.. now find no day is different,.. because the so called ''working from home'' are ''working'' from the beaches and park.. ..et al.. and so there's never any quiet days
 
Oh to be idley rich then I could just get away from it all on those many desert islands or are they packed out too ? - well the world popn is rising! but the birth rates falling? - now there's magic at large!
 

Way back when I supervised a department I saw a need for two shift with less employees per shift. Not overall less just per shift. My idea was to adjust the work force to work 4-10hour days. That kept the amount intact but gave greater flexibility for the work load. The work week would be staggered, making covering the weekend possible.

All employees were union so they had 80 hours sick pay, 12 holidays, 3 personal days. & most had 3 weeks vacation. Doesn't take much to figure out that combining 3 days off with any of the other benefits a lot of leisure time could be had.

I presented this to the local union president so that he could check with his members for approval or not. Several union members held out if the change from an 8 hour shift to the 10 hour shift came with overtime pay for that two hour difference. No way was that possible, the cost would way to much.

About 6 months later the union president contacted me about implementing that change. Seems the hold outs came to realize they would have less actual work & more time off. I told the union president I couldn't do that since I had already submitted the operation budget.

The next year I was offered early retirement due to the corporation restructuring. That left my department to be restructured. The 4 day work week would never be implemented. If greed by a few hadn't interfered with the many, weekends would be like the thread is about.
 
Isn't the tradition weekend based around the creation story in Genesis? Resting on the seventh day?
The Jewish nation and early Christians rested on the seventh day Sabbath

Rome introduced 'Sun' day as a sacred day

Fast forward to now
We've come to enjoy a two day weekend
 
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I think the concept of the traditional weekend disappeared a long time ago. Even "bankers hours" hasn't really been 9-5 M-F for long time now. I think it would have been a great idea a couple of decades ago but I don't think most workers work the traditional hours that many of us did a long time ago.

Oh, and taking away Sundays would probably never work. Those who worship God or the NFL on Sunday's would have a problem with that. And while God certainly has the clout to stop it from happing, the NFL has the big bucks to prevent it also ;)
 
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I have been working every weekend for many years. In my area, traffic is horrible on Saturdays and Sundays. Probably a few million people work on weekends in my area, many more drive to go out and do shopping. I don't think rideshare and delivery services have helped alleviate traffic at all.

So, this shift in days off you propose is a useless pipe dream, IMO. If you really want to give more people a 40-hour work week, then we have to lower housing costs so people do not have to take on 2nd and 3rd jobs just to pay the rent.

Lower housing costs. Stop with all the other silly societal machinations. Not even stupid A.I. is going to pay the rent for the poor. Inhabiting the moon will not pay the rent for the poor, unless we turn it into a rent-free colony.

So much dumb "futurism". Our financial lives were better in the 1950s, 60s and even the 70s because housing costs took up a much smaller percentage of people's take-home pay.

Don't shift weekends. SHIFT RENTS.
 


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