Tuesday 25 February 2020

Another brick in the wall.



We've all seen the story. The Indians are so ashamed of this shanty town, that prior to Trump's visit they built a wall to hide it.

But that is not my subject matter. 

Brick wall-building is not difficult, it requires bricks or blocks (obviously), mortar, a trowel, a length of string, and a level. With those few requirements even one's brain is unnecessary, as you let the tools do all the work for you; as long as you allow them to do so.

I have never understood why wall-building throughout India, The Middle East, and Africa, is so consistently amateurish, although having looked closely at the photo above, I do notice they seem not to even have the trowel, string, or level.

Even 'naughty boys' who attend correctional schooling in the UK, often master the art of bricklaying within a day or two. It really isn't that difficult.

With wages so low, and the price of bricks reasonably high, one might have imagined that wall builders from these countries would take extra care when building a home, or a wall. But the opposite seems to be the case.  Their work is slapdash, and shows no sense of pride whatsoever. I wonder why?

Official: "Oy you; have you ever built a wall?".

Youth: "No Sir".

Official: "Good; you're hired. Build one over there".

48 comments:

  1. I don't know anyone here who knows how to build a wall, and we need quite a few walls here.

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    1. I find this very odd. Every time I see pictures of (usually) war torn Middle Eastern towns or cities, their buildings always seem to be made from badly constructed rubbish.

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    2. What people like yourself fail to think it colonisers never spent so any years bothering these countries for there resources and slaughtering millions of Indians and Muslim they would have the available tools for the job I'm actually a bricky from the uk and this job is alot more complex then you think

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  2. One of your areas of expertise. My father could lay bricks as you describe. Perhaps the mindset in such countries is that a natural disaster will take the wall away, regardless of how well it is built.

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    Replies
    1. I haven't done a lot of wall building, but I have always taken my time, and done it properly. I can't see the point of shoddy work, in no matter what realm.

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    2. It's a rather good point you make, Andrew.

      Why the eff bother/strive for perfection if it's torn down five minutes later anyway? Having said that, look at how we, old and young, build sand castles. Real beauties. Carefully crafted. And look at them, next morning when the tide has come in! Personally, when a child, I found it rather disappointing. No doubt, in part, accounting for the fact that I do have leanings towards nihilism.

      Still however disheartening to me it doesn't appear to stop people building sandcastles just for the fun of it. They [sand castles] do come with a sort of inbuilt obsolescence factor which we expect and accept (unless you are me at age five).

      U

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    3. Ah, but we expect our Sand Castles to be washed away, we don't expect our houses to fall down, or be blown to bits.

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    4. Yes, I know, Cro. Anyway, and I forgot to mention it earlier, when I saw your header "Another brick in the wall" I thought you were going to do a homage to Pink Floyd. Did you ever see it live on stage?

      U

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    5. Yes, and I very briefly lived with Syd Barrett; the brains behind the group.

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  3. I wanted to be a brick layer when I left school, always admired the perfection of accurately laid bricks. But in 1964 there were no opportunities for girls to learn boys jobs. I'm glad the workplace is becoming a bit more equal now.

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    Replies
    1. I don't think I've ever seen a female bricklayer. But why not?

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  4. I have built a couple of walls. It was slow, laborious work and although I'm pretty good with my hands I would never have made any money as a brickky (brickie?). Building a wall is one thing but building a good wall, and making money at it is, I think, a much greater skill than you ascribe to it.

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    Replies
    1. A stone wall requires talent, a brick wall requires a few tools, a concrete block wall requires little other than the desire to build it. If I can build a decent brick wall, then almost anyone can; and does.

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    2. You cannot master the art of bricklaying in a day or two. Period.

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    3. 1on top of 2 easy isn't it? Now set out a full building taking into consideration levels for ground, dpc, services, substructure then get your plot set out square square to the correct dimensions and specifications. Now start to build remembeing to keep everything level, plumb and square remember to keep all of your perpendicular joints plum. Also remember other spec IE wall ties, dpc, tray damps, weep holes ect. Then start to contend with details arches, panels, corbels ect. Maybe your building a commercial building where you have to meet steel work ten lifts above. All of this whilst beening meet and try to make a living it's a easy.

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  5. Maybe Trump should fly a plane load of Indian builders over to America's southern border. They'd have his "beautiful wall" built by Christmas - but I am not sure how long it would last.

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    Replies
    1. Maybe that's what he's doing there; looking for builders.

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    2. Trump probably thinks he's on a reservation and is currently wondering where the totem poles and wigwams are.

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    3. You are obsessed with Trump in an unhealthy way.

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  6. Not to mention the scaffolding used at higher levels, bamboo tied together with ropes!

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    Replies
    1. Frightening. It the wall doesn't fall down, the scaffolding certainly will.

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  7. I love the look of a well built wall. My SIL has built a few and they are beautiful to look at and structurally sound. He is a contractor, artist and chef. He has a lot in common with you, Cro.

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    1. A well built wall is something to be proud of; knowing that it'll be there for maybe centuries.

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    2. The Chinese emperors built a wall, in sections not even joined up, to give the people a common purpose. And something to do. People with nothing to do and no purpose get restless and that won’t do.

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  8. Wall is only a temporary curtain. To build a proper wall requires razor wire, concrete sections, cameras, sensors, and skilled operators of heavy equipment.

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    Replies
    1. Some lovely photos from the Taj Mahal this visit.

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    2. And a good foundation....

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    3. A pukka wall also requires very solid foundations. My neighbour's infamous 'Orange Wall' is testament to the lack of.

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    4. Modern wall needs to be movable.

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    5. Walls can be in the mind or in the computer mind. Aw Snap! is a wall. Self censorship is a wall.

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    6. For me, Walls is synonymous with Ice Cream.

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    7. Tom Walls ice cream bricks between wafers. Loved ‘em! He rang a handbell in those days!

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  9. I always found it interesting that Churchill enjoyed bricklaying. He must have found it a way to keep his mind occupied and relieved of the pressures of the many decisions confronting him. Those walls must still be standing (at Checquers?)

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    1. I don't know how much of a wall builder he really was, it certainly did his profile good. I wonder if it wasn't more a photo-opportunity than a real hobby?

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    2. I understand from his personal police bodyguard's biography that he would do bricklaying in the night as a form of therapy to unwind. This was at Chartwell. The walls were dismantled and rebuilt during the day without him knowing and he was never told.

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    3. That's very funny. I can just picture the scene!

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  10. I would like to see you're walls.

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  11. I am a bricklayer it seems clear to me you have no concept of the skill and knowledge required of a professional bricklayer. As a man of the arts I think you save you comments for the things you understand.

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  12. I am a bricklayer and I find your opinion rediculous bricklaying like any other trade is a skill that takes years to master and do well. Unbelievable!!!

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  13. I was a bricklayer for many years & after a while you can go into automode & still do a descent job. But you need a lot of practice to do that. It’s one of those jobs some people pick it up faster than others. & some will never master.

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