BUBBA TO THE RESCUE

By Walter A. Harper
Welding Instructor
Federal Bureau of Prisons

Firstly, a name change is in order for “Bubba” to be admitted to the “Image Army.”  It seems that more people are associating the name “Bubba” with uneducated and unfriendly white men and, even though that’s not accurate, it’s happening.  From now on, the name will be “Walter” or “Walt” and “Wally” to close friends, but never “Bubba” or “Waldo”.  It’s funny how careless and presumptive people can be with slang words.

This name change was prompted by the last issue [Spring 2003] of “The World of Welding’ magazine in which the Editor Marty Baker, a very nice person, had to explain and defend the position of the Hobart Institute of Welding Technology.  In previous editions, she has explained why foreign students were taught there, despite American welding jobs being exported.  It this last issue, she explained and defended that HIWT does not place “criminals on a pedestal”.  That, and other less thoughtful comments about welders and welding instruction, needs to be fully addressed before we can proceed.

I may never meet an objective welder.  By trade, welders take much pride in their metalworking skills.  Few materials, other than steel, can be shaped and fastened economically with that level of skill.  Combine those two factors, add the elation of completing a job before the deadline, and you get a subjective welder.  Not necessarily a bad thing either.

When you’re “under the hood” and focused on making a weld that won’t fail in service and cause much damage, and possibly injury and death, there isn’t any time for idle chitchat.  Then again, whom would you talk to with your hood down?  When I started welding a long time ago, I talked to the electrode and tried to “coach” it into making a pretty weld.  It never talked back, but it did do whatever it wanted to for the first couple years.

So what if welders will never teach political science?  That’s a double blessing.  Lord knows we have too many political scientists and too many political issues to keep them busy.  Meanwhile, back at the ranch, welders are building what need to be built.  It takes all types.

There is no argument that teaching welding in a prison is less desirable than training young men and women to develop skills in a community college.  It’s a fact that there are too many inmates and new prisons are being constructed everywhere.  The little known fact that most inmates did not get a “life sentence” and will be returning home someday means that you may be living next door to the person you were talking about.  Hmmmm!  Wouldn’t you like to live next door to a neighbor with a job?

Other comments such as helping the drunk driver that ran over and killed another person does not help the “Image Army” and should not be directed towards Editor Baker.  She isn’t here for that.  With a little objective research, statistics show that sober drivers cause more death and destruction.  What about them?  What will keep good paying American jobs from heading south? When will welders become politicians?  These are not issues for a welding magazine!

Just like bright metal, let’s keep it clean.