There was a time about one hundred years ago when over ninety percent of Americans were self employed.

I imagine many men went to work with tools around their waist. Hammers, screw drivers, awls or planes.

In this modern era, most Americans work for businesses or government. Most men and women don t take their own tools to work. It appears, however, that men feel the need to strap something to their waists.

Hence, the modern man s tool belt. Whenever I go to the mall, Santa Monica Promenade, or Historic Downtown Los Angeles, I see men with various gadgets stuck to their belts: cell phones, pagers, PDAs, walkie talkies. They can hardly sit for all the equipment tacked to their belts.

They re constantly holstering one piece of equipment or another sliding the pager in, the cell phone out. A stylus clicking on a PDA, the walkie talkie squawking.

Whether these tools are germane to any actual job dubious. I think men just like the feeling of importance these gadgets lend. Sooner or later these electronics will become pass . Then who knows what they ll have attached to their belts.

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