> outside ...? I meant "blue collar" as a metaphor for employing a large group of regular folks, not for outside work. Manufacturing jobs in the middle of the

> outside ...? I meant "blue collar" as a metaphor for employing a large group of regular folks, not for outside work. Manufacturing jobs in the middle of the 20th century were a core part of the economy. As robotics and other forms of automation replace more human activities, computer programming might become somewhat similar to the assembly-line job of the past. If not, I can't think of anything else that could plausibly take that role, in which case there would not be a large middle class.