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This is the goal of the wealthy class and corporations. To treat the common man as a disposable and interchagable cog. It is always more profitable to not hav
by kevin_b_er 8y ago
This is the goal of the wealthy class and corporations. To treat the common man as a disposable and interchagable cog. It is always more profitable to not have to ensure the cog cannot encounter one medical issue that bankrupts them. It more profitable when you need not show any loyalty to the cog. We can see the end goal where profit is more important than humanity.
- ryanmarsh 8y agoThis is the goal of the wealthy class and corporations. This is the inevitable result of healthy complex adaptive systems under free market capitalism. These systems are as effective as they can be inhumane. It's our job to inject humanity into the system.
- tjr225 8y agoOur job? How exactly do you propose that those with no leverage and no power do that job?
- ryanmarsh 8y agoVote
- Florin_Andrei 8y agoIf only there was some kind of mechanism that could regulate the functioning of the whole society, via issuing laws and enforcing them. If something like that is ever invented, I propose we derive its name from the latin word "gubernare" - to steer. /s
- tjr225 8y agoI'm sure this thing we might some day invent will be impervious to corruption or manipulation by those with power, money, and leverage. /s
- Florin_Andrei 8y agoAfraid to drive? No problem. Keep walking.
- chatnati 8y agoI, for one, welcome our new Robotic Overlords
- secabeen 8y ago"The perfect is the enemy of the good." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_is_the_enemy_of_good https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perfect_is_the_enemy_of_good
- secabeen 8y agoWorkers might also band together, in some form of group, where they could clearly demonstrate to employers their interest in being treated fairly, and with some amount of loyalty. Those employees would have to agree on a common set of goals, so I'd propose that we derive the groups name from the latin word "unitatem" - oneness, sameness, agreement. /s :D
- cdiddy2 8y agoAt some point the ruling class becomes so small and so powerful that they suddenly lose all their power as the majority decide that things aren't working out anymore and revolt. A new more fair order is installed which slowly trends back toward too much power. Rinse repeat
- Torwald 8y agoFirst, we don't have a free market capitalism, so you don't know that. Second, you also don't know wether humanity and capitalism are at odds. I'de wager they aren't.
- maxxxxx 8y agoThey are if there aren't checks and balances are in place.
- Torwald 8y agoNo, they aren't. A free market capitalism will always work for the greater good of humanity, except when it gets distorted by (inhuman) outside forces, like for example the state.
- ivraatiems 8y agoWhat evidence do you have that this claim is true? If your evidence is theoretical, what separates your argument from the argument "if true Communism were ever implemented, it would always work for the greater good of humanity"?
- maxxxxx 8y agoI believe the natural end of a totally free market will be a world where wealth and power is concentrated in only a few hands. It will be very similar to the middle ages. Just replace nobility with capitalists.
- pm90 8y agoNot sure why this is being downvotes when it describes exactly what is happening. A relentless desire to increase profits at all costs is exactly what is leading to these decisions being made. The scary aspect is how this is spilling over to the political field as well, with corporations lobbying for changes over the past few decades which have all been very very anti-labor.
- prolikewh0a 8y agoThis is exactly what they want. I hear about all kinds of Software Engineers on HN asking for way over what a FTE gets paid, but that's simply not the reality for most contractors who are paid well below FTE's, with zero benefits at all, and no job security. Management treats you with more hostility as if you're trash and easily replaceable as well. This is what the wealthy class & corporations want, cheaper labor. For the majority of contractors, they're not making nearly as much as FTE's, the contractor middle-man that got you the contracting job is taking a hefty cut and while they provide benefits, they are extraordinary in cost. I'm not talking about independent contractors, I'm talking about large firms that hire people to contract at large corporations. It's become a big thing in Seattle, and if you're not a software engineer your chances of getting FTE to start --without at least 6 months of cheap contract labor-- are slim to none.
- gaius 8y agoThis is the goal of the wealthy class and corporations. To treat the common man as a disposable and interchagable cog. Fully aided and abetted by the tech industry, don’t forget. If we aspire to be real engineers we all need to apply some ethical thinking to writing code that enables outsourcing, offshoring, zero hours contracts, surveillance/privacy invasion yadda yadda. And for working for or with companies with those practices.
- blub 8y agoYou're right, but software engineers are divided, selfish and weak. This is a class fight, it can't be won by individuals.
- gaius 8y agoI just think of whoever wrote the software that tells Amazon warehouse workers how many seconds they have to fetch the next item, so they have to pee in bottles in order to keep up or that monitors call centre workers. Would that person want their own keystrokes counted and their webcam scanning to make sure their eyes are on the screen?
- agumonkey 8y agoPardon the personal anecdote, but as I grew up and went into the highest education level I could I thought I'd have some kind of beauty in my job. When I first hit the IT world I was shocked by the similarity with lowest wages employees. You're a cog. One from a little rare material but still a cog. I felt no difference between this or being a cashier.
- merpnderp 8y agoI'm curious about how you would describe what you expected a professional job would be like. What do you mean by "beauty"?
- agumonkey 8y ago- more coordination - more desire to make good code - more knowledge about the field the few I could see was high turnover rate of random quality pressured into fake code
- maxxxxx 8y agoIn my company they have started to call people "resources" :)
- antisthenes 8y agoI've heard there exist entire departments to manage such resources. The name escapes me at the moment, however.
- maxxxxx 8y agoI know that department but it's new to me that people say "a resource in my team has found....". That's a new level of dehumanization.
- propogandist 8y agothis is the norm at my company, and all resources are asssigned serial numbers.
- paulddraper 8y ago> profit is more important than humanity What is humanity? Is humanity the ability to feed your children, to have shelter, to benefit from medicines, to possess the capability of generosity, to hope to leave a higher standard of living to your descendants? Those correspond to the creation of wealth, yes?
- ionised 8y agoIn comically simplistic terms I suppose, yes.