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> ... The last economic crisis contributed directly to the rise of populism over the following decade, but the next crisis will come squarely within the age of
by aazaa 7y ago
> ... The last economic crisis contributed directly to the rise of populism over the following decade, but the next crisis will come squarely within the age of populism. ...
Although the article doesn't mention it, the next recession will also likely come during a powerful wave of job losses tied to automation.
Mixing popular resentment over the last debacle in which had few consequences for those responsible with the bewildering lack of jobs is a recipe for scapegoating other countries.
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoI don’t know about anyone else but I’m tired of the “automation” doomsday predictions that don’t understand we don’t lose jobs, they just transfer with new technology. Did the cottongin end slavery? No. It make it more efficient. Did the rail system go away with national highways? No. We have much better last mile access. Have robots replaced union workers? Union membership has decreased since the 80s, but unemployment has also decreased with a lot more population. Despite computers we still have secretaries, and librarians, we have massive drilling equipment but also have miners, there are less mounted police and soldiers but despite cars horses are still around. Sailing, boats, and marine related people have jobs despite most travel being by plane. Inventing planes created more jobs than were lost, etc etc. With every disruptive tech comes opportunity and transition. People aren’t out of jobs despite automation. They’re just in different jobs. This prediction that there will be a billion people standing around with nothing to do because of robots is wildly naive of history.
- SolaceQuantum 7y agoI agree with your thrust but one caveat: "despite cars horses are still around" This is an absolutely terrible argument, because the population and societal use of horses have been greatly reduced once the automobile came into play. If we were to transfer this with people, this means that once automation comes into the play, the vast majority of working humans will be culled and those remaining are only luxury/recreational items...
- SlowRobotAhead 7y agoOk, fair enough, but read the larger context though. The people who had equestrian professions didn’t die. And there weren’t a mass of people displaced as refugees as the car became popular. It just created different jobs. Things that weren’t possible or didn’t exist before cars. It’s the same thing with “automation”. People like to pretend that one day soon everything will just be straight up replaced with robots overnight and we just won’t know what to do with ourselves. Not only isn’t that the case, it ignores the history of disruptive technology for the last 10,000 years. The root of the argument is made much better with overpopulation. But developed countries can’t be made to subsidize that - make the argument automation and maybe you can convince some people to believe in socialism.
- SolaceQuantum 7y agoActually from what I understand automation did displace certain specialty professions, such as weavers, and those people displaced generally had to take Shittier jobs or start from square one again in a new profession. That is to say, assuming there will not be upheaval as certain careers are completely ravaged is ahistorical.
- deleted 7y ago[deleted]