4 ms·

Well you got me. I guess chimney sweeps and black smiths and loom weavers and carriage drivers still exist too, not sure about steeplejacks since the passing of

Well you got me. I guess chimney sweeps and black smiths and loom weavers and carriage drivers still exist too, not sure about steeplejacks since the passing of Fred Dibnah. But you get what I'm trying to say, hopefully.

fingerlocks 4y ago
You included “cobbler” only because it sounds old-timey to you, and I was pointing out that it’s not. Repairing expensive shoes is not an automated process. It’s more like fixing a roof leak, landscaping, or changing a flat tire. Jobs for those things still exist and aren’t going anywhere.
- throwawaylinux 4y ago
  No I included it because it used to be a common profession and now it is an extremely niche one. I could have also put chimney sweep in there knowing that it's still a thing. Someone is still going to pay for a person to perform or create art for them. Some professional driving jobs will continue to exist long after most are automated. When I said "nobody", that's what's known as hyperbole.
- osullip 4y ago
  And people who have open fires often use the services of a chimney sweep. It's how you keep your chimney clean. https://melbournechimneysweeping.com.au/ https://melbournechimneysweeping.com.au/ is one near me. Not wanting to pile on the GP but their point is moot.
  - throwawaylinux 4y ago
    I said chimney sweeps still exist, so your point is redundant.
- chucksmash 4y ago
  You're nitpicking one of the given examples without engaging the user on the point they were trying to make. To be nuanced, maybe they might have said, "cobblers are less in demand now that many people have moved from owning fewer pairs of shoes they make last through repair to owning more pairs of shoes that they tend to get rid of when they are worn out due to changes in construction materials used in production," but if people have to write like that to make points, nobody will ever make a point.
  - fingerlocks 4y ago
    Yes, I nitpicked because OP was speaking in absolutes. The larger point that “technology destroys jobs” is not novel or interesting. But to know that these jobs still exist, and might be more common than you realize, now that’s interesting!
    - throwawaylinux 4y ago
      > Yes, I nitpicked because OP was speaking in absolutes. The larger point that “technology destroys jobs” is not novel or interesting. That wasn't the larger point. And if that was your issue, why didn't you ask about it so I could have explained it to you better? The point was that art as a profession and a commercial venture is not special or different from any other industry with respect to automation.
  - galdosdi 4y ago
    It's a nitpick, but a little bigger than that. It's as bad as including "bus driver" in the list. Cobblers just shouldn't be included in the category at all. Cobblers are in just as much demand in most of the world as they always have been. They only fell out of demand in car-dependent areas, which is a small minority of the world population (but a vast majority of the HN commenting population since most of the USA outside of a few cities is car dependent) I don't know if it has anything to do with construction but doubt it. If you actually walk everywhere shoes don't last very long these days, especially shoes under $100. There are a lot of other urban services that exist in almost the entire populated world, but that most Americans think quaint because they are not relevant to a car dependent highway world. All that said, this really is a nitpick and the original point stands very well. Some of us just don't like it when car-dependent people forget that they are a small minority worldwide and instead treat urban walkable people as the insignificant minority! Or rather, HN being a forum for all things interesting, we find it interesting to make it a teachable moment. What could be more interesting than finding out that something that has always seemed obvious to you is actually backwards?
    - chucksmash 4y ago

fingerlocks 4y ago

You included “cobbler” only because it sounds old-timey to you, and I was pointing out that it’s not. Repairing expensive shoes is not an automated process. It’s more like fixing a roof leak, landscaping, or changing a flat tire. Jobs for those things still exist and aren’t going anywhere.

throwawaylinux 4y ago
No I included it because it used to be a common profession and now it is an extremely niche one. I could have also put chimney sweep in there knowing that it's still a thing. Someone is still going to pay for a person to perform or create art for them. Some professional driving jobs will continue to exist long after most are automated. When I said "nobody", that's what's known as hyperbole.
osullip 4y ago
And people who have open fires often use the services of a chimney sweep. It's how you keep your chimney clean. https://melbournechimneysweeping.com.au/ https://melbournechimneysweeping.com.au/ is one near me. Not wanting to pile on the GP but their point is moot.
- throwawaylinux 4y ago
  I said chimney sweeps still exist, so your point is redundant.
chucksmash 4y ago
You're nitpicking one of the given examples without engaging the user on the point they were trying to make. To be nuanced, maybe they might have said, "cobblers are less in demand now that many people have moved from owning fewer pairs of shoes they make last through repair to owning more pairs of shoes that they tend to get rid of when they are worn out due to changes in construction materials used in production," but if people have to write like that to make points, nobody will ever make a point.
- fingerlocks 4y ago
  Yes, I nitpicked because OP was speaking in absolutes. The larger point that “technology destroys jobs” is not novel or interesting. But to know that these jobs still exist, and might be more common than you realize, now that’s interesting!
  - throwawaylinux 4y ago
    > Yes, I nitpicked because OP was speaking in absolutes. The larger point that “technology destroys jobs” is not novel or interesting. That wasn't the larger point. And if that was your issue, why didn't you ask about it so I could have explained it to you better? The point was that art as a profession and a commercial venture is not special or different from any other industry with respect to automation.
- galdosdi 4y ago
  It's a nitpick, but a little bigger than that. It's as bad as including "bus driver" in the list. Cobblers just shouldn't be included in the category at all. Cobblers are in just as much demand in most of the world as they always have been. They only fell out of demand in car-dependent areas, which is a small minority of the world population (but a vast majority of the HN commenting population since most of the USA outside of a few cities is car dependent) I don't know if it has anything to do with construction but doubt it. If you actually walk everywhere shoes don't last very long these days, especially shoes under $100. There are a lot of other urban services that exist in almost the entire populated world, but that most Americans think quaint because they are not relevant to a car dependent highway world. All that said, this really is a nitpick and the original point stands very well. Some of us just don't like it when car-dependent people forget that they are a small minority worldwide and instead treat urban walkable people as the insignificant minority! Or rather, HN being a forum for all things interesting, we find it interesting to make it a teachable moment. What could be more interesting than finding out that something that has always seemed obvious to you is actually backwards?
  - chucksmash 4y ago