I've thought this for years. Automation makes people redundant and you end up with people who consume but produce nothing. Those people are labelled as 'poor'

I've thought this for years. Automation makes people redundant and you end up with people who consume but produce nothing. Those people are labelled as 'poor' as they are given minimal cash to survive on as they have no value to add to mainstream society. If you increase automation and drop the retirement age in most countries to shorten the workforce and allow people to exist comfortably after retirement, I reckon you'd solve both ends of the problem i.e. less "poor" people and more people doing something constructive. Smashing looms however doesn't do anything other than commit more people to slavery and poverty.