The Future of Work (Late, Late, Capitalism)

Wed Nov 12 00:13:31 CST 2014

"What they need is work."

That's what everybody needs, but where to find?

On Tuesday, November 11, 2014, alice malice <alicewmalice at gmail.com> wrote:

> Well, they live in the same world the rest of us live in. What they
> need is work. We shouldn't hold our breath for any national policy to
> retrain or support displaced workers, the cyclical or structural
> unemployed, underemployed, marginally attached, etc.  And, the
> narrative has been written; these folks are going to have to suffer;
> there will be lip service and talk, but no policy. We need to invest a
> lot of money in education, training, technology, infrastructure....but
> this will only get growth to 3-4% in the developed nations, and this
> only in expansions and peaks of the business cycle, on average we will
> grow at 1.5%.  The world has shifted, capital has shifted, growth is
> elsewhere, in catch-up phase Emerging Markets and in newly developing
> economies like China and India. There is nothing in Capitalism that
> will temper the inequality. In catch-up labor may temper the abuse by
> Capital, but labor is dead in the OECD. It's hopeless really. Buy
> stocks and cross your fingers. Buy the dollar. Short gold.
>
> On Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 10:25 PM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> > What US obsolete workers need depends on the real world they now inhabit.
> > What their future brethren will need depends on National policy. How
> > disposable of an older workforce we will allow as acceptable is up for
> > discussion.  That we will allow increasing stratification of income in
> the
> > US, at the peril of our civilization, seems certain.
> >
> > David Morris
> >
> >
> > On Monday, November 10, 2014, alice malice <alicewmalice at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> >>
> >> There are a lot of silly things in this argument. One is the idea that
> >> the workers with decent wages, who are replaced by technology,
> >> automation, outsource, offshore, structural and cyclical combinations
> >> need to be retrained. They don't need to be retrained.
> >>
> >>  It would be great for everyone, and I mean everyone, if we had a plan
> >> to retrain these workers, but we don't and we are noy going to see one
> >> now that the unemployment rate is headed to 5%. When the crisis was at
> >> its most painful stage, we did not see such a plan. We did have a plan
> >> like this in the 82 Reagan Recession, but those days are long trickled
> >> down the toilet of the Welfare State that Clinton & Co. dismantled
> >> (Great Society to New Deal and Labor etc.).
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>  When we look at the current state of work we see that the labor force
> >> in the US has declined and that workers age 50-60 are not returning to
> >> the workforce, and, while there is still a very small chance that they
> >> will, because they are not wealthy, not retired, not well supported by
> >> the state, and there is still a good deal of slack, that, once
> >> tightened up, with a boost of inflation, and wage inflation, will
> >> induce this group back to the workforce, but this is only a slight
> >> chance because these workers are simply too expensive for what they
> >> can produce and will prefer the current mess they are in to one that
> >> is no better but has to be earned.
> >>
> >> The old labor boss to Henry Ford argument is now obsolete. Who will
> >> buy the cars Mr. Ford?
> >>
> >> Not auto workers in Detroit. But we will produce and sell 17 million
> >> cars this year.
> >>
> >> On Mon, Nov 10, 2014 at 10:07 AM, David Morris <fqmorris at gmail.com
> <javascript:;>> wrote:
> >> >
> >> >
> http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2014/11/the-future-of-unemployment-by.html
> >> >
> >> > GE wants us to praise the awesome revolution in manufacturing that is
> >> > supposed to take place with 3D printing. Fair enough--it is rather
> >> > exciting
> >> > to consider the implications of automatically constructed on-site
> >> > objects
> >> > from houses to livers.
> >> >
> >> > But the sleight of hand here is all the people in hardhats. Notice how
> >> > all
> >> > these supposedly busy people are designing and shaping and programming
> >> > in
> >> > factory conditions, even as the voiceover talks about factories that
> >> > build
> >> > themselves. In order to show visual movement, the people have to be
> >> > given
> >> > things to do on camera--most of which, if you look carefully, involves
> >> > shifting around and setting up laptops, and the rest of which involves
> >> > mapping out and designing objects.
> >> >
> >> > In reality there will be no need for all of these people. The vast
> >> > majority
> >> > of objects will be designed off-site by a few designers, who will send
> >> > the
> >> > designs wirelessly to the printers. A few very low-wage employees will
> >> > push
> >> > whatever buttons are necessary. A few more very low-wage employees
> will
> >> > move
> >> > around or assemble the stuff the printers spit out, which will then be
> >> > shipped in self-driving trucks to a destination of choice.
> >> >
> >> > The future of work, indeed. This is the future of unemployment.
> >> >
> >> > Not that that's a bad thing, mind. The human condition is better off
> >> > with
> >> > humans not driving trucks long distances or working in dangerous
> factory
> >> > assembly lines. Technology that replaces needless human and animal
> labor
> >> > is
> >> > a good thing, and has been ever since the invention of the wheel.
> >> >
> >> > But let's not kid ourselves. The jobs are simply going to disappear,
> and
> >> > they're not going to be replaced with "design" jobs--even if those
> blue
> >> > collar workers could be retrained as designers, which they mostly
> can't
> >> > be.
> >> > Capitalism as we know it, centered around a delicate balance between
> >> > labor
> >> > and ownership, is going to start fraying at the seams before it
> >> > ultimately
> >> > breaks down. Not because of anything Karl Marx or Thomas Piketty
> >> > predict,
> >> > necessarily, but because there just won't be enough viable,
> high-paying
> >> > jobs
> >> > to sustain a customer base.
> >> -
> >> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
> -
> Pynchon-l / http://www.waste.org/mail/?list=pynchon-l
>
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