New York Times - December 31, 2018
Dateline: Chandler, Arizona, USA (title is clickable link)
Wielding Rocks and Knives, Arizonans Attack Self-Driving Cars
A Waymo autonomous vehicle in Chandler, Ariz., where the driverless cars have been attacked by residents on several occasions.Caitlin O'Hara for The New York Times
The following essay is a response to this event - and a
call to action for people in every industry, everywhere:
call to action for people in every industry, everywhere:
This (the Chandler self-driving car protests), needs to happen in every industry, worldwide. It needs to happen now, or we are likely, doomed.
This protest is an excellent example of peaceful protest in the footsteps of Martin Luther King, Gandhi, and countless people who created real and lasting change in the face of cruelty, greed and cultural genocide.
Automation you see - as it is being implemented now, it is a worldwide form of cultural genocide.
The problem is not technology, and we need not give up our machines, computers or other devices that improve human life and do work.
Now is the time - or it will be too
late.
We of the Anabaptist faith (you likely know of our Amish or Mennonite brethren) are not opposed to technology. However, we do believe the word work and the word life are essentially the same word.
 |
| Apprentice Electrician at Work |
If the world does not rise up against productive machines that displace workers, the results will be horrific. It will not just be catastrophic, it will likely lead human extinction from environmental changes
or there will be a thermonuclear
war.
It is almost hard to imagine, but that is going to happen soon, if we don't do something both immediate and dramatic.
Earth - a dead planet. But we can take action - and the people in Chandler are leading the way.
If you disagree, I am sorry, but you
are terribly wrong - and here Is
Why
Right now - no profit gained by employing machine labor is shared. It is hoarded by the wealthy. That is bad for us all, and potentially fatal for them. The following would be one way to address this:
Productivity gains and cost savings are shared equally and in a fair and equitable way with all employees and the community at large
Hours are reduced to reflect said productivity gains, at full pay
Jobs not created are actually filled, with the additional employees hours reducing total hours for all employees as necessary
The super-wealthy and indeed, all wealthy individuals, recognize that there is only ONE economy, ONE earth - to share with fairness and compassion between all human beings.
An economy is a simple structure when viewed from afar. It is quite literally a very complex game that is identical to the board game, Monopoly.
Sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, all money and
property will become the property of one participant.
On a global scale, this means that if you do not periodically
stop the game, reset the ownership patterns, and begin
anew, 95% of people get to do nothing but roll the dice and
hand money to the landlord or the bank or the tax.
It is the nature of monetary based currency systems.
Money, like liquid mercury or water droplets, gathers.
If you have ever played Monopoly,
you know that inevitably, sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly, all money collects in
the hands of a single person.
All money and all property works
this way
You see, monetary and property resources, just like liquid mercury or water droplets,
gathers and pools and concentrates. A natural and predictable process.
But to allow the continuation of this disparity, with all assets in the hands of a few,
hoarding their financial puddles of wealth. This is bad - limiting opportunity for the
rest of humanity.
This accumulation of wealth involves, but is not simply due to human greed. Such
phenomena occur in most complex systems whether man-made or created.
No comments:
Post a Comment
All are welcome to comment or contribute. I receive comments via email and will promptly approve and publish them.
Rational thoughts, discussions and criticism is welcome. This is an open forum.