Ellen's Very Southern VoiceRobots won't be taking peoples' jobs. Corporate owners will be taking peoples' jobs and giving them to robots.
Can we get the wording right on this?
SufferForMe ๐And after the corporate owners give all the jobs to the robots, the only ones buying the corporate owners products or services will be... the robots? They won't be paying the robots? So who does that leave to buy the products or services?
MidniteMikeWrites@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt I suspect the robots arenโt good enough in important domains to replace workers entirely. The goal is to discipline labor and put downward pressure on average wages.
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvm1dyp9v2o
https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cyvm1dyp9v2o
which doesn't change the fact that an increasing majority barely have enough to pay rent and buy food... adding even more downward pressure on average wages at the same time as profiteering from essential utilities is simply going to mean even less people have money to buy anything but essential items (if that). Which means more companies with a diminishing customer base.
@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt on the off chance that weโre on the verge of the AI apocalypse/raptureโฆ well apparently the economy (US) increasingly doesnโt need us. The top 10% of wealthiest Americans make up half the spending.
https://www.warc.com/content/feed/top-10-of-wealthy-americans-drive-50-of-us-spending/en-GB/10380
Top 10% of wealthy Americans drive 50% of US spending | WARC | The Feed
Itโs nothing new to hear people casually say that the rich are getting richer, but it might never have been more true โ recent economic data shows that the top 10% of Americans by wealth now account for 50% of all consumer spending in the country - the effect on marketing is complex, combining an obvious need to appeal to the top end of the market while also acknowledging the risks inherent when such a small but important group are so dominant.
yep... a handful of billionaires who believe in the End of Days trying to hasten the process, taking the rest of us along for the ride whether we want to go or not
@MidniteMikeWrites @sufferforme I've wondered about this question of who's left buying when no one has jobs with decent wages anymore. I had not seen this stat on spending...
the difference in spending hides a lot of hidden facts... out of 8 billion people, very few buy yachts. A lot more buy washing machines (as an example), and the top 10% with their 50% of all spending do not buy half the washing machines, or smartphones, or computers, etc. And as those more expensive little 'luxuries' become out of reach for a growing proportion of people, these are the areas that will be hit hardest, not the yachts or private jets.
@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt This is true, but a lot of companies have begun changing their business models to cater to wealther consumers.
Home builders prioritize building luxury apartments and condos over regular ones. The game industry now agressively prioritizes live services where the functionality is designed to appeal to whales. Often alienating their user base to do so.
This isn't universal, but some compnies seem to be adapting to inequality by just pricing out poor consumers.
Louise Auerhahn ๐ณ๏ธโ๐
Hal Pomeranz@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt Debt slavery will be making a comeback
SHRINE DEITY@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt ๐๐๐๐
Schrammy@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt Indeed!
Fully automated #capitalism should also automate consumption.
First step: producer rents a consumption service, ship and destroy.
Second step: consumption service rents destruction service on the producer side. Shipping saved!
Third step: producer does not produce in the first place.
Whatโs left is money circulating endlessly and fully free. Freedom! Freedom!!1!1!
Capitalism frees itself into the nirvana of numbers.
People are free to invent something better than #capitalism.
Austrian@go_shrumm
"People are free to invent something better than #capitalism," but they won't because it's impossible.
@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
"People are free to invent something better than #capitalism," but they won't because it's impossible.
@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
Reg@praustrian @go_shrumm @sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
People are not free to invent something better than capitalism, because those with capital refuse to allow their system to be replaced with something better because they rely on the exploitative and coercive mechanisms defined by capitalism to maintain and grow their wealth.
If any nation state tries to replace capitalism regardless then they are embargoed and sanctioned until they stop.
It's corrupt.
@ReggieHere
All nation states have already chosen #statism over capitalism. That is, they have chosen something far worse than capitalism, in which people can voluntarily cooperate with each other as equals before the law.
@go_shrumm @sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
All nation states have already chosen #statism over capitalism. That is, they have chosen something far worse than capitalism, in which people can voluntarily cooperate with each other as equals before the law.
@go_shrumm @sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
@praustrian @go_shrumm @sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
You keep on insisting that capitalism involves voluntary cooperation, when we both know full well that capitalism works through monopoly, exploitation and coercion.
Why would anyone give up a large portion of the value of their labour to a parasitic class of capitalists if they weren't forced to do so?
statism here is a rather vague term and open to interpretation
statism can refer to a socialist government trying to build an economy that works for all, or as in America today, a fascist economy that only works for the few.
(โแดฅโส) แฆแแฑแพ@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt when they own everything and everyone, they won't need to sell anything. They will have no need to.
Grendel84?@sufferforme @ellenmorrisprewitt
I read a great scifi short story on this. The main character starts to notice that all his friends/neighbors that have lost jobs to AI are suddenly getting alternate forms of income. Unexpected settlements, art commissions, selling clothing designs, etc.
He discovers that it's all fake. The money is actually coming from a secret UBI that AI set up to keep the economy afloat.
Really wish I could remember the name of that story!