Comments on: They Took Our Jobs!

By: DL

DL — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 06:46:33 +0000

I recall reading something a few years back where in japan a union rep was forced upon a company that was composed of 100% robot workers.

By: Tlaloc

Tlaloc — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:20:31 +0000

I was replying to this:

But he’s right that the outcry seems to be small compared to the raging against migrant human workers.

By: Doug Mataconis

Doug Mataconis — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 22:01:02 +0000

Tlaloc,

Watch the video before commenting, Carey is talking about NAFTA not immigration.

By: Tlaloc

Tlaloc — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:20:39 +0000

As a side note there is some meaningful difference between a job becoming obsolete due to changes in technology, and the job being given to someone else for the sole reason that that other person enjoys no protections under the law and can therefore be abused by the employer at will.

The former can be regarded as a morally neutral tragedy. The latter is pretty distinctly evil.

By: Tlaloc

Tlaloc — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 20:17:57 +0000

Carey says nobody’s complaining about this, although I’m not sure it’s true.

No it's not even remotely true given that complaints about automation putting people out of work go at least as far back as the Luddites in the 1810s.