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From: mjk@tty3b.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.politics
Subject: Robots and Employment
Message-ID: <142@tty3b.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 24-Jun-83 18:32:41 EDT
Article-I.D.: tty3b.142
Posted: Fri Jun 24 18:32:41 1983
Date-Received: Tue, 28-Jun-83 10:16:25 EDT
Lines: 33

The major question regarding industrial technology seems to me to be "Who
controls it?"  The Marxist question "Cui Bono?" (``Who gets the goods?'')
seems to very frequently illuminate seemingly innocent or unrelated
events.

And if anyone doubts that it is the captains of industry, the managers,
who call the shots, I'd suggest they aren't living in the same nation I am.
Workers, with very rare exceptions, have no input at all.  They just get
pink slips one day.  Of course, the promises are that there will be more
jobs -- some day.  And that there will be retraining programs -- some day.
But profits increase -- today.  Whose profits?  Well, those who decided
when, where and how to install the technology.  Cui Bono?

I think that some industrial and office technology can be good.  Many
industrial jobs are dehumanizing and unrewarding.  But let's not be fooled
by all the rhetoric.  No one is installing office or factory automation
to relieve the workers from their dehumanizing jobs.  And this "trust this
market" is just so much hocus-pocus: tell the 10 million people unemployed
today that the market will solve their problems someday and they'll tell you
they've got rent to pay tomorrow and groceries to buy the day after that.
And I think that all the subscribers to this newsgroup are informed enough
to know that the idea that all the steel workers are going to be programming
computers is just so much BS.  It's cruel to see them go through the training
programs and then find, once again, no jobs waiting.  There are over 200,000
automobile workers unemployed.  Does anyone think there are 200,000 computer
programming jobs waiting for them?

When the benefits of technology are used to truly improve job quality and
the priority is full employment, then I'll believe in robotics.  Until then,
I just keep asking, "Cui Bono?"

Mike Kelly
tty3b!mjk