The Workers
One thing typical of an Industrial Society were the Workers. I am listening to histories of various revolutions in the 20th Century. The Russian, the German, the Japanese, the Chinese. In all cases the Workers were important – largely because there were so many of them, and their grievances (and those of the Peasants) could be appealed to so easily.
All of a sudden I realized, to my shock, that workers no longer existed in places like America. They were no longer needed, because there was nothing for them to do! We truly have moved into a Post-Industrial Society – without realizing it. The reason is simple in America – because it no longer does any manufacturing – and its farming is done by machinery.
In my own working life I moved from an Engineering job – where I did do some work. To a tech writing job – where, of course I wrote – but nothing I could be the least bit proud of. Like many others, I occupied a position and got a pay check, but I didn’t do anything. And I wasn’t expected to do anything.
This was considered perfectly normal, and no one gave the least thought to it. All they wanted was a job, whatever it was.
We need to consider the implications of this – which are profound. We need to consider what kind of world we want in the future. How people (of all kinds) will be employed.
But we do not do this. Instead, we studiously ignore the problem – hoping, perhaps it will go away by itself.
Do I have answer? Yes. the same on I have been harping on all along. We need to pay attention to our technologies – and the Computer in particular.
The Computer is now central to our lives – but we have no idea what it is, how it effects us, and how we can use it. It just showed up out of nowhere and we considered it a new form of entertainment. Not realizing how much it would change our lives (mostly for the worse).
Let me repeat that – mainly for the worse. And the reason for this is simple. All our technologies since the Movies (the Radio, the TV and the Computer) have been aimed at controlling us – for the benefit of a few – the few who controlled those technologies.
Behind our clever computerized devices lies a huge world devoted to one thing – control of the world. That world has little interest in providing employment – except for the select few it needs to control things.
Everyone else, the vast majority, has a dim future.
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