Post employment socialism is hard to imagine, but are you against it?

The ecosystem isn't going to take full employment.
Can you simply ignore that?
Seems like people once knew that full employment was coming to an end, but now you are like,Huh? What do you mean? Derp!

Top | Newest First | Oldest First

Ynotisay · M

Not sure it's the ecosystem as much as it is the individuals in the ecosystem. Unemployment is as low as it's been in 50 years. Some people choose to not work or can't. Others don't need to. What matters more is wealth equity. Just working today is no guarantee of any kind of quality of life.
But something like universal income will never happen. It exists no where in the world. Some countries have run small trials. The U.S. has. And right now Alaskans get paid just for living there. But it's a nominal amount. We have welfare now and that won't go away. But it won't be expanded unless necessary. So I guess I don't see where the "Socialism" comes in.

badminton · 61-69, MVIP

To keep people employed we may need to back off on job-eliminating technology.

During the great depression, the Roosevelt administration came up with the Works Progress Administration . they deliberately had WPA workers use shovels instead of backhoes so more men were needed.

CopperCicada · M

@badminton I was looking at videos of AI driven apple picking robots. The orchards are curated so that these robots on carts can roll down the trees and pick the apples. I’m not sure how that has changed staffing, but I’m sure it’s a couple of guys to gaff the robot out of a ditch or reboot the system. Not dozens picking apples.

I don’t see us ever going the other direction. To burn the apple picking robots so people can have jobs.

CopperCicada · M

The ecosystem aside— the economy itself can’t support full employment. There is going to be a class of people who are unemployable, simply due to production efficiency.

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

@CopperCicada people have known that for some time. Thanks for knowing it now.

CopperCicada · M

@Roundandroundwego I don’t think it’s been a mystery to anyone that neither the economy nor the ecology can sustain what we’re doing.

Ryderbike

What’s the premise of the question ? Where is socialism taking place?

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

@Ryderbike Murka no change. No alternatives! Murka unknow.

MistyCee

I'm trying not to ignore stuff I don't get, so here I am replying.

WTF is "post employment socialism"?

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

@MistyCee a Society where not everyone needs to work, so we provide things for people, including basic income.
We've had the technology, the climate crisis is one reason to go there.

MistyCee

@Roundandroundwego Thanks for the explanation. Basic income seems like a different question, but we've never really had close to full employment historically, unless you count housework and child rearing.

Economics is really not my thing, but I'm skeptical about basic income as a solution to overpopulation and excessive consumption.

Nevertheless, 🍿

Roundandroundwego · 61-69

@MistyCee basic income helps solve the rat race- The activities of ridiculously inefficient commerce, the pollution and community displacement caused by too much wage work- you're looking at it.
Sounds like you do fine at ignoring stuff.

This comment is hidden. Show Comment

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

@jshm2 Don't try to talk sense to this one.

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

Idgaf, honestly. Whatever works to get us out of this hole.

Add a comment...