Automation and globalization had already largely hollowed out America’s manufacturing employment base; most jobs created during this “recovery” have been in crappy low-wage work. And when one takes automation to its obvious logical end, it’s hard not to conclude that robots will soon be putting just about everyone out of a job.
The reality of this situation is chewing at the roots of American politics. The fundamental bargain of American society is that for anyone willing to hustle, there is a decent job to be found, or one that will at least prevent abject destitution. It underpins our national mythos as the land of opportunity and self-reliance. It has always been less true than anyone wanted to admit, but for an increasingly large fraction of the population — start with the 16 percent of Americans who regularly don’t have enough to eat — it’s a sick joke.
Therefore, one can easily imagine the historical process described by Marx going in reverse. In today’s labor market, where there are still twice as many job seekers as job openings, the constant conservative carping about the “dignity of work” sounds more jarring and vindictive by the day.
As someone with a nice, stimulating job, I agree that work can help people flourish. But in an economy that is flatly failing to produce enough jobs to satisfy the need, a universal basic income will start to seem more plausible — even necessary.
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