Blue Collar Workers Getting Replaced With Machines

^^ Until they're replaced by robotic maids and butlers :D

edited 10th Jun '11 11:48:57 AM by nightwyrm_zero

Sounds like a harem anime. Though to be honest, I probably would pay for a human butler or maid over a robot after a while if only to have someone to talk to.

Urgh. I'd sooner eat my own hand than employ a butler.

Did you know, we actually have virtual pop stars now? Vocaloids. They sound like shit, but people love 'em. And they have live concerts. Only a matter of time before Justin Bieber is obsolete.

edited 10th Jun '11 11:51:44 AM by Tzetze

I certainly wouldn't employ a human over a robot.

Of either robotic or human variety. I don't WANT something constantly in my house.

Could compromise and get a cyborg butler/maid.

I'm gettting Player Piano flashbacks in here.

Only 80% of Americans have High School Diplomas or GE Ds. I think getting that number up might help.

Now, I could see a potential industry in things that are purposely done in an inefficent manner.

People would probably pay for "hand picked apples" that cost significantly more than "robot picked apples". The trick is setting things up as luxury goods.

True, but luxury goods (by their very nature) cannot sustain an economy.

Amusingly, agricultural labor was the biggest employer for many decades. Then it became feasible to produce enough food without so many workers, so they moved to the cities and factories and now...maybe we'll move them back.

I guess it's better than the burial tombs.

There's always the sex industry. Nobody every gets enough of it and most people don't want to hump robots (although some do, CLANG, CLANG, CLANG).

The fact is we don't NEED as many people as we do. Just lessen the amount of kids you have and it should work out fine .

Which perpetuates a downward spiral of demand.

There's a German man in Rome with a bunch of consonants after his name you should have a chat with.

People will still want STUFF, its just that the stuff will have to be more varied.

And having a large population involved in just digging ditches for no good reason isn't really helping.

And having a large percentage of the population idle, with no way to meet their needs is better?

See, it's not about one solution being good, but about a real problem.

No, Hence why I recommended retraining. Which although not a cureall is still more helpful.

And well... I don't really see HOW to solve this. I would like to hope that there are people a great deal smarter and better educated than me working on this atm.

Retraining is only more helpful if it accomplishes enough of value. If it doesn't, then you're just wasting more time and effort.

And keep hoping, this problem has been argued over for decades.

edited 10th Jun '11 12:24:13 PM by blueharp

I love how things becoming cheaper and easier to do is a problem.

Well, once you've averted natural selection, then what the hell are you supposed to do?

edited 10th Jun '11 12:33:14 PM by Usht

And?

Blasted ninjas. That was addressed to "Which perpetuates a downward spiral of demand."

edited 10th Jun '11 12:26:21 PM by Deboss

It becomes self-perpetuating, making things worse and worse.

Blueharp, deboss won't actually care about that. He cares about two things. Himself, and "science".

And I think that you chorteling at a serious problem by going "good luck" marks you out as not actually being all that useful as someone to talk to about this.

Sorry, but sometimes I feel it's just not worth talking. Case in point, Deboss above. Best to just wish somebody good luck and move on.

It'd be one thing if we weren't just B Sing on the Internet, but this interaction is so far divorced from any actual accomplishment that I just don't worry about it.

That, and if I weren't laughing, I'd be crying.

edited 10th Jun '11 12:43:51 PM by blueharp

Sorry, what does this have to do with evolutionary theory?