With the belief that we get what we focus on, I’ve often argued that the bulk of politicians and the middle class have the wrong perspective on jobs. “Jobs” is always stated as the end and never the means, and I disagree.
I believe the end goal of an individual in our society shouldn’t be a job, but rather productivity. It should be about what someone can actually do for a paycheck, not just if they get one.
Productivity used to be about “brawn”, but it has shifted more to “brain” over the last quarter-century, and those in the workforce who haven’t adapted to this have been left behind. This is what I believe is the biggest reason for income disparity in the country today – many have simply not adapted to having the “brains” necessary to compete and get ahead in Western society.
These “brains”, however, may no longer be enough for the next quarter-century, as this article in The Economist this morning explains:
“The evidence is irrefutable that computerised automation, networks and artificial intelligence (AI)—including machine-learning, language-translation, and speech- and pattern-recognition software—are beginning to render many jobs simply obsolete.”
Thank evolution, people. Now here’s the million dollar question – does someone see this as an opportunity, or as a threat? For me, I see it as an opportunity – a look to the future that shows where and what the jobs will be. Personally, I’m thankful for the heads up.
Can I make it there to capitalize on this shift? Sure I can. Our country still provides the means to capitalize on any future no matter what ones’ current life conditions are. This is a clear, proven fact that OWS fails to acknowledge but then again, those with a victim mentality always do. Their worldview makes them believe that AI will be taking their job “away”, that this is somehow unfair. How is it unfair when we’ve got a brain to see these changes coming? My belief is that in nature things always die off. Therefore no one has taken my job “away”, my skills have simply outlived their usefulness. They have a shelf-life just like anything does. Not so hard to agree to, is it?
Perhaps their argument then is that even if we see these changes coming and acknowledge that things die off, the game is so rigged that we can’t adapt or capitalize on them to stay ahead. I’m not buying that one, either.
Do I think the game is rigged? Sure, but not to the extent that OWS wants to believe it is. Here’s why: despite government, despite the economy, despite everything, there are still more millionaires being created out of the middle and lower class now than ever before. If the game were truly so rigged, this simply would not be happening.
They can achieve this because the lower class and middle class still have choices and means to achieve a place in the upper class. Whether they have as many choices or as much means as they used to is debatable, but nevertheless the choices and means still exist and there’s not anyone who doesn’t have access to them.
Put more simply, from the perspective of a “job” anyone in America of sound body and mind has the ability to adapt and grow to either get a job or create one, and avoid their obsolescence or demise. It simply is a matter of choice – just ask anyone poor who has done it.
And to those who might say I’m up on some elitist perch somewhere, you’re wrong – I’m down in the trenches. I work in the consulting industry. Wikipedia made much of my job obsolete – information that my industry used to charge a lot of money for is now free. AI will make it even more obsolete in the very near future.
I have a choice: I can either choose to try and hold on to the way things used to be because of pride and the feelings of familiarity and safety as well, or I can “humble up” and “wise up” and realize that I need to change if I want to survive – even if that means me changing careers, losing everything, and starting completely over.
What I love about this country, and why I fundamentally disagree with OWS, is because in spite of everything it still presents the best opportunity for me to adapt, grow, and succeed more than any other country on the planet provides me. Not only does it give me the most options and the most opportunity, but it also gives me the greatest ability to choose from both. Even the country I come from – Canada – for all its similarities, does not have this to anywhere near the same degree. It to me is what truly makes America great.
With populations growing and the world changing, the laws of nature alone should make anyone realize that the safety nets we once had will soon be gone. If one wants to stash their brain for the ride to the bottom then the OWS “victim” mindset is the way to do it. If they want to cry about it, there’s always Zucotti Park.
With the way everything’s changing, OWS and Zucotti may in fact be the last refuge these SPATs or anyone who refuses to adapt will have.