[kefka]

And why people are so scared about automation even here is:

They know our current way of splitting up wealth and resources is not sustainable. Capitalism itself calls for lowering costs and beating "opposition's prices". This in turn leads to a downward spiral.

Automation is inevitable. And that itself is not a bad thing. What is bad, are the people it displaces, and the resulting lack of money to pay for rent/utilities/necessities/extras. People in the US are still scared by the socialist and communist boogeyman, in that they won't look at those systems and ideas as tools.

So yes. Automation+capitalism = poor.