[darkpuma]

In for the penny, in for the pound? Nobody is a saint so you may as well double down on sin? Interesting philosophy. I'd rather people be morally inconsistent and do less harm than do more harm in the pursuit of moral consistency.

[drawnwren]

Pretty sure the point was that almost everything was an optimization that used humans at some point.

A weird moral compass that had you not using technology that replaced menial labor would be actually impossible in any (even ancient) society.

[mypalmike]

You're mistaking the argument being made, which is really about recognizing ones own moral inconsistencies instead of claiming moral high ground over others where there is none to be had.

A tech worker who claims to value a cashier's job over their own convenience is basically gorging on two large deluxe pizzas while criticizing others for eating an olive.

Just look around you. Pick just about anything. A wall. A refrigerator. Your shoes. A spice jar. They all have stories to tell about automation and job loss.

[darkpuma]

Go ahead and automate away every job you see, but don't say I didn't warn you when anti-tech pogroms take your head. The public perception of this industry has been taking a nose dive for a few years now and stuff like this, attitudes like yours, only reinforces it.

[Nasrudith]

And any mobs stupid enough to pogrom will be shot and deserve it for being literal murders, any society to condone it will richly deserve its downfall from superior rivals.

It was stupid scapegoating in the past and it is even stupider now. Notice specifically that scapegoating is specifically at who is weak and at hand - not actual sources of problems.

[darkpuma]

Anger the general public at your own peril. The elite always believe themselves invulnerable, until they find it proven otherwise.

[mazesc]

It's a bit ridiculous making such a non-differentiating statement claiming to be against automation when that is a lot of what the digital revolution is about in the first place. No less on hacker news, which is one of the hubs to talk about the digital revolution.