[cc101]

There might be some help in thinking about the fate of craftsmen during the rise of mass production. Consumers bought the new cheap manufactured goods because it greatly improved their lives, but craftsmen were left to find some way to survive. The Arts and Crafts movement was society's attempt to counteract soulless consumer junk with high quality hand-crafted work produced by out-of-work craftsmen.

However, Arts and Crafts pieces were so expensive that only the well off could afford them. The market for such work was small and didn't support that many craftsmen. It would be worthwhile to thoughtfully read some of the history of the movement because the analogy is quite deep. Successful application of the analogy, however, would not be straight forward.