[onlyrealcuzzo]

> Cynic in me thinks that all of the wealth generated by enormous productivity gains resulting from automation will not find its way towards population displaced by it.

Empirically, that's not true.

Unemployment was at an all-time low after most of those jobs were eliminated, and wages after adjusting for inflation continued to rise in real terms.

[VincentEvans]

I am inclined to doubt the sources of these empirical observations. Statistics are funny like that, “average patient temperature in the hospital” effect and frequent inability to correctly attribute confounding factors outside of observed window.

Equally bad is anecdotal evidence, but I’ll drop some anyway. For a while now I am observing a crisis thats, admittedly subjectively, easy to see - but is somehow absent in those empirical sources citing economic accomplishments. An indirect evidence of what I am talking about - is crushing defeat of democrats/establishment in last election, following among other reasons, quite a backlash for boasting about said accomplishments.

But rather than picking issue with one of my points - I still would like someone to describe the counterpoint to my dystopian expectations - where, for example, would all those professional drivers I mentioned earlier go?

Ps. Oh speaking of statistics - remember Greenspan’s “there’s no real estate bubble, there’s froth in individual markets” right before 2008 financial crisis? It be funny like that, sometimes much derided common sense is all you need /shrug.

[onlyrealcuzzo]

> where, for example, would all those professional drivers I mentioned earlier go?

Wherever all the cashiers, toll booth operators, and farmers went after automation took their jobs.

New jobs are created, the people displaced have to migrate to them.

Is it fun for them? No.

Is it how the world works? Yes.

Technology thus far has a VERY VERY long and established role of creating more jobs than it eliminates.

See >95% of the population being employed in agriculture for tens of thousands of years and being reduced to about 5% over the course of 100 years (and civilization being FAR FAR better off for it).

Will that trend one day end? Probably.

Will it be doomsday for the plebs? Who knows.

Is it happening within a timeframe worth worrying about? Unlikely.