"was widely shared by "The Elite" for the past 10"
You mean for the last 200 years.
Mass automation has been going on since the dawn of the industrial revolution.
As long as there is value to be created, and the surpluses are distributed enough so that consumers 'want something and can pay for it' - there will be jobs.
Obviously, it's more painful for those put out of work than 'the elite' ... but employment levels have been decent for a very long time. [1]
The historical unemployment rate seems to defy the notion that 'machines are putting everyone out of work'. That can't be ignored; in fact, it demands kind of another way of looking at it.
The long history of scarcity amid plenty does deserve examination. Critical examination.
How messed up is it that people not only have to beg for the privilege of work, but that they are seen as selfish, thankless, and incompetent for doing so?
Once humanity gets this sorted out -- and it will, eventually -- the present state of affairs will be looked at with the same contempt that people in today's world have for feudalism. It will deserve every bit of it.
You mean for the last 200 years.
Mass automation has been going on since the dawn of the industrial revolution.
As long as there is value to be created, and the surpluses are distributed enough so that consumers 'want something and can pay for it' - there will be jobs.
Obviously, it's more painful for those put out of work than 'the elite' ... but employment levels have been decent for a very long time. [1]
The historical unemployment rate seems to defy the notion that 'machines are putting everyone out of work'. That can't be ignored; in fact, it demands kind of another way of looking at it.
[1] http://www.tradingeconomics.com/united-states/unemployment-r...