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Comment by groundhogday3 | Hacker News Reader

> The fact remains that the bargain has changed over the last 40 years, with the bulk of the benefits of technological change not reaching workers. Now it is becoming common for even well-paid jobs to move to an assumption of no annual raise.

Tell me why should technological change benefit workers?

> Fact remains, here we are. Employers do not hesitate to take ground when they have the advantage, which is usually. Use yours while you have it.

Sure. I run my own business and I am a consultant \ freelancer. I am my own employer.

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>Tell me why should technological change benefit workers?

Technological benefits make individual workers more productive, allowing them to be exploited for more profit. If you don't understand the economics or incentive of the situation, there's no reasoning you out of a box you didn't reason yourself into.

> Technological benefits make individual workers more productive, allowing them to be exploited for more profit.

It also makes harder jobs easier and in some cases allows someone unskilled to perform a job that a only a more highly skilled person could do. Thus someone is easier to replace and thus cheaper.

> If you don't understand the economics or incentive of the situation, there's no reasoning you out of a box you didn't reason yourself into.

I understand it fine. Technological advances is a double edged sword with regards to Labour. It may create whole new industries while destroying old ones.

You are talking about people like they are commodities. That is your problem.

> Tell me why should technological change benefit workers?

Tell me why should the prior arrangement where there was what many feel was a more equitable arrangement not continue?

> I am my own employer.

Congrats. I was self-employed for over a decade, too. And none of this has anything to do with equitable employment arrangements.

> Tell me why should technological change benefit workers?

Because who else is technology for? What’s the point of having technology if it doesn’t benefit 99% of the population? What you’re describing is the plot to Elysium.

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