The way I understand it, job displacement is the main driving factor behind economic growth. Some jobs have been automated, but most have simply become more efficient to the point that the demand curve no longer warrants most workers.
I have this vivid memory of walking through a market in a Peruvian town. All off those sounds, smells and impressions would probably disappear I thought, to be sterilized and concentrated into a supermarket, and most of the labor lost. There were skillfully painted murals on the walls. "Vota por John Doe para Alcalde". Labor being cheap, it might make sense to enlist a veritable army of specialized painters for each and every election cycle, but they should just have posters printed for much less effort, I thought.
This is when the realization hit me. I knew now what capitalism meant and I felt so wrong for romanticizing life in less developed countries. If we want an increase in wealth, we need an increase in productivity. If we want an increase in productivity, we need continuous job displacement, for ever.
I have this vivid memory of walking through a market in a Peruvian town. All off those sounds, smells and impressions would probably disappear I thought, to be sterilized and concentrated into a supermarket, and most of the labor lost. There were skillfully painted murals on the walls. "Vota por John Doe para Alcalde". Labor being cheap, it might make sense to enlist a veritable army of specialized painters for each and every election cycle, but they should just have posters printed for much less effort, I thought.
This is when the realization hit me. I knew now what capitalism meant and I felt so wrong for romanticizing life in less developed countries. If we want an increase in wealth, we need an increase in productivity. If we want an increase in productivity, we need continuous job displacement, for ever.