All Here on Board With Boycotting Self Checkout Kiosks ?

[Krugminator2]

Of course it's the point.

Automate everything and what do suppose billions of people are gonna do?

Twiddle their thumbs until they die?

No, they're going to demand you pay them to exist.

I don't have a for certain answer but:

Everything won't be automated. If it were that would be a good thing. It would mean almost all material wants would be taken care of at little cost. Massive wealth would be created and it would free people up to do creative tasks which AI will not be able to do in anyone here's lifetime.

I strongly suspect "the AI will do everything and make humans obsolete) worries are just like every worry like global warming, the debt, Y2K, killer bees, shark attacks, etc. That said I do think education needs to do a better job of preparing people for skills like coding and problem solving. As far as people on the low end of the IQ spectrum, they have always struggled. I don't see why unnecessary jobs should be saved.

There might be some initial struggle, but I have come to the conclusion (could be wrong) that people won't lead meaningless lives doing drugs and collecting UBI. I think people will adapt because they always have and will need to.

[ATruepatriot]

Done....

[ATruepatriot]

There are usually at least 4 self-check out stalls in an area where you can normally only fit 2 checkout lines. Sometimes there are 6. So the lines move 2-3 times as fast. But typically, there are empty stalls at the self-checkout and lines at the regular checkout.

One thing you can't do at self-checkout is buy alcohol, so some types of transactions are relegated to the regular checkout lines.

And half of those don't work right half the time and you have to wait for human help anyways just to pay for two items.

[nikcers]

I like the premise but it would be like getting people to boycott facebook. People don't like human interactions, being made uncomfortable, or pretending to be nice. I was just thinking about this the other day and I told someone that I think two grocery store chains that closed down recently in my city closed down because they didn't have self checkout.

[kcchiefs6465]

I think we should take it a step further and boycott self service gas stations, traffic lights, and the sun.

We'd all be wealthy with enough redundant labor.

[Swordsmyth]

That's impossible. There is an infinite amount of jobs to do. No matter how many are done by robots, there will always be plenty of ways that human beings can apply their labor to the improvement of the world.

Even if all of our basic needs were provided to us by a robot work force, and a great deal of luxuries on top of those needs, without any of us having to do anything to get any of this great wealth that's being simply given to us for free, that would just free us up for any one countless other tasks, including new ones we've never dreamed of.

That's fantasy, not only are robots supposedly going to become capable of doing anything a human can do (one point in your favor is that I don't believe that) but even if they don't they can put everybody out of work who doesn't posses the skills to do the things they can't.

The elites know what they are pushing for, they want to reduce their need for the rest of us enough that they can eliminate all but 500,000,000 of us so that a smaller herd is easier to control.

[Swordsmyth]

I don't have a for certain answer but:

Everything won't be automated. If it were that would be a good thing. It would mean almost all material wants would be taken care of at little cost. Massive wealth would be created and it would free people up to do creative tasks which AI will not be able to do in anyone here's lifetime.

I strongly suspect "the AI will do everything and make humans obsolete) worries are just like every worry like global warming, the debt, Y2K, killer bees, shark attacks, etc. That said I do think education needs to do a better job of preparing people for skills like coding and problem solving. As far as people on the low end of the IQ spectrum, they have always struggled. I don't see why unnecessary jobs should be saved.

There might be some initial struggle, but I have come to the conclusion (could be wrong) that people won't lead meaningless lives doing drugs and collecting UBI. I think people will adapt because they always have and will need to.

Who will own the machines?
Why would they need to produce enough for the rest of humanity that they no longer need for anything?

Not everybody is creative and there is a limit to the need for creativity, those in excess of the need for creativity or incapable of it will either be eliminated or recruited as jack-booted thugs.

A world fully automated by the elites will be a world where most of the vastly reduced population will be cops and soldiers to ride herd on the few little people who still have productive jobs.

[Swordsmyth]

You want taxpayer funded UBI?

Because this is how you get taxpayer funded UBI...

And then the UBI recipients are told they have to become Junior G-Men to keep getting it.

[TheCount]

a car represents no lost job

What?

The car killed off local businesses. How far do you drive to get to a grocery store?

[heavenlyboy34]

This is all nonsense.

It's impossible to automate *everything*. There's always going to be infinitely more to do.

But if we did automate what you consider to be everything, then all of us being paid to exist is exactly what that would entail, and no government involvement would even be needed. Our basic needs would all be met by the automated everything. We wouldn't work to provide our basic needs, we would work to improve the world above and beyond that, or at least we who wanted to would do that, and those who didn't want to wouldn't have to.

This^^ The only things that can be meaningfully automated are unskilled labor. The demand for *skilled* labor is infinite and always will be-including repairing the machines that do automated tasks.

[heavenlyboy34]

I think we should take it a step further and boycott self service gas stations, traffic lights, and the sun.

We'd all be wealthy with enough redundant labor.

http://bastiat.org/en/petition.html

[donnay]

What?

The car killed off local businesses. How far do you drive to get to a grocery store?

10 miles for me.

[Swordsmyth]

This^^ The only things that can be meaningfully automated are unskilled labor. The demand for *skilled* labor is infinite and always will be-including repairing the machines that do automated tasks.

And what will all the unskilled people do?

They will be eliminated or used as jackbooted thugs to control the skilled people.

[oyarde]

Well the poll is at 69 percent Boycott and 8 percent Nobody should have to work , Hillary voter . Looks like the science is settled , the insignificant 23 percent holding things up .

[heavenlyboy34]

And what will all the unskilled people do?

They will be eliminated or used as jackbooted thugs to control the skilled people.

In a free society, they would learn a skill. It's very cheap to learn skills at community colleges, community centers, etc. Kind of like how literally everyone who works has to retool their skill sets during paradigm shifts that are inevitable as time goes on.

[Swordsmyth]

In a free society, they would learn a skill. It's very cheap to learn skills at community colleges, community centers, etc. Kind of like how literally everyone who works has to retool their skill sets during paradigm shifts that are inevitable as time goes on.

Some people are simply unskilled just as some people are simply stupid or simply weak and you can't change them.
"Learn to code" doesn't cut it.

And no previous paradigm shift has completely eliminated the unskilled labor market.

[Anti Federalist]

I don't have a for certain answer but:

Everything won't be automated. If it were that would be a good thing. It would mean almost all material wants would be taken care of at little cost.

Massive wealth would be created and it would free people up to do creative tasks which AI will not be able to do in anyone here's lifetime.

I strongly suspect "the AI will do everything and make humans obsolete) worries are just like every worry like global warming, the debt, Y2K, killer bees, shark attacks, etc. That said I do think education needs to do a better job of preparing people for skills like coding and problem solving. As far as people on the low end of the IQ spectrum, they have always struggled. I don't see why unnecessary jobs should be saved.

There might be some initial struggle, but I have come to the conclusion (could be wrong) that people won't lead meaningless lives doing drugs and collecting UBI. I think people will adapt because they always have and will need to.

I think you are wrong.

Based on the Idiocracy all around us, with more information and knowledge ever before in mankind's history, and the enstupidation continues.

[specsaregood]

I'll happily use a self-checkout rather than wait in line behind one of those save the world $#@!s with 10 reuseable bags to meticulously fill.

[Dr.3D]

Seems like, if everybody boycotted the self check systems, the store would hire more humans to do the job, and then raise the prices on everything in the store to make up the difference.

As I remember, there was a time when you could go to the fuel station and get a discount if you didn't use the full service pumps.

Maybe they need to just give folks a discount for using the self check machines.

[Superfluous Man]

http://bastiat.org/en/petition.html

Great essay.

Everybody here taking the position that automation costs us jobs needs to read it.

[heavenlyboy34]

Great essay.

Everybody here taking the position that automation costs us jobs needs to read it.

Thanks! You remind me-just so that nobody here has an excuse *not* to read/learn it, here is a link to an audio version.

[NorthCarolinaLiberty]

I use self-checkout to steal from the store. It sure beats shoplifting.

[Stratovarious]

What?

The car killed off local businesses. How far do you drive to get to a grocery store?

Sorry, we shopped at the same local stores, just drove.

[nikcers]

Sorry, we shopped at the same local stores, just drove.

Yeah but all of those horse breeders and horses lost their job. Instead of broken down cars on the side of the road there were dead horses. What about the people who towed away all the dead horses?

[Stratovarious]

Yeah but all of those horse breeders and horses lost their job. Instead of broken down cars on the side of the road there were dead horses. What about the people who towed away all the dead horses?

Yea , I remember that , that was back in 1910 or so, they had to kill the owners of the horses too,
the Blacksmiths all turned into cannibals, hay was outlawed, if you look around , you'll notice that
horses are actually extinct today as a result.

[Stratovarious]

If you look at most of the posters that think robots beat 'sliced bread', and people
don't need jobs , you may notice
that they are the same members that populate the pro Open Borders posts,
that I'm sure, is just a coincidence.

[dannno]

If you look at most of the posters that think robots beat 'sliced bread', and people
don't need jobs , you may notice
that they are the same members that populate the pro Open Borders posts,
that I'm sure, is just a coincidence.

I like to use extreme examples sometimes to get the point across, so how about this..

Automation does such a great job providing for everybody, that the people who own the robots are really wealthy.

They don't like cutting their own toe nails and finger nails, and that can't be automated.

So they hire somebody to cut their toe nails and fingernails, and because automation has made everything so cheap, they pay them a wage that will allow them to live for 1 month.

So the unskilled laborer clips 12 people's toe nails and fingernails, and they have enough money to live for a year.

Rich people also like massages. Turns out, if you give a massage to a rich person who owns the robots, they will pay you enough to live for 3 months. So they can give 4 massages a year and have enough money to get by.

If you want to go on nice vacations or cruises, you can do more massages or toe nail clippings.

Then there is entertainment and such.

That, at the extreme end, is what society is heading toward with automation.

[Danke]

"Rich people also like massages. Turns out, if you give a massage to a rich person who owns the robots, they will pay you enough to live for 3 months. So they can give 4 massages a year and have enough money to get by."

I don't have a robot, but with the massages I get, I feed a lot of gals when I go to Asia.

[nikcers]

I like to use extreme examples sometimes to get the point across, so how about this..

Automation does such a great job providing for everybody, that the people who own the robots are really wealthy.

They don't like cutting their own toe nails and finger nails, and that can't be automated.

So they hire somebody to cut their toe nails and fingernails, and because automation has made everything so cheap, they pay them a wage that will allow them to live for 1 month.

So the unskilled laborer clips 12 people's toe nails and fingernails, and they have enough money to live for a year.

Rich people also like massages. Turns out, if you give a massage to a rich person who owns the robots, they will pay you enough to live for 3 months. So they can give 4 massages a year and have enough money to get by.

If you want to go on nice vacations or cruises, you can do more massages or toe nail clippings.

Then there is entertainment and such.

That, at the extreme end, is what society is heading toward with automation.

I tend to fall on the side of belief that it will take all of humanity working together to get off this rock before it resets us again. I don't see robots changing that at all.

[Stratovarious]

I like to use extreme examples sometimes to get the point across, so how about this..

Automation does such a great job providing for everybody, that the people who own the robots are really wealthy.

They don't like cutting their own toe nails and finger nails, and that can't be automated.

So they hire somebody to cut their toe nails and fingernails, and because automation has made everything so cheap, they pay them a wage that will allow them to live for 1 month.

So the unskilled laborer clips 12 people's toe nails and fingernails, and they have enough money to live for a year.

Rich people also like massages. Turns out, if you give a massage to a rich person who owns the robots, they will pay you enough to live for 3 months. So they can give 4 massages a year and have enough money to get by.

If you want to go on nice vacations or cruises, you can do more massages or toe nail clippings.

Then there is entertainment and such.

That, at the extreme end, is what society is heading toward with automation.

Ca is moving to ban toenail clippings and unvaccinated toenails still attached to said toes,
they claim that thousands of Siberian Dolphins are choking on them and dying from
communicable disease carried by microbes imbedded throughout the 'nails', toes are also
on the radar, unless they are Robot Toes.