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I work in ML and AI and I strongly believe that reduced hours, wfh and universal basic income are needed. All new technologies can help us living a better life, it doesn't make sense using them to build a worst society
All new technologies can help us living a better life, it doesn’t make sense using them to build a worst society
It does if all you care about is short-term profit. Gotta make them stockholders happy before they bail.
Luddites weren't stupid for the problems they noticed. They were stupid for not taking the fight directly to those in power. Fighting for a better status quo should never have to involve directly attacking a company. In fact, change can happen without targeting any specific company. Leave that to specific workers and unions.
The solution is to empower workers so it's not the worker themselves who has to bust kneecaps just to get paid... Destroying specific companies does less than nothing. Attacking technology does nothing but set it back. Destroying machinery pays no one
It paints workers as unjustly entitled and uppity, just like when protests turn in to riots. Does a riot mean the protest stood for nothing? No! Does the riot make many people assume the protest stood for nothing? Yes. Pick your targets wisely. More wisely than Luddites of the past.
I've been looking at ways to leverage open source technology to enable local economies. I'm starting with working with maker spaces
can you elaborate further? you got my curiosity and attention.
There's no reason we couldn't have an Amazon-like app that buys from the stores around us.
Or services like door dash/Uber/etc that are managed inside the community with tools shared with other communities.
It is an idea that would pair well with locally managed fiber (municipal or local business), and community clouds.
I'm starting with makerspaces, but I could see it operating without them too.
I've written about it: https://medium.com/tech-stoa/the-smoltech-answer-featuring-worcshop-806d8306eae
Excellent piece!
I've been thinking about it & you've convinced me (or hammered it harder in place in my brain): We need makerspaces globally.
Âll local, obviously.
To do: search or create makerspaces in the Western US.
The video for my talk was published recently. The video quality is terrible, and I definitely need more experience with public speaking, but I think it went pretty well.
Thank you!
I'm currently working on preparing for a talk I'm given on the topic for the Massachusetts Pirate party on Saturday.
I work in software, and I used to look down on luddites. Then I learned what they actually stood for and now I agree with them.
/* they took sledgehammers to the mechanized looms used to exploit them whenever those looms were owned by employers who were felt to be exploitative of their employees.
The interesting thing is how one defines exploitative. I've seen ex-mining communities where the population moved in and grew with the industry but, since the mines closed, many had stayed in place eking by on very meager state benefits, and not traveled to find work as their forebears had. To be abundantly clear: I'm not making any judgement of right or wrong, I'm just suggesting that (at least for populations who have a right to freedom of movement) there are opportunities for a little more colour to be put on OP's canvas.
Define freedom of movement?
Because last I checked, moving a family was expensive and far from free. And last I checked, capitalist's were still leveraging this lack of financial freedom to exploit workers.
So, I think the authors use of language was spot on personally.
Understood.
I think we're talking about two very different things. Apologies, language is a crude instrument. I should have made it more clear. I was referring to the right to freedom of movement. This concept is defined different ways in different countries/bodies of law. There's a great wikipedia article on it here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_of_movement
From OP's text, I inferred that they clearly understood the luddites only smashed the technical kit of employers who the luddites felt exploited their workforce. I'm not certain that that concept of their operation would be grasped by a reader that had not heard about the luddites prior to reading OP's words.
I personally prefer the term "Butlerian Jihadist" myself.
Hell yes! Join us, friends!
this post was submitted on 09 Oct 2023
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Work Reform
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A place to discuss positive changes that can make work more equitable, and to vent about current practices. We are NOT against work; we just want the fruits of our labor to be recognized better.
Our Philosophies:
- All workers must be paid a living wage for their labor.
- Income inequality is the main cause of lower living standards.
- Workers must join together and fight back for what is rightfully theirs.
- We must not be divided and conquered. Workers gain the most when they focus on unifying issues.
Our Goals
- Higher wages for underpaid workers.
- Better worker representation, including but not limited to unions.
- Better and fewer working hours.
- Stimulating a massive wave of worker organizing in the United States and beyond.
- Organizing and supporting political causes and campaigns that put workers first.
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