From: Samantha Atkins (samantha@objectent.com)
Date: Wed Mar 03 2004 - 01:07:38 MST
On Mar 1, 2004, at 1:22 PM, Tomaz Kristan wrote:
>
> It _may_ be, that this data shows us, that jobs
> disappearing mostly on the rich side of the population,
> which doesn't need them anyway.
>
I hope this is a poor joke or sarcasm. The majority of those effected
are middle class at best, not rich. Much of the middle class is a few
paychecks away from bankruptcy. I have friends in the millions of
techies, to single out one group, out of work. Good bright hard
working people all. Not one of them "doesn't need a job."
I find it rather cruel and heartless to assume the data does not need
to be considered or at least not without lots of study one personally
may not have time for, or that if it is taken seriously it is ok
because it is not really hurting anyone probably. Personally I find
losing a large part of the tech workforce in the US a disaster that we
will not see the end of in this decade. How many promising ventures
folded or never started? How many would be innovators are now
wondering how to keep a roof over their heads? How many companies are
in rock bottom survival mode? How many left technology or stopped
investing in it?
And these are only one set of people effected.
How would it be possible that we would not expect massive economic
dislocation and millions of people left in the lurch as the pace of
change accelerates and overtakes the relatively slow change of cultural
values and practices? How could such not occur for sometime before
any sort of hard take off? I can scarcely imagine a scenario where
these sorts of effects would not be the case. If so, then perhaps we
should simply assume this is a likely outcome and prepare as best we
can. While we are at it we might consider a bit of compassion.
- samantha
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