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georgemcbayyesterday at 8:36 PM1 replyview on HN

> It took over a century to go from Oliver Twist to the broad Post-WWII Middle Class. How long this time?

It may be optimistic to assume any path even exists this time (or at least that any path exists without violent revolution).

I won't pretend to know what will actually happen in the future, but the long road from Oliver Twist to middle class prosperity was paved in large part by labor realizing they have collective bargaining power and wielding that as a weapon to slowly forge a seat at the table. That weapon goes away in a world where a majority of people no longer have any individual labor power to collectivize.


Replies

the8472yesterday at 8:56 PM

It does not stop at negotiation power, if your economic value is epsilon above zero, what do you have to offer to exchange for food calories? I'm already seeing things being assessed on a Joules/Token basis.