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RE: Grantcoin Is The Worlds First Global Universal Basic Income
I read a post about Grantcoin some ways back and thought the whole concept was interesting, simply because I am a believe in the idea of UBI... seems to me it's the only way to (functionally) go in a world that becomes more and more automated. Automation is going to replace 50% of what we now think of as "paying jobs" over the next 25-30 years... so we're basically hosed unless some alternatives are created.
I don't know what it's going to take for the idea to truly gain "traction," especially in societies founded on the "work ethic" as the way to survive... but I'm all about exploring ideas.
The trend towards automation is precisely why a UBI is needed now more than ever. I find it interesting that societies founded on the "work ethic" as a way to survive seem to ignore that ethic when companies push towards automation. The work ethic was popular when big business needed workers and as they move towards automation they forget all about that.
Agreed... much of the time-- when people start moaning and groaning to me about their jobs being gone because of "immigrant workers" and "outsourcing," I point out that those good jobs they keep remembering-- like checking people out at Home Depot-- were not taken by people but by a bank of self-checkout stands.
You've probably seen this short documentary, but I thought I'd share it anyway, just in case:
I have seen this film and recommend it.
I have been living outside the U.S. for quite some time and returned for a bit recently and found the self-checkout at supermarkets to be the strangest thing. I feel like I'm threatening someone's job using those and if I have to become my own checkout person I should at least get a discount off my purchases.
Amazon has been testing the first no checkout stores called Amazon Go, a new brick-and-mortar convenience store that will let shoppers pick up items off the shelves and leave without standing in line to pay.
With technology like this on the horizon, not only are manufacturing jobs becoming automated, but even the last of the human-dependent jobs in the retail and service sectors could become a thing of the past.