Date: Sat, 21 May 1994 22:11:55 -0500
To: technology-AT-world.std.com
From: kirez-AT-cornell.edu (kirez korgan)
Subject: Re: Michael Current


Michael Current writes:

        >  The production of silicon chips,
        >as Haraway points out, is done mostly by underpaid women workers
in Asia,
        >and the process still produces a great deal of environmental toxins.
        >

The environmental "toxins" allegedly produced have not been demonstrated to
be toxins at all.  As for the asian women, they eagerly, voluntary seek out
these jobs because they offer greater benefits than any other work they
might seek.  They want these jobs, they need these jobs, and for the most
part they recognize that these jobs are giving them more than they could
otherwise have had, and thus appreciate these jobs.

        >labor has not been de-alientated,
        >but simply displaced into new economic sectors - the replacement
of skilled
        >laborers by machines, and the concomitant growth of the "service
economy."
        
Exactly. 
What every advance in technology does is not "displace" workers, but
instead boosts overal productivity so that the increased production creates
even more jobs elsewhere in the economy, where the same workers who were
"displaced" can then be "reabsorbed", as has been proven.  I can provide
hard numbers to demonstrate this.  Not only are all those people
reabsorbed, but even more can be reabsorbed as a result of the greater
efficiency and hence greater productivity for less labor input.  Technology
*creates* jobs.

People will always have to work.  This doesn't bother me, I enjoy my work,
and will gladly continue working even when I don't need to.  I think
creative, productive endeavor is vital to human happiness and vitality. 
And it will always be necessary.

        >I think especially of jobs the consist of an entire shift spent in
front
        >of a CRT doing word-processing or data entry - feeding the machines in
        >the interest of Capital.

I wish I could spend that much time at a computer.  Sounds pretty lush. 
Those who cried about 18 hour jobs with few breaks in freezing, dangerous
factories are now crying about those who have to spend a whole 8 hour shift
sitting at a computer.  What's next?  Complaints about having to push a
button for four hours, and in return having a suave condo and a nice car? 
The work keeps decreasing in rigor and amount, and the benefits keep
increasing.... what enables this?  technology, science.

Now, what is meant by the term "interest of capital"?  It seems to me that
the worker has much greater interest at stake here than anyone else.  It's
in the interest of the worker to earn a living, and that's why he's there
at the CRT.

to be continued..

Kirez Korgan