04/10/2011 Rifkin, The End of Work African-American experience (Chapter 5) » In Chapter, Rifkin provides us with a case study ofthe African-American experience, Rfikin discusses this case study from an historical perspective starting from the 1950's onwards, Meee The move towards automation (1) » The U.S. giant employers were moving towards automation to further their: » (1) control over she means of production: » (2) control over labor (& to eliminate rebellious workers) + (3) to maintain production and enhance efficiency; + (4) and more importantly, to maximize profit (ee Rifkin, 1995, pp. 66°67, for examples on Job elimination). The move towards automation (2) » All of the above factors have been pursued starting from the agriculture and plantation Industries (e.g. cotton industry), to the manufacturing industries. Pe The Impact of mechanization, automation and computer technology » Over the years millions of African American, ‘workers lost their jobs, and many became permanently unemployed due to ‘mechanization, automation and computer technology (see pp. 74-75). Ree ‘The impact of automation on African American workers in the 60's (1A) » Starting from the 60's, many African ‘American people were experiencing great difficulties finding work, withthe exception of public-sector.04/10/2011 ‘The impact of automation on African ‘American workers in the 60's (28) + As Rifkin puts it: "the corporate drive to ‘automate and relocate manufacturing jobs split the black community into two separate and distinct economic groups. Milions of unskilled workers and their families became part of what social historians now call an, Uunderclass- a permanently unemployed part of the population whose unskilled labor is no longer required and who lives in hand-to- mouth, generation-to-generation, as wards of the state” (p. 77). The Impact oF automation on African American workers in the 60's (3¢) » A second smaller group of black middle-class Professionals have been put on the public payroll to administer the many public assistance programs designed to assist this new urban class" (p. 77). a . The impact of technological displacement » The impact of technological displacement and the permanent losses of jabs have been extremely devastating on Arierica's Black ‘community, leading to the breakup of the family, increase in eriminality, as well as, adversely affecting the self-Image of African ‘Americans. [The impact oF automation on African American workers in the 60's (1d) » Rifkin quotes Sidney Willhelm (cited in Rifkin, .79, second paragraph) who points that » "With the onset of automation the African ‘American moves out of his [/her] historical state of oppression into one of uselessness. — ‘The Impact of automation on African American workers in the 60's (2d) » Increasingly he is not so much economically exploited as he is irrelevant, ... The dominant (Wihites no longer need to exploit the [African American]...minorty: as automation proceeds, it will be easier for the former to disregard the latter... The African American transforms fom an exploited labor force into an outeast(p.79, second paragraph) | The impact of automation on African American workers in the 60's (3e) » Or as Rifkin tells us (in the following paragraph of page 79) "Marx's reserve army ‘of exploited labor had been reduced to Ralph Ellison's specter of the “invisible man” ‘Automation had made large numbers of [African American] workers obsolete’. rP .04/10/2011 The role of science fiction & the idea of technology (CHAPTER 3) » Discusses, among other things, the role of science fiction in promoting the idea of technology as the solution forall problems Gee the section titied Engineering Utopia, pp 45-49). » This push for technology, especially in North America, over the years meant that people Started to believe Biindy in technology and Science, as the answers for everything. » Science and technology became the new vision of techno paradise (the new religion) Bie The cult of Efficiency (CHAPTER 3) » The blind belief in technology and efficiency predicted a future characterized by a workless world, » This world Is also portrayed as having a lot of material wealth, and plenty of free time. Bie Efficiency and the work of Frederick Taylor + In trying to come up with an efficient work place, Frederick Taylor followed a scientific Approach to organize the work place + In is theory known as “sclentiic management’ in 1895, he divided the workplace into small repetitive tasks » Each task was measured scientifically in order to achieve the maximum efficiency. Ree Efficiency and the work of Frederick Taylor » Later on, this approach to efficiency started to dominate not only the factories but also, offices, schools and other institutions in society, Mee Democracy & technologies & leisure time + Check (pp. 52-56) on how the technocrats attempted fechologiea process » See also p. 55, 3 paragraph & 56, 308 4% aragrachs on global pollution & the Siietpated promise of science & tech & the top des ot » flfkin tells us thatthe expectation of ‘additional fetsure forthe millions af working people whose labor's being displaced does not Seer fo be Feallzed de to the focus of the marketplace on Proft(p.56) ‘ESR Soe portent win san?