The middle class is over. It's not coming back.

Re:The middle class is over. It's not coming back. by hvs on Tuesday October 12, 2010 @10:32AM (#1783503)

Just because jobs (like travel agents) disappear does not mean that there are not going to be any middle class jobs. It means that we have found a way to make travel arrangements more efficiently so we have freed up resources to be better spent on other things. And if there is no middle class, who does he think is making the travel arrangements online?

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Re:The middle class is over. It's not coming back. by replicatorblog on Tuesday October 12, 2010 @10:44AM (#1783555)

Exactly. The decline of travel agents overlaps closely with the rise of Yoga studios. Mid-skill retail entrepreneurs will find a way to keep busy.

The article has some interesting sections, but whenever someone gets too dystopian about the working class ala "Fight Club" without also talking about quality of life metrics they lose credibility. Think about how cheap things have gotten. An iPod touch is basically mini-computer, game console, portable TV, GPS, Walkman, digital camera, and more for ~$200. How much would all of that cost someone in a time that was better for the middle class? It is a complex calculation, but I'm much more optimistic than the author.

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Re:The middle class is over. It's not coming back. by yummyfajitas on Tuesday October 12, 2010 @11:39AM (#1783755)

The decline of travel agents overlaps closely with the rise of Yoga studios. Mid-skill retail entrepreneurs will find a way to keep busy.

Not only that, but they probably enjoy their job a lot more.

I've never taught Yoga, but I have taught martial arts [1]. It's far more enjoyable than booking airline tickets on a computer, and I'll bet money that teaching Yoga is as well.

[1] Only to total beginners, I'm entry level myself.

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