Re:Robots Don't Complain or Demand Higher Wages or Kill Them...
by forensic on Monday August 08, 2011 @08:36AM
(#2859818)
You're not thinking this through.
Rome had to avoid rioting because Rome didn't have tear gas.
China does not have to avoid rioting. They are comfortable with using tanks to kill thousands of unarmed protestors.
The circumstances have changed since Rome. Technology has changed them.
Re:Robots Don't Complain or Demand Higher Wages or Kill Them...
by Mz on Monday August 08, 2011 @05:41PM
(#2861705)
I don't think it's as simple as that. Wealth is a product of society and population. Billionaires need people to have decent incomes to buy their products or there isn't any money to hoard. Best to keep those folks pacified so you are reasonably safe walking around in life as a billionaire or you become a prisoner of your wealth. It seems to me the masses don't need billionaires in order to exist but billionaires need the masses in order to exist. Henry Ford stated he wanted his factory workers to all be able to afford a car so there was a consumer market available. If billionaires are too draconian, it can come back to bite them. Even presidents get assassinated. Piss off enough people badly enough and it stops being safe to be you, no matter who you are.
PS -- There are riots in London currently going on:
http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2861840
http://news.yahoo.com/london-rioters-battle-police-shooting-...
PPS -- I've seen a couple of comments on HN indicating the rioters are staying ahead of the police using Blackberries. I find this funny given your remarks about how technology has changed things.
Appeal to enlightened self-interest is more powerful than appeal to someone's "better nature". Find the sweet spot where those two meet. It does happen (that those two things meet) and that's the target if you want meaningful, effective change. Rome had a policy of "bread and circus" -- to keep the masses fed and passively entertained in order to avoid rioting in the streets. I follow a similar policy in my household when facing difficult situations. It's very effective.