On the Mysore-Bangalore road.
I was thinking about the disposition of modern technology over the weekend .One thing that struck me was that our technology is actually oriented against the poor man. This thought was begeted by the machine(which I saw for the first time yesterday) that is being used to paint dividers on the new Mysore-Blore road.This job was being done by people(labourers) until a few days back.
If there is one word that sums up new age technology, it must be 'Automation'.By automation, what is meant is the elimination of human intervention in everything. Labour(according to modern economics) is something that costs, like every other 'resource' (necessary for producing output in goods and services) and is something which must eliminated to increase PROFITS, the sole aim of all organisations.Human beings are prone to error and fatigue and they COST many times more than machines in the long run.So it makes sense to minimise human intervention.But sir,hold a moment!!It may constitute perfect 'business' sense to eliminate labour cost, but is it not sheer travesty against the poor man who has nothing else to sell except his labour? And ironically, it is this poor man who is in the greatest need of of this 'development'. One might argue that elimination of labour results in cheaper goods and services for the population.But, does this argument hold for a country like India is the moot question.Is it right to bypass a significant section of the population in the name of elimination of labour costs?
I cannot but somehow stop thinking that technology is aimed at making the rich even more (filthy)rich and impoverish the poor even more. Im not seeing the 'trickle down' effect, that the economists of pink coloured Indian newspapers keep howling about day in and day out happen, beyond a limited section of the population.Will another Marx arrive on the scene?Only time can tell.....BTW, paradoxically enough,its one of these automation industries that has currently employed me:-(.But again,Im only 'selling' my labour to rob a few others of theirs' in someother part of the globe.And the day may not be distant when some other monstrous 'cutting-edge' technological contraption leaves me in the same plight as that of today's road painter.
posted by Viji at 9:26 PM
4 Comments:
Vijay, I beg to disagree!
If there was no technological developments in, say the last 200 years, would there be less poverty? I dont think so.
Technology seems to 'rob' the jobs, but it is not so. Did the invention of washing machine rob the jobs of dhobis? I would look at it in a different way - it generated hundreds of jobs to the people who work at washing machine manufacturing unit. A supermarket selling vegetables seems to have snatched the job of a roadside vegetable seller, but it might have generated the job of a sales girl to her daughter.
Dont you think there are many kinds of jobs today, like - Vaastu shaastra consultants, real estate agencies, restaurants, cab drivers, catering, people preparing 'chakkli-kodubale' - which did not exist in the olden days?
If I dont have a job, say 10 years later, because some other country is providing 'low-cost' services, I should not be blaming the technology. It was "me" who would have failed to adapt!
Well Im finally happy that my comment enlisted one comment atleast :).. Yes I agree with what u say Vasu.See this debate is probably someting I guess that has happened hundreds of times. Why not allow Walmart into India? It will surely provide jobs for a few people but the numbers of chillare vyaparis in India is 4 crores and the total populace dependent on retail is 10 crores..We can argue that allwoing walmart will reduce costs coz that will to a very great extent eliminate the arbitrage involved..This will result in cheaper goods and services for the rest 90 crores population.But this again is a divergent problem, like every economics problem,having no single solution.The important question is that of scales.Surely a walmart may generate 10 million associated jobs all over India but will it not rob the rest of their 'immediate' livelihood..Many people involved in retail would be over 40 50 yrs of age..Can we expect them to 'adopt' to new jobs, if at all created, so fast?Are we giving them enough time to adapt? This is the question of 4 crore people.
Globalisation is a match stick with which we can light the lamp as well as set our house on fire..
Before this slips to globalisation,I never said that there shouldnt be technology..I was only Gandhian in that aspect that technology should have human focus and not goods focus.This will induce technology to be self curtailing and a self limiting principle, like every aspect of nature. My view of technology is that it should enable 'individuals' rather than big corporations..
Have written in a hurry..Will write in further blogs on this.
Gandhian philosophy was "mass production by masses". India needs this. Ours is one of the most complex social set ups. I agree with you that "Globalisation is a match stick with which we can light the lamp as well as set our house on fire.."
There is one nice movie (forgot the name). A company hires a consultant to automate certain operations. Consultant interacts with existing employees, gets all inputs and recommends a solution for automation. However, by that time, consultant develops a close knit relationship with employees and the story enters into a deeply emotional and a pshychological turn. Haven't seen the movie fully, but a nice one.
Jagali Bhagavat nimam blog na popular amdoke try madtha idare. neevu comment barde idre bariyollwanthe houda? yaakri ? enkathe nimdu ?
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