Technology, Wealth, and the True Enemy
The Distraction of False Narratives and the Rise of Inequality
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Let us talk fish: red herrings, to be exact. So many red herrings are being chummed about in our era and our information space that the white one is lost in the crowd! Let us qualify that statement.
According to Klaus Schwab, in 1990, Detroit's top three companies had a combined capitalisation of $36 billion, revenue of $250 billion, and 1.2 million employees. Fast-forward to 2014, and the top three Silicon Valley companies had a capitalisation of $1.09 trillion, making about the same revenue of $250 billion, and here is the kicker: with ten times fewer employees: 137,000 Technology, Wealth, and the True Enemy (Klaus Schwab, 2017).
Now, for a direct quote from Klaus Schwab's book, The Fourth Industrial Revolution: ' The fact that the unit of wealth is created today with much fewer workers compared with 10 or 15 years ago is possible because digital businesses have marginal costs that tend towards zero' (Klaus Schwab, 2017).
So where are the Red Herrings, people ask? They are gushing out of the hose of disinformation and misinformation about foreigners taking our jobs. Technology is taking our jobs far faster than foreigners: where is the outrage?
It is misaligned: outrage actors often redirect the outrage away from the actual problems to point at foreigners to obfuscate the truth. Furthermore, we, 99% are, believing the trope that technology is making life easier and affording us all more we-time: Horse shit!
The potential is there, but… Technology is making life better for the obscenely wealthy 1%. Consider how self-checkout systems replace cashiers or how those massive Amazon warehouses mean fewer High-Street shops can survive and compete. Technology can lessen our burdens; however, human greed stymies that outcome. Furthermore, we are fed a steady stream of Red Herrings to cover up that truth.
While we are actively polarising and tribalising our societies due to our gullibility and belief in false narratives, the true enemy is at the gates, and those gates are wide open! Furthermore, we are standing at the gates, genuflecting and offering Hors d'oeuvres
and fine wine to that enemy!
We are not saying that immigration or homelessness are not a problem—they are! We are saying that bad actors purposely amplify the issues using the 'Firehose of Falsehood Model' to obscure the truth and cause division. United we stand; divided we fall.
To solve our issues, we must stand united and use democratic means and the rule of law. Violent protests, arson, and hate only play into the narrative that will ensure that our freedoms are curtailed further: in effect, we are walking straight into the quicksand trap from which it is not easy to extract ourselves once mired in its glue-like and seductive grasp.
Remember this tidbit of truth: The goal of manipulation is often an underhanded power grab under the guise of restoring order. It is easy to fall for outrage and reflexive action but far more challenging to unite. Caveat dolor: Let the consumer beware! Do not fall for the well-laid and exquisitely baited trap!
Firehose of Falsehood Model: This model is germane to our arguments—it illustrates how a relentless stream of disinformation and misinformation is often strategically deployed to poison the information space, overwhelm public discourse, obscure truth, and foster societal division.
Notes:
Again, we are not saying immigration and homelessness are non-issues. Suppose we use violence and other non-democratic methods of dissent. In that case, the powers-that-be will come down on our democratic freedoms with a ten-tonne hammer—the results of falling for reflexive control at their finest.
Some argue that self-checkouts and related technology create more jobs than they take. So, let us ask the question: Do those jobs require skills beyond the ability of many replaced jobs? If so, are we not creating a society where less intellectually capable people are marginalised? Are we creating a caste system in which the lowest caste has no hope of escaping?
The manipulation of social narratives to amplify fears about immigration and homelessness serves as a classic red herring, diverting attention from systemic issues and the genuine agents of change.
References
The Fourth Industrial Revolution: what it means and how to respond. (14 Jan, 2016). Retrieved from https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2016/01/the-fourth-industrial-revolution-what-it-means-and-how-to-respond/
Klaus Schwab. The Fourth Industrial Revolution. (5 Jan, 2017). Retrieved from https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0241300754?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details
The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model: Why It Might Work and Options to Counter It
(11 Jul, 2016). Retrieved from https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html