The New York Times bestseller from CNN Political Commentator and 2020 former Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang, this thought-provoking and prescient call-to-action outlines the urgent steps America must take, including Universal Basic Income (UBI), to stabilize our economy amid rapid technological change and automation. The shift toward automation is about to create a tsunami of … toward automation is about to create a tsunami of unemployment. Not in the distant future–now. One recent estimate predicts 45 million American workers will lose their jobs within the next twelve years–jobs that won’t be replaced. In a future marked by restlessness and chronic unemployment, what will happen to American society?
In The War on Normal People, Andrew Yang paints a dire portrait of the American economy. Rapidly advancing technologies like artificial intelligence, robotics and automation software are making millions of Americans’ livelihoods irrelevant. The consequences of these trends are already being felt across our communities in the form of political unrest, drug use, and other social ills. The future looks dire-but is it unavoidable?
In The War on Normal People, Yang imagines a different future–one in which having a job is distinct from the capacity to prosper and seek fulfillment. At this vision’s core is Universal Basic Income, the concept of providing all citizens with a guaranteed income-and one that is rapidly gaining popularity among forward-thinking politicians and economists. Yang proposes that UBI is an essential step toward a new, more durable kind of economy, one he calls “human capitalism.”
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An interesting, intriguing and intelligent look at the near future, when many jobs will be taken over by automation. Truckers may lose jobs to self-driving vehicles, cashiers are already losing jobs to machines, and people at restaurants are starting to order on screens rather than in person. White collar jobs are not immune; lawyers and doctors may be in trouble too as we find that computers can assess and analyze data better and faster than humans. The book makes the case that the shift to AI will cause major disruption to our economy and society. I came away without a clear vision of what to do about all this, but still really enjoyed the book and believe/hope that people will be able to cope and adapt in the future. I really believe that machines can’t do everything—they can’t provide sympathy, don’t have strong opinions, and aren’t strange and quirky like people are. Let’s hope computers never learn how to write a compelling novel or screenplay.
I’ll admit. When I first heard about the idea of Universal Basic Income (UBI), I cynically thought that the chance of that happening in this country was as likely as gun control being implemented. Zero chance. Then I read Andrew Yang’s book The War on Normal People. He makes a very compelling argument for Universal Basic Income and Medicare for everyone. I also really like his “social credits” program which is in operation in a number of U.S. cities. Several countries are conducting small-scale UBI experiments now, among them Finland and Canada. There are UBI programs in place now in Alaska and Stockton, California. Yang’s ideas aren’t just pie-in-the sky. We have working models for change.
However, not often mentioned in reviews of his book is Yang’s detailed and very well-documented description of the social disintegration happening in our country – what he calls the Great Displacement. In particular, he documents what is happening to our men and boys. Most of the manufacturing jobs that have been lost were held by men, as are most of the jobs in transportation currently being lost. [Keep in mind that unemployment statistics are lower than the actual unemployment rate because the statistics only count those individuals looking for a job. If a man has given up finding a job, then he’s not counted in the unemployment statistics.]
I was shocked to learn how many people (again, most often males) are on disability. Millions of people! Disability is acting as a replacement for insubstantial or nonexistent unemployment insurance benefits for those who have been laid off from long-term jobs.
At every level and institution, Yang points out how we are failing our boys and men. The education system is structured to favor girls who mature faster and who are less “rowdy” than little boys (sports, PE, arts, music have all been cut), and there are not enough options for boys when/if they graduate from high school to do something other than go to college. Yang makes the argument that college is questionable now give that 1) higher ed is incredibly expensive; 2) jobs are not that easy to find after college; 3) a lot of so-called white collar jobs are becoming subject to artificial intelligence/automation as well (medicine, finance, law, etc.); 4) and most compelling, maybe a young man prefers to work with his hands. Yang argues in favor of more technical and vocational education that lead to real job options after training. Someone fixed the air conditioning in Yang’s building when it broke down. The fixer wasn’t a computer. It was a trained worker.
Another problem affecting males is the lack of male parenting and mentorship. More and more families are female-headed which statistically leads to a high number of problems in boys and young men raised in those families. Yang has a high value for parenting. He has a wife and two sons. I give five stars to Yang for being the only man writing about current economic events who actually talks about the challenges and rewards of parenting.
Many of the people (again mainly men) who lose jobs often end up abusing various substances (opioids, alcohol), and if they are young, they choose video games over the grim and limited “real life” they are left with. He devotes an entire chapter to the intense appeal of gaming to young men. I read just yesterday that the World Health Organization has recognized “gaming disorder” as a mental health problem.
Our culture suffers from some failed ideas, especially that of “meritocracy.” Too many of us believe in the myth that if you are successful (read: you have money) that must mean you are working harder than everyone else. It dates back the Puritan idea that prosperity was a sign of God’s approval. If you were poor, then that was the sign that God didn’t love you. (this is most commonly called the Protestant Work Ethic). Today, Yang points out that there are many factors that hamper a person ever having an even chance of succeeding through hard work: where you are born, how much money your parents have, your sex, your race, and, yes, luck. Seriously. Do you think a kid that grows up in rural Madison County in the Arkansas Ozarks has the same chance at success as a kid born into a wealthy family in The Hamptons?
Yang’s book is about a lot more than Universal Basic Income. It’s about what’s wrong with America now. He’s asking us what we’re going to do about it. And he has some very good ideas about how to correct these growing problems. Andrew Yang is running for president. I figure the entrenched Old Guard of the Democratic Party is unlikely to give him a chance. The Republicans (devoted to assisting the already-rich) will do everything they can to undermine him. My hope is that Yang will be able to change the conversation we’re having in this country.
However, if Andrew Yang miraculously shows up on the ballot box in 2020, he’s got my vote.
Automation has and will continue to be the biggest threat to jobs.