Young liberals like myself are always thinking about the future. Many young adults are aware of undulating societal burdens such as climate change and compounding wealth inequality. But there is another problem that not enough people are talking about: automation. Automation is using technology to replace the tasks done by people. Robots are cheaper to maintain than humans since they do not need to be paid a living wage. You may be shocked by that idea. Shouldn’t technological innovations help society? Andrew Yang’s book The War on Normal People details, with facts and figures, how automation has recently started replacing blue collar jobs, and will soon start to replace white collar jobs as well.
This book is full of observations and ideas about improving society, but I took three main points away from the book. The first was the quantitative reality of inequality. The second was the impending impact of automation. The third was the very real possibility of government-subsidized, financial aid for all adults, also known as “Universal Basic Income”.
Prior to reading his book, I only knew Yang as one of what felt like hundreds of 2020 presidential candidates in the Democratic primaries. He struck me as a smart man, but I would not have voted for him in the primaries since he lacked political experience. Still, I researched him and found his book. I was surprised to learn from the book that Yang was a Capitalist entrepreneur in favor of Universal Basic Income: a typically Socialist idea. Universal Basic Income is like social security but everyone, not just the elderly, receive it. Yang specifically wants to give each U.S. adult citizen $1,000 a month. I checked out his book from the Scribner Library to find out why Yang believed in this idea, and how he planned to implement it.
Yang’s book offers a look into the recent past and close future, and how another industrial revolution is upon us. He cites labor force data to demonstrate how the revolution has already affected the middle class. The labor force participation rate has severely diminished in recent years. The middle class has suffered the most because most middle class jobs are repetitive, low-skill, and do not require a college education. I was shocked by the educational data that Yang provided as well: only one third of U.S. citizens obtain bachelors degrees degrees. The data gave me a new perspective on how uncommon a college education is in the U.S. Having been in educated bubbles my whole life, I had never really thought about the privilege of education. I took so many opportunities provided to me for granted, but The War On Normal People made me realize how privileged my peers and I are.
Yang’s figures also made me realize how prevalent automation is in America, and why it is that most people are not actually talking about it. The jobs held by people without college degrees have been and will continue to be the first to go with automation, and it will not stop with just blue-collar workers. Artificial Intelligence machines are getting exponentially more intelligent every year. Yang predicts that even the high training jobs like lawyers and doctors will eventually be victims to automation in the future. With the shrinking list of jobs safe from automation is decreasing, the economy needs some form of a buffer against immense poverty from the loss of so many jobs.
Yang acknowledges that our current free-market economic system does not support the overall welfare of society, so he presents alternative ideas for a system that he labels “Human Capitalism.” One of these ideas is the implementation of a Universal Basic Income. This gives the jobless a bit of economic relief, while also allowing the economy to make efficient use of technology. At first, I thought that the idea seemed a bit reckless and naive on Yang’s part, but he gives a thorough argument that answers many common concerns like “won’t it destroy the incentive to work?” and, “how could we afford it?” If you want the answers, I suggest reading the book. Lawmakers going back to Robert Kennedy have been talking about the idea for decades. Powerful business owners and investors like Elon Musk and Warren Buffet endorse the idea and believe it to be a future possibility for society.
Yang is currently running for mayor of New York City. After reading this book, I believe that he has the heart to lead a city for the people. Although I cannot vote in the election, I hope he can win to get some political experience which will make him a better presidential candidate in the future.
The Skidmore student body prides itself on stepping outside of our bubbles to understand what it is like in the shoes of others. Another privilege that must be acknowledged, educational privilege, is one that we all share as students. The War On Normal People is a book that I believe every current college student or alum must read in order to better understand the experience and future of being “normal.”