The More They Develop Technology to Make Life Easier, the Harder Life Gets: Frustrated in Chicago

I arrived at Chicago's Midway airport Thursday, here for a visit.  I got off the plane and followed the signs for the CTA, the Chicago Transit Authority's El trains. It was a fair walk but I eventually I arrived at the entrance to the trains where all the ticket machines are that have replaced workers, more efficient, you see. The cost of the one way ticket to my destination was $2.25 but I only had $2.15 in change with some $20's.

I looked around and saw a solitary worker standing near an empty ticket booth but by the turnstile. I asked him if there were any change machines.

"There aren't any" he tells me, "You can get change at the Dunkin' Doughnuts."

I wasn't very happy about that and went over to the line at the Dunkin' Donuts and asked if they give change.
"Sorry, we don't do that" the young guy says.

So I walk back to the turnstile, "The guy at the Dunkin' Donuts told  me they don't give change" I tell the worker, getting a little frustrated after my four hour flight.

"You have to purchase something." he replies.

"But I don't want to purchase something except a ticket" I reply feeling a little more frustrated as this scenario progresses.  He definitely sympathized I felt and just shrugged his shoulders.  Then he remembered and pointed to the machine that takes credit cards.

That cheered me up a bit as I saw some light at the end of the tunnel, and headed over to the credit card machine briskly.  I stuck my card in the slot but the machine told me that there was a $5 minimum.  I didn't need a $5 ticket so the mood shifted back to frustration but on a higher level as I walked back to the worker,

He was getting a little bit frustrated too I could see but kept his head.  "How do I get a ticket?" I asked.  He gave me a look that told me there was not much else he could do so I went over to the machines and stood there asking other travelers if they could change $20.  I wasn't having much luck then I remembered that I had $2.15 so I asked those around me if anyone could give me 25c for 15c.  One guy gave me  two bits and refused to take my $0.15 cents.  I thanked him then headed on to the train bound for the Loop.

As I sat on the train I thought about how they fire workers and replace us with machines. Firstly, in many cases it is not more efficient.  But even if it is, like ATM's for example that allow us to have access to our cash 24/7, it doesn't benefit in other ways.  Automation doesn't mean we work fewer hours.  As I mentioned in an earlier blog, between 1980 and 1992 they reduced the number of hours it took to produce a ton of steel to 5 from 9.5, that a stunning increase in productivity, but we don't benefit from that, it meant the loss of over 200,000 jobs.  Technology and automation is merely used to increase exploitation of the worker, it is used to their advantage, not ours. We don't own the machines.

Not only that.  The way the set up worked at the El was that they got the worker to tell me to "go shop" basically, which is what Bush asked us to do after 911.  It's set up to direct workers in to the shop, to consume unnecessarily.  And the thing with those doughnuts is that getting them in is easy but getting them out might not be.

I don't like that.

"Capitalism teaches the people the moral conceptions of cannibalism are the strong devouring the weak; its theory of the world of men and women is that of a glorified pig-trough where the biggest swine gets the most swill." -James Connolly 1910.