The world has transitioned before through different stages. The first one that our current age went through was when the hunter-gatherers stopped roaming the land and began farming. The Agricultural Age began where societies that were able to adapt, were able to grow and prosper. The people that didn't would continue to live as barbarians, some well into the 19th century, the American Indians are an example. There are still some hidden tribes that exist unchanged in South America who have yet been able to move into the Agricultural Age.
The next evolution of the human society began when countries began to move into the free market and industrialization to produce items. These ages do not magically appear over night, but can take centuries and occur in a linear parallel. A good focal point for a major indicator of change can be seen in Spain in 1492, when humanity went from living on a flat plane into a global one. As countries expanded in search of resources they also projected their cultures and their influences. Also to be noted was the fact at how the level of knowledge and technology began to change exponentially, and it has not stopped. The Industrial Age is about four centuries old and has been developing at such a fast pace. Imagine how fast the Information Age will be.
Just recall that just over a century ago, the major and fastest mode of land navigation for mankind was by horse. We now travel in cars that have faster and better computers then all the computers that were used in NASA and all of the Apollo spacecraft that went to the moon in the 1960's and '70's. The era of computers is now making the exponential growth of the knowledge available at such ease for people today, that almost any information can be gathered with the small device of a handheld phone. The United States which had become the inheritors after the fall of the English Empire during the first half of the 20th century is now in a transition period to the Information Age. What is currently occurring to our country is what happened to other countries before ours, those that can accept the transition and are able to react with a sense of urgency, will be the leaders who will prosper the most. We are the most prosperous country and look at what the costs of transition is costing us. We worry about the Chinese and the Indians who are now just beginning to transition from the Agricultural Age into the Industrial Age. We should be more concerned that they do not bypass that transition and continue straight to the Information Age.
In the United States, those who became the ultra wealthy, were those who were able to see that the transformation at the time from the Agricultural Age to the Industrial Age first. This was made easier by the foresight of the 'Founding Fathers', who realized that man was at a social point or junction, that they would no longer be dependent on just the controlling policies of the Agricultural Age, such as Kings and Lords, which were the power holders at that time. The Industrial Age was still in it's infancy, but if you closely look at what the underlying factors for independence, it was the freedom to freely market goods that were being produced. Why should someone who lived in England control the manufacturing of products here through taxation? Especially when there were no benefits here for them that could not be done by themselves. There is a reason why America fought the War of 1812 with England. The British could see what a success the American experiment was and did not want it to be a model for the rest of their empire. The United States had to fight them again because they were prohibiting the transportation of American goods abroad and the importation of European goods which caused competition in prices from them.
Then under the Freedoms of the Constitution, at certain periods of industrialization, those who were innovative enough, were able to develop new systems and processes which continued the exponential growth of the Industrial Age. The Rockefellers, Edisons, Chases, Roosevelts, Kennedy's, Melons, Du Ponts, Morgans, Carnegies, Vanderbilts, Fords, etc. These are just a few of what are known as the robber barons and captains of industry. They were able to seize the moment and use the system of the free market to their benefit and millions of others.
Who will be the new robber barons and the captains of the Information Age? What happened to the old rich, the great landowners of Agricultural Age, the kings and queens and royalty? What will happen to the wealthy of the Industrial Age? Where will today's politics play in this?
This article inspired me to write the previous essay:
10 middle-class jobs that are rapidly vanishing
Travel agents, proofreaders, transit security all are seeing big declines
Travel agents, proofreaders, transit security all are seeing big declines
By Jenna Goudreau for FORBES
“The American dream is dead for the
majority of America,” financial guru Suze
Orman told Forbes last year, speaking about
her upcoming book "The Money Class."
The dream she was referring to isn’t a
Cinderella story. Rather, Orman believes the
hope of someday owning a home, of working
one job for life and retiring at 65 has been
crushed by the financial crisis. “The middle
class has disappeared,” she said. “Many of the
millions of jobs lost I don’t think are coming
back. I am really afraid for the majority of
Americans today.”
majority of America,” financial guru Suze
Orman told Forbes last year, speaking about
her upcoming book "The Money Class."
The dream she was referring to isn’t a
Cinderella story. Rather, Orman believes the
hope of someday owning a home, of working
one job for life and retiring at 65 has been
crushed by the financial crisis. “The middle
class has disappeared,” she said. “Many of the
millions of jobs lost I don’t think are coming
back. I am really afraid for the majority of
Americans today.”
Are stable, well-paying middle-class jobs an
endangered species? Economists say: Sort of.
endangered species? Economists say: Sort of.
“The idea that one can have a single-earner
family, get a good job, keep it for life and have
a comfortable living is all but gone,” says Kevin
Hallock, professor of labor economics and
director of the Institute for Compensation
Studies at Cornell University. “Long-term job
stability is declining, and there aren’t good
unionized jobs like there once were.”
The recession may have just complicated and
compounded what was already occurring.
Generally, jobs are disappearing where there’s
been a technological advance — “where a
human was doing something, now a
technology is doing it" — or a change in the
way that organizations function, says Hallock.
And not only are old-fashioned assembly line
jobs on the decline, several white-collar office
positions are also in jeopardy.
“There has been some long-term decline in
middle-income jobs,” says Harry Holzer,
Georgetown University economist and co-
author of "Where Are All The Good Jobs
Going." “Specifically, it’s good-paying
production and clerical jobs that are
disappearing.”
family, get a good job, keep it for life and have
a comfortable living is all but gone,” says Kevin
Hallock, professor of labor economics and
director of the Institute for Compensation
Studies at Cornell University. “Long-term job
stability is declining, and there aren’t good
unionized jobs like there once were.”
The recession may have just complicated and
compounded what was already occurring.
Generally, jobs are disappearing where there’s
been a technological advance — “where a
human was doing something, now a
technology is doing it" — or a change in the
way that organizations function, says Hallock.
And not only are old-fashioned assembly line
jobs on the decline, several white-collar office
positions are also in jeopardy.
“There has been some long-term decline in
middle-income jobs,” says Harry Holzer,
Georgetown University economist and co-
author of "Where Are All The Good Jobs
Going." “Specifically, it’s good-paying
production and clerical jobs that are
disappearing.”
Holzer is quick to say that though there has
been “shrinkage,” he remains confident that
there are many good jobs in the middle — they
may just look different.
New technology has gradually cut into many
steady jobs that had previously been critical to
the market. Clerical occupations are shrinking
fast, as companies tighten budgets and easy-
to-use software enables workers to do their
own administrative tasks. According to data
provided by Moody’s, nearly 300,000 office
and administrative support positions gradually
disappeared in the five years before 2009, and
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
continued contraction throughout the next
decade.
Because over 20 million people count on
clerical work, the vanishing act is a major blow
to the middle, but there are other more niche
positions that are also on the chopping block.
Internet travel sites have essentially erased the
need for travel agents, an occupation which
declined by 14 percent and 12,500 jobs in the
last five years for which data is available.
Similarly, proofreaders — generally highly
skilled workers with a four-year college
degree — were once vital to publications and
communications departments. These
positions shriveled by 31 percent, likely due to
advanced software, Holzer says.
been “shrinkage,” he remains confident that
there are many good jobs in the middle — they
may just look different.
New technology has gradually cut into many
steady jobs that had previously been critical to
the market. Clerical occupations are shrinking
fast, as companies tighten budgets and easy-
to-use software enables workers to do their
own administrative tasks. According to data
provided by Moody’s, nearly 300,000 office
and administrative support positions gradually
disappeared in the five years before 2009, and
the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects
continued contraction throughout the next
decade.
Because over 20 million people count on
clerical work, the vanishing act is a major blow
to the middle, but there are other more niche
positions that are also on the chopping block.
Internet travel sites have essentially erased the
need for travel agents, an occupation which
declined by 14 percent and 12,500 jobs in the
last five years for which data is available.
Similarly, proofreaders — generally highly
skilled workers with a four-year college
degree — were once vital to publications and
communications departments. These
positions shriveled by 31 percent, likely due to
advanced software, Holzer says.
“Having a college diploma doesn’t make you
immune to the shifts in the labor market,”
notes Holzer. “It is a testament to the churning
in the U.S. market.”
Educated and skilled professionals sometimes
immune to the shifts in the labor market,”
notes Holzer. “It is a testament to the churning
in the U.S. market.”
Educated and skilled professionals sometimes
fall victim to structural changes in their
sectors. Broadcast news analysts and
advertising and promotions managers
experienced five-year declines of 16 percent
and 33 percent respectively. The adjustment
follows a wide-spread media transition to
online content and shrinking advertising
revenue and budgets. Likewise, agricultural
engineering jobs contracted by 18 percent,
despite the general demand for engineers,
because agriculture is a declining sector.
Economists hope these changes will result in
creative destruction — new middle-class jobs
will emerge to balance out those that were
lost. However, Hallock believes companies are
still nervous about growing their ranks. “It’s
expensive to hire and fire workers,” he says.
“Companies are reluctant to hire now. It’s
exacerbating the problem.”
sectors. Broadcast news analysts and
advertising and promotions managers
experienced five-year declines of 16 percent
and 33 percent respectively. The adjustment
follows a wide-spread media transition to
online content and shrinking advertising
revenue and budgets. Likewise, agricultural
engineering jobs contracted by 18 percent,
despite the general demand for engineers,
because agriculture is a declining sector.
Economists hope these changes will result in
creative destruction — new middle-class jobs
will emerge to balance out those that were
lost. However, Hallock believes companies are
still nervous about growing their ranks. “It’s
expensive to hire and fire workers,” he says.
“Companies are reluctant to hire now. It’s
exacerbating the problem.”
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