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----- Original Message ----- From: "Dwayne Monroe" <idoru345 at yahoo.com> To: <lbo-talk at lbo-talk.org> Sent: Saturday, July 10, 2004 1:02 PM Subject: [lbo-talk] Re: Beyond Cosby, ... part 2
: Joanna wrote:
:
:
:
: The whole point of the "service" economy is that of
: making you pay for services you used to take for
: granted. On the one end of the conversion process are
: the annointed ones who get the contracts and most of
: the money. On the other end of the conversion process
: are the workers who either get fired, outsourced, or
: deskilled....but who always wind up making less
: money for the same work.
:
: ===========
:
:
:
: Ah yes.
:
: Consider, as an example, the ATM.
:
: Banks say, *marvel at the convenience of it all* and
: millions of us do. But notice how this *service*,
: which was originally marketed not only as a boon to
: people who need cash when no teller is available, but
: also as a way of 'reducing the cost to the consumer'
: has made it possible for banks to reduce labor while
: increasing fees (for 'network maintenance and upgrades
: to serve you better' we're told). Not only that, but
: the ATM makes the customer a part of the labor chain
: even as she pays for the privilege.
:
: A trick of sinister neatness.
:
: Computer driven telephone 'help' menuing systems that
: force people to navigate complex decision trees are
: another example of this transference of labor to the
: customer.
:
:
: But why read my poor script? Ursula Huws' *The Making
: of a Cybertariat* spends a good amount of time
: describing this process and its implications.
:
:
: About the book...
:
: < http://www.monthlyreview.org/cybertariat.htm >
:
:
: Doug's interview with Huws
:
: <
: http://www.leftbusinessobserver.com/Radio.html#031002
: >
:
:
:
: .d.
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: