this post was submitted on 04 Nov 2023
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Weird, they seem to have done just fine delivering things for centuries now...
Define "just fine"? Needless deaths and property damage are caused by human drivers all the time. I mean we could deliver things "just fine" on foot but everyone would be waiting a lot longer...
All the time? I'd like to see the statistics on deaths caused by delivery drivers.
And I'm not sure why you think similar things wouldn't happen with drones.
According to The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety:
How many of those were package delivery drivers?
You asked for a statistic on deaths caused by delivery drivers because you know it probably doesn’t exist. Your mind is clearly already made up, so why even bother posting?
I know it? What else do I know?
You’re really making a lot of friends in these comments lol
I'm not really expecting someone who tells me what I think instead of asks me to be a friend.
Okay, fine, I’ll bite. Once.
How is that not a problem that needs solving?
Because it's not a problem.
And what is your evidence that delivery trucks are the optimal method of delivery?
"Optimal" only matters to Amazon's accountants. The trucks work fine. They keep thousands of people employed.
I have no idea why so many people are trying to justify Amazon putting profits over people.
That’s where you’re wrong. The “optimal” method of delivery matters to every stakeholder in the current system. Yes, Amazon would make more money. Probably too much more. Delivery would also likely be cheaper for customers. And delivery trucks in cities would finally stop blocking the fucking road whenever they feel like it.
Finally, have you considered the possibility that delivery trucks are suboptimal for delivery drivers? It’s no secret that the lifestyle of a delivery driver is extremely unhealthy, and I can’t imagine it’s particularly mentally stimulating.
This is the same rhetoric I hear about AI, and it’s very disheartening. The fact that corporations are gearing up these tools to further exploit the population isn’t an argument against the tools, it’s an argument against the corporations.
Yes, as I said, you and others are justifying Amazon putting profit over people.
I have asked this multiple times: What exactly are those thousands of delivery drivers supposed to do when Amazon fires them all for not being "optimal?"
I think that UBI is an obvious place to start, and I think it should give them the freedom to pursue something they actually want to do. Automation is coming for all of our jobs, but you seem to be fixated on irrationally protecting those jobs instead of taking steps to ensure that automation actually benefits all of us.
In your ideal world, are there really still delivery drivers?
Shouldn't we maybe implement the UBI first, then fire all the delivery drivers? Because otherwise, I'm seeing a huge increase in the homelessness crisis.
Yes, we should. I just think that only happens when enough of us won’t shut up about UBI, not when we won’t shut up about how we shouldn’t use drones for delivery drivers even if they’re superior. The latter will always be a losing argument when it comes to the general populace because the word they care most about in that sentence is “superior”.
I would think avoiding mass unemployment before UBI is implemented because Amazon wants to save money is "optimal."
You and I think it is, but most people aren’t delivery drivers, and most of those people frankly don’t have the time to even think about it.
The fact of the matter is that industry protectionism will always look silly to the average person while simultaneously being offered a better solution. On the other hand, being loud about our belief that former members of the industry shouldn’t be absolutely fucked over by automation may actually convince some people to support UBI.
...why would they? Even in the rare occurrence that it were to fall out of the sky there's very little chance it would hit anyone. And even in the exceptionally rare occurrence that it were to hit someone, they're incredibly light and unlikely to cause serious damage, much less kill anyone.
...unless it's in a city.
...unless it's a large drone carrying a heavy package.
If we're going to replace delivery drivers with drones, they have to be able to carry more than a single five-pound item.
Even harder in a city since it would have to nosedive between buildings.
One of many reasons they have weight limits.
They'll likely never replace them entirely.
You know there are places in cities with tons of pedestrians, right? And sometimes things from high up fall on them and kill them, right?
Also, if they have weight limits, we won't be replacing drivers with them. There will still be drivers. So I'm not sure how this saves lives.
And they did just fine plowing up fields by hand.
Replacing the hand plow with the horse plow didn't needlessly cost anyone their job.
How did you determine this? Also why are you assuming a job is in itself a good thing instead of what the job does being a good thing?
Because the same farmer was plowing the same field.
And a job is better than no job in the Western world if you want to eat and have a roof over your head.
Omg seriously? Do you have any freaken idea how developing world farming works? This is freaken sad. Ok fine. In the real world it wasn't a farmer it was a farming family. Children as young as 3 would work the land. Being able to use an animal to plow unleashed abundant food and freed up multiple members of the family.
Yes having a job is better than not but that doesn't mean you are entailed to a make work job because you refuse to use your brains.
When Amazon fires all of the delivery people for to save money, what are all of those delivery people supposed to do to buy things so that they can survive? People seem to think 'just get another job' is a viable answer to thousands of people out of work.
I don't think your hypothetical is very likely especially in anything resembling the short term. These drones can lift a can of soup, not exactly a couch.
However if drones gradually replace drivers the drivers will get new jobs. The reason why this is being suggested to you repeatedly is because it is the solution to the problem. The cure for automation isn't to stick your head in the dirt and demand your degrading jobs back the cure is training.
UPS delivery drivers fought for and won a $170,000 salary. Ask them how degrading they feel their job is.
I am glad they are well paid, does that mean they aren't doing a job that takes about a third grader level of education to perform? No. Does that mean it isn't deadend? No.
Being well paid means exactly that and nothing more. EMT workers doing vital work but are often paid only a bit above minimum wage. Banksters are paid millions and produce nothing except taxpayer funded fraud.
Being well paid means your family does better than all the people living paycheck-to-paycheck. I'm not sure why you think that isn't something people really want or that it's a dead end. I would say being paid a small salary and getting deeper and deeper into debt would be the dead end.
I'm also not sure why you are degrading drivers by saying their job can be done by stupid people.
Ok? Most of us have an ambition beyond eat shit and sleep. We want to work on better more challenging stuff.
Can you show me where I said that?
As I already told you, since you decided to insult me, I'm not especially inclined to answer your questions.
That seems extremely unlikely to me.