Recently they cured the "un-word" of the year in Germany, which translates to "Downsizing Productivity". This is a corporate euphanism, which refers to the fact that a corporation's productivity and share holder value increases through the elimination of their human resources (firing their employees). A close second was "Longitivity Risk Factor" or the un-budgeted costs realized by insurance companies and care taking organizations when their clients/patients live longer than calculated. I think the epitomy of this trend was a recent Aisecs sport shoe commercial where the jogger jogs into a Tokio sports shop, and the shoes received a brand new jogger. Please complain about these forms of indignity when you see or hear them, and boycott companies that encourage this trend. I fear if we don't, the respect for people will deteriorate to the point that objects always will be worth more than life itself.
I am much in agreement with you, Weissdorn. But just to play the Devil's Advocate, is it always a bad thing when machines replace some jobs that humans do in factories? I mean, I used to work like a mindless cog in a window factory, and I found it a pointless, humiliating job. I was glad when they invented a machine that could do the same thing, freeing me to do other things. Is "downsizing productivity" always a bad thing? Of course, using that kind of Orwellian language is certainly always a bad thing. Let's just call it what it is -- replacing a human being with a machine. www.ironghost.wordpress.com And remember: "Pay attention to your thoughts, or they'll pay attention to you."
