Terkel managed to pinpoint a chief anxiety of the American working class: “the planned obsolescence of people.” The fear of being replaced, of no longer being needed, is an anxiety that has only grown with time. Millions of Americans are coming of age in places where a majority of the jobs that exist are expected to be outsourced, offshored, or automated in the coming decades. Even the harried fast-food worker at the drive-through window cannot sleep easy at night without fear of being replaced by a robot. This is the final insult of menial, poorly paid work: the CEO will eventually find a way
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Fear of replacement also applies to populations. Bosses first ship jobs to Mexico, then allow Mexicans in.
