I am a roboticist who just returned from a 4 day event in Chicago called Pack Expo where some of the latest innovations in automation and robotics were showcased. Here is my read:

Once upon a time in America, most people were well off, had jobs, could own a house, and sent their kids to a decent school. Everyone was happy because their minimal needs were met.

Then, they began to lose it little by little until one day, an avalanche set in, and their jobs disappeared, and along with it, their basal necessities.

Now, they are waiting for those jobs, and the only livelihoods they knew, to come back.

It won't. It'll never.

In fact, the jobs that went were the blue collar jobs. The jobs that will go next are the white collar jobs. Your X ray technicians, paralegals, insurance salesmen, even real estate agents, there are countless jobs being automated right now. Many white collar jobs are monotonous paper pushing acts that really don't need to be done.

What will we do when that happens? We will finally empathize with those that suffered the past 2 decades.

And then will come the revolution, because the haves will be the minority, and the have nots will be the majority.

The future (I am talking about 5-10 years) is bleak for many, and any person who promises to bring back jobs to a capitalistic, profit-chasing economy is smoking the good legal weed from California.