The War on Normal People

Last updated

The War on Normal People
The War on Normal People (Yang book).png
First edition cover
Author Andrew Yang
Audio read byAndrew Yang
Cover artistJette Productions (photo) [1]
Amanda Kain (design) [1]
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Subject
GenreNon-fiction
Publisher Hachette Books
Publication date
April 3, 2018
Media typePrint (hardcover and paperback), e-book
Pages304
ISBN 978-0-316-41424-1 (hardcover)
331.2/36
LC Class HC79.I5 Y348 2018

The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future is a 2018 book written by Andrew Yang, an American entrepreneur and Venture for America founder, who would later run as a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate on policy strategies discussed in the book. It was published by Hachette Books in the United States on April 3, 2018. A paperback edition was released on April 2, 2019. Yang narrated an audiobook version released on YouTube in September 2018.

Contents

Focusing on domestic issues, the book discusses technological change, automation, job displacement, the U.S. economy, and what Yang describes as the need for a universal basic income (UBI). Yang argues that "as technology continues to make many jobs obsolete, the government must take concrete steps to ensure economic stability for residents of the United States," including the provision of a UBI, which is one of three central policies of Yang's 2020 presidential campaign.

Publishing history

The book was published by Hachette Books in the United States on April 3, 2018. A paperback edition was released on April 2, 2019. [2]

Synopsis

In the book, Yang discusses job displacement and the shrinking of local economies, terming it the "Great Displacement", which has been "the product of financialization, globalization, and technologization". [3] He predicts that automation will eliminate millions of jobs, including white-collar jobs, such as attorneys specializing in document review and medical positions, as "computers have proven to be quite adept at reading and diagnosing radiology scans". [4] Yang draws a distinction between "normal people" and technologically inclined people, noting that "the average starting salary in Silicon Valley for engineers is nearing $200,000, a draw that has led to a decline in humanities enrollments and boost in technical degrees". [3] He predicts that automation will make "normal people" redundant, and that increasing unemployment can lead to violent protests. [4]

Yang provides a "rebuttal to more optimistic thinkers, such as Thomas Friedman, who believe that Americans can be transformed into lifelong learners". [4] According to Yang, 49% of American workers fall into one of the five most common jobs in the U.S. economy: administrative and clerical work, including call center workers; retail and cashiers; food service and food prep; truck drivers and transportation; and manufacturing workers. [5]

Yang supports a universal basic income (UBI) of $1000 a month for every U.S. citizen, "paid for by a 10% value-added tax on all goods and services". [6] He calls it the "Freedom Dividend" and claims that it "would replace the vast majority of existing welfare programs." [7] Yang states that it would "eliminate poverty for the 41 million Americans now living below the poverty line" and "would also improve the bargaining power of millions of low-wage workers—forcing employers to increase wages, add benefits and improve conditions in order to retain them". [6] He cites civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr., former U.S. president Richard Nixon, and economist Milton Friedman as early supporters of a UBI. [6] He argues that UBI will "enable people to more effectively transition from shrinking industries and environments to new ones" and be "perhaps the greatest catalyst to human creativity we have ever seen". [8]

In addition to UBI, Yang calls for a new stage of capitalism called "human-centric capitalism", which incorporates "goals and measurements like childhood success rate, mental health, levels of engagement with work, [and] freedom from substance abuse." [9] He argues that "GDP will be an increasingly misleading and flawed measurement over time, as more and more work is done by software, AI, and machines." [9] He suggests that a UBI would spur a "social credit" system of bartering goods and services, as well as reform the higher education system to "teach and demonstrate some values". [3] [6]

Significance

The topics discussed in the book, including technological change, automation, job displacement, the U.S. economy, and what Yang describes as the need for a UBI, were central to Yang's 2020 presidential campaign. Yang argued that "as technology continues to make many jobs obsolete, the government must take concrete steps to ensure economic stability for residents of the United States," including the provision of a UBI, which was one of three central policies of his 2020 campaign. [10] [11]

Reception

Yang has discussed the book and its contents in numerous interviews, including Merion West, [9] Recode Decode with Kara Swisher , [5] and The Ben Shapiro Show . [12] The book, as well as Yang's views and solutions, have received generally positive reviews.

Author and businesswoman Arianna Huffington gave the book a positive review, calling it "both a clear-eyed look at the depths of our social and economic problems and an innovative roadmap toward a better future." Major Garrett of CBS News found the book "fascinating and troubling". Entrepreneur Daymond John called the book "a must read", writing that Yang "sees the big picture" and that "every entrepreneur should read this book to understand the challenges of the next decade". Author Alec Ross wrote: "In this powerful book, Andrew Yang highlights the urgent need to rewrite America's social contract. In a call to arms that comes from both head and heart, Yang has made an important contribution to the debate about where America is headed and what we need to do about it." [13]

In 2019, CNBC editor-at-large John Harwood ranked the book among his top five political books, calling it "another take on the forces fraying America's middle class. [Yang] draws our attention to eye-popping data points about where our economy is heading." [14] Kirkus Reviews called the book "a sobering portrait of a crumbling polity" and "a provocative work of social criticism". [3] Writing for The New York Times , American economist Robert Reich reviewed both Yang's book and Annie Lowrey's Give People Money, calling them "useful primers on the case for a [UBI]". Reich felt that "some form of [UBI] seems inevitable". [6] Emily Witt of The New Yorker saw "Yang's arguments for his policies [as] empirical rather than sentimental." [15] Felix Haas of World Literature Today commented that "following the challenges Yang discusses [might feel like] getting punched in the face repeatedly", but "Yang equally manages to convey an incredible sense of community." [16]

Writing for The Wall Street Journal , Harvard economics professor Edward Glaeser said that while he shares "Yang's worries about the future of work", he disagrees with Yang's UBI proposal, stating that a "future in which two-thirds of America lives off UBI is a true horror". [8] Andy Kroll of Rolling Stone wrote that Yang's book "lays out his views in greater detail but raises as many questions as it answers", and that it "places him firmly in the camp of those who believe economic anxiety played a decisive role in Trump's election and the rise of white nationalism". [7]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Citizen's dividend</span> Georgist proposed policy

Citizen's dividend is a proposed policy based upon the Georgist principle that the natural world is the common property of all people. It is proposed that all citizens receive regular payments (dividends) from revenue raised by leasing or taxing the monopoly of valuable land and other natural resources.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Automation</span> Use of various control systems for operating equipment

Automation describes a wide range of technologies that reduce human intervention in processes, namely by predetermining decision criteria, subprocess relationships, and related actions, as well as embodying those predeterminations in machines. Automation has been achieved by various means including mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic, electrical, electronic devices, and computers, usually in combination. Complicated systems, such as modern factories, airplanes, and ships typically use combinations of all of these techniques. The benefit of automation includes labor savings, reducing waste, savings in electricity costs, savings in material costs, and improvements to quality, accuracy, and precision.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Stern</span> American labor leader

Andrew L. Stern is the former president of the Service Employees International Union, and now serves as its President Emeritus.

<i>The End of Work</i> Book by Jeremy Rifkin

The End of Work: The Decline of the Global Labor Force and the Dawn of the Post-Market Era is a non-fiction book by American economist Jeremy Rifkin, published in 1995 by Putnam Publishing Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal basic income</span> Welfare system of unconditional income

Universal basic income (UBI) is a social welfare proposal in which all citizens of a given population regularly receive a guaranteed income in the form of an unconditional transfer payment. It would be received independently of any other income. If the level is sufficient to meet a person's basic needs, it is sometimes called a full basic income; if it is less than that amount, it may be called a partial basic income. No country has yet introduced either, although there have been numerous pilot projects and the idea is discussed in many countries. Some have labelled UBI as utopian due to its historical origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Technological unemployment</span> Unemployment caused by technological change

Technological unemployment is the loss of jobs caused by technological change. It is a key type of structural unemployment.

Universal basic income in India refers to the debate and practical experiments with universal basic income (UBI) in India. The greatest impetus has come from the 40-page chapter on UBI that the Economic Survey of India published in January 2017. It outlined the 3 themes of a proposed UBI programme:

Universal basic income is a subject of much interest in the United Kingdom. There is a long history of discussion yet it has not been implemented to date. Interest in and support for universal basic income has increased substantially amongst the public and politicians in recent years.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Universal basic income in Japan</span> Overview of universal basic income in Japan

Universal basic income refers to a social welfare system where all citizens or residents of a country receive an unconditional lump sum income, meaning an income that is not based on need. The proposal has been debated in a number of countries in recent years, including Japan..

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Martin Ford (author)</span> American futurist and author

Martin Ford is a futurist and author focusing on artificial intelligence and robotics, and the impact of these technologies on the job market, economy and society.

Universal basic income has been debated in the Nordic countries since the 1970s. It has mostly been seen as a radical and utopian proposal and not taken seriously by the big political parties. However, 1 January 2017 to 1 January 2019 Finland conducted a basic income pilot which got international attention. There are also some political parties and some politicians and journalists in all Nordic countries who are pushing for the idea of a guaranteed income. The Green parties for example, are generally interested in universal basic income, as well as the Pirate parties.

Universal basic income (UBI) is discussed in many countries. This article summarizes the national and regional debates, where it takes place, and is a complement to the main article on the subject: universal basic income.

Universal basic income pilots are smaller-scale preliminary experiments which are carried out on selected members of the relevant population to assess the feasibility, costs and effects of the full-scale implementation of universal basic income, or the related concept of negative income tax, including partial universal basic income and similar programs. The following list provides an overview of the most famous universal basic income pilots, including projects which have not been launched yet but have been already approved by the respective political bodies or for the negotiations are in process.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andrew Yang</span> American businessman and political candidate

Andrew Yang is an American businessman, attorney, lobbyist, and politician. Yang was a candidate in the 2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries and the 2021 New York City Democratic mayoral primary. He is the co-chair of the Forward Party, alongside former New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman.

A robot tax is a legislative strategy to disincentivize the replacement of workers by machines and bolster the social safety net for those who are displaced. While the automation of manual labour has been contemplated since before the industrial revolution, the issue has received increased discussion in the 21st century due to newer developments such as machine learning.

Universal basic income and negative income tax, which is a related system, has been debated in the United States since the 1960s, and to a smaller extent also before that. During the 1960s and 1970s a number of experiments with negative income tax were conducted in United States and Canada. In the 1970s another and somewhat related welfare system was introduced instead, the Earned Income Tax Credit. The next big development in the history of basic income in the United States came in 1982, when the Alaska Permanent Fund was established. It has delivered some kind of basic income, financed from the state's oil and gas revenues, ever since.

The 2020 presidential campaign of Andrew Yang, an attorney, entrepreneur, and the founder of Venture for America, began on November 6, 2017, when Yang filed with the Federal Election Commission to participate in the Democratic primaries. Yang suspended his campaign on February 11, 2020, the night of the New Hampshire primary. On March 10, 2020, Yang endorsed Joe Biden for president.

A wage subsidy is a payment to workers by the state, made either directly or through their employers. Its purposes are to redistribute income and to obviate the welfare trap attributed to other forms of relief, thereby reducing unemployment. It is most naturally implemented as a modification to the income tax system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Aaron Bastani</span> British journalist and writer

Aaron Bastani is a British journalist and writer. He co-founded the left-wing media organisation Novara Media in 2011, and has hosted and co-hosted many of its podcasts and videos. After a 2014 video for the publication, he popularised the term "fully automated luxury communism", which describes a post-capitalist society in which automation greatly reduces the amount of labour humans need to do. He wrote a book in 2019, Fully Automated Luxury Communism, about the subject. Bastani has also written for The Guardian, London Review of Books, openDemocracy and Vice, and is known for his Twitter activity.

References

  1. ↑ "Amazon.com Sales Ranks (US)". Sales Rank Express. August 12, 2019. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Kirkus Review". Kirkus Reviews. February 5, 2018. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  3. 1 2 3 Leavell, Byrd (February 19, 2018). "The War on Normal People: The Truth About America's Disap-pearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future". Publishers Weekly. Waxman Leavell Literary Agency. Archived from the original on March 21, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  4. 1 2 Johnson, Eric (July 19, 2019). "Why 2020 presidential candidate Andrew Yang doesn't want to break up Google". Vox. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Reich, Robert B. (July 9, 2018). "What if the Government Gave Everyone a Paycheck?". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on August 6, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  6. 1 2 Kroll, Andy (July 19, 2019). "'I Came From the Internet': Inside Andrew Yang's Wild Ride". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 21, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Glaeser, Edward (July 9, 2018). "'Give People Money' and 'The War on Normal People' Review: The Cure for Poverty?". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on July 25, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Mattila, Henri (June 28, 2019). "Then a Long Shot, Now a Contender: Our 2018 Interview with Andrew Yang". Merion West. Archived from the original on June 29, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  9. ↑ León, Concepción de (February 15, 2019). "Read These Books by the 2020 Presidential Candidates". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on February 23, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  10. ↑ "Our Policies". Andrew Yang for President. Archived from the original on February 17, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  11. ↑ Hains, Tim (April 7, 2019). "Andrew Yang Makes Case For Universal Basic Income On "The Ben Shapiro Show"". RealClearPolitics. Archived from the original on August 5, 2019. Retrieved August 11, 2019.
  12. ↑ "The War on Normal People (Editorial Reviews)". Barnes & Noble. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved October 4, 2019.
  13. ↑ Gerber, Eve (October 21, 2019). "The Best Politics Books of 2019 recommended by John Harwood". Five Books. Archived from the original on October 22, 2019. Retrieved October 22, 2019.
  14. ↑ Witt, Emily (July 18, 2019). "How Andrew Yang's Robot Apocalypse Can Heal a Divided Nation". The New Yorker. ISSN   0028-792X. Archived from the original on July 23, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
  15. ↑ Haas, Felix (October 17, 2018). "The War on Normal People: The Truth about America's Disappearing Jobs and Why Universal Basic Income Is Our Future by Andrew Yang". World Literature Today. Archived from the original on August 12, 2019. Retrieved August 12, 2019.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.