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In an essay, entitled "Making It in America," the author Adam Davidson
亞當·戴維森《在美國制造》一文中
relates a joke from cotton country about just how much a modern textile mill has been automated:
提到南部種棉地區的一個笑話，內容涉及現代紡織廠自動化的程度：
The average mill has only two employees today, "a man and a dog.
如今的普通工廠只有兩個雇員，“一個人外加一條狗。
The man is there to feed the dog, and the dog is there to keep the man away from the machines."
人是負責喂狗的，狗是讓人不要靠近機器的。”
Davidson's article is one of a number of pieces that have recently appeared
最近有大量文章都在討論這些，戴維森的文章只是其中一篇而已。
making the point that the reason we have such stubbornly high unemployment and declining middle-class incomes today
我們的失業率為何居高不下、中產階級收入為何下降，
is largely because of the big drop in demand because of the Great Recession,
其實大部分是由于大衰退造成的需求大幅下降。
but it is also because of the advances in both globalization and the information technology revolution,
這其中也有全球化和信息科技革命巨大進步的推動：
which are more rapidly than ever replacing labor with machines or foreign workers.
機器或者外國工人取代勞力的速度空前。
In the past, workers with average skills, doing an average job, could earn an average lifestyle.
過去，只要有個一般的手藝，做份普通的工作，工人生活就過得還湊合。
But, today, average is officially over. Being average just won't earn you what it used to.
但如今，擁有一般水平不行了。不出眾就沒法像過去一樣活著了。
It can't when so many more employers have so much more access to so much more above average cheap foreign labor,
因為現在越來 越多的雇主有大把的機會接觸到不錯的外國廉價勞動力、
cheap robotics, cheap software, cheap automation and cheap genius.
便宜的機器人、廉價的軟件、低廉的自動化設備和要價低的人才。
Therefore, everyone needs to find their extra
因此，人人都需要有另外的價值：
their unique value contribution that makes them stand out in whatever is their field of employment.
異于常人的獨特價值能夠讓他們在各自的雇傭市場上脫穎而出。
Yes, new technology has been eating jobs forever, and always will.
是的，新技術一直就在吞噬我們的工作，將來還會繼續吞噬。
But there's been an acceleration.
而且吞噬的速度在加快。
As Davidson notes, "In the 10 years ending in 2009, US factories shed workers so fast
如戴維森所言，“2009年之前的十年內，美國工廠裁撤工人速度之快，
that they erased almost all the gains of the previous 70 years;
基本上等于過去70年新增的工人數量；
roughly one out of every three manufacturing jobs--about 6 million in total--disappeared."
大概每三個工作崗位就有一個崗位消失了，總共約有600萬之多。”
There will always be change —new jobs, new products, new services.
變化總是會存在的，新工作、新產品和新服務都會出現。
But the one thing we know for sure is that with each advance in globalization and the I.T. revolution,
但我們確信無疑的是，全球化和科學技術每前進一步，
the best jobs will require workers to have more and better education to make themselves above average.
最好的工作都會要求工人接收過更多的更優質的教育，這樣他們才會超于常人。
In a world where average is officially over, there are many things we need to do to support employment,
在一個平庸者已經無法生存的時代，我們需要做的促進就業的事情有很多，
but nothing would be more important than passing some kind of G.I. Bill for the 21st century
但沒有哪個比通過像《退伍軍人權利法案》之類的法案來得重要。
that ensures that every American has access to post-high school education.
只有這樣，才能保證21世紀的每個美國都能接受高中之后的教育。
