At least you could leave that marvel at the factory. The computer, and the work it can do, awaits you in the office, the living room, the cabin. The sad reason for this most recent change in American work habits appears to be fear. We work hard to curry favor, so that when the ax falls, as it does increasingly, its sharp cutting edge of technology takes the person at the next desk, in the next cubicle. In effect, we use automation to defeat automation.
Businesses automate because it's cheaper to buy hardware than to deal with human beings.
Machines don't tire, they don't need time off, they don't get sick or ask for benefits, and they don't strike. After a certain period of time, they're paid for. Any labor which competes with slave labor must accept the economic consequences of slave labor. Boards of directors and stockholders reward managers who cut costs and raise dividends. The computer can accomplish a lot of the same tasks they once did.