Labor, Information Capitalism, and the “Obsoletely Fabulous”

In his essay, “Structural Unemployment and the Qualitative Transformation of Capitalism,” Thomas A. Hirschl examines Marx’s theory of capitalist development in light of the growing prevalence of electronic technology in capitalist dynamics.  While Hirschl admits that the pivotal prediction of Marx’s theory (social revolution in capitalist society) has yet to occur, he argues that the growing implementation of technological advancements within capitalist enterprises has the potential to act as the catalyst for such a social revolution.  He argues that, “[A]n era of social revolution begins when the technological capacity of society supersedes or becomes too productive for the existing property relations” (Davis et al. 158).  Here, Hirschl draws a direct parallel between technology, labor, and capitalism, which he uses to frame one of the main questions in his essay: If electronics technology replaces labor, where will the jobs be in ‘information capitalism’? (160).  The implication that Hirschl makes in posing this question to his readers is that we as a long established capitalist society are rapidly approaching an era of (technological) social revolution, in which the answers to questions like this one will be necessarily linked with the growth, practices, and even preservation of our (capitalist) society.  Returning to Hirschl’s question regarding where jobs in information capitalism will be, I have chosen to focus my rhetorical analysis on FOX’s hit show Futurama, specifically an episode from season four entitled “Obsoletely Fabulous,” in an attempt to offer one of many possible responses to Hirschl’s question.  My hope is that in analyzing a text that depicts some of the more salient concerns of Marx and Hirschl’s theories (“the future”, literal robots in the workforce, extremely rapid technological advancement), we as a society will be better positioned to comment on, critique, and understand the implications of a realized society of information capitalism.  

Some Issues with High-Tech Hype

Before examining the totalizing effects of a labor/workforce overrun by electronic technology, it is significant to note the preliminary and incremental changes that occur when a new technological innovation is introduced into the workforce, particularly when it impacts productivity.  Elements of these changes are present in “Obsoletely Fabulous,” which begins with Bender, Fry, Leela and Professor Farnsworth (the show’s main protagonists) visiting a “Roboexpo” that showcases new and improved robots available for purchase.  It is important to note that Futurama itself takes place in a futuristic setting (roughly the year 3000) in which robots are common fixtures both as tools for human comforts (essentially highly technologically advanced appliances), as well as for companionship.  Many robots in the show including Bender, whom “Obsoletely Fabulous” is centered around, are presented as autonomous, human-like beings that experience emotions such as jealousy, anger, sadness, love and a sense of self-worth.  These dimensions of Bender and other robots’ personalities are intriguing when examined in parallel with their status as “objects” to be acquired by and for human consumption. 

Given these parallels, the opening scene of “Obsoletely Fabulous” is particularly interesting, as it establishes that capitalism is still very much alive in the futuristic setting of the show, and calls into question what the impact of technological innovations will be on the robot labor force.  This question becomes a real concern for Bender at the Roboexpo when Robot 1X, “A robot that will put all previous robots to shame,” (Futurama 2004) is revealed and overtly marketed as superior to its (now technologically inferior) predecessors.

As Guglielmo Carchedi points out, “Labor is continuously first expelled and then attracted in the different phases of the economic cycle” (Davis et. al. 80).  In the scene pictured above, we can see Bender being expelled as a source of labor while Robot 1X is simultaneously attracted as the “new and improved” labor model.  Significantly, Carchedi argues that, “The question of who the agents of social change will be if technology fully replaces labor is misplaced, given that labor cannot under capitalism be dispensed with” (80).  I will return to the dimensions and implication of human labor in Futurama later on in this paper, but for now it is meaningful to establish capitalism’s role in the show. 

Bender: That new robot is great huh? He sure made me look like a pile of crap.

Professor Farnsworth: Indeed! That why I bought one to help around the office.

Bender: [Gulp]

Because Bender occupies the unique role of being both a consumable product and a source of labor, he experiences a sort of double displacement, as he feels both competitive with and inferior to Robot 1X.  Eventually, Bender falls into a deep depression because he feels that he cannot keep up with his new robotic counterpart.

The feelings that Bender experiences at the hands of Robot 1X are not common, as Carchedi argues, “While new technologies do raise human productivity in novel ways, their capitalist use necessarily implies crisis, exploitation, poverty, unemployment, the destruction of natural environments and more generally all those evils which high tech is supposed to eradicate” (Carchedi, 73).  While robot exploitation, poverty, and unemployment are the implicit aftereffects of Robot 1X’s introduction into the labor force, we as viewers see Bender explicitly undergo a state of personal crisis, in which he feels inferior to Robot 1X and fears they will never “be compatible.”  To surmount this “fear” Leela suggests that Bender visit his manufacturer for a “software update” that will make him compatible with the new technology.  The underlying sentiment of Leela’s advice is that Robot 1X is not going anywhere, and that Bender needs to learn how to adjust to this technological innovation if he hopes to remain a viable part of the capitalist labor force.  The onus to change is placed on him rather than the capitalist society he is cast out from, whether that change is in fact possible or not, an attitude that highlights Carchedi’s discussion of technology’s impact on labor in a capitalist society.  

Structural Unemployment and the [Obsolete] Robolution

Determined to co-exist with Robot 1X, Bender visits the robot manufacturing plant for his “software upgrade” but loses his nerve after watching another robot receive the upgrade and remarking, “It’s like he’s not him anymore— you took away his robo-humanity!” (2004).  Fearing that he too will become brainwashed after receiving the upgrade, Bender flees from the factory and sits dejected in an empty alley lamenting, “I’m too scared to get the upgrade, but I can’t face my friends without it” (2004).  Convinced that his utility to society has essentially vanished, Bender runs away from home in search of a place where he can live in inferior peace.  Given the futuristic world that show is set in, viewers are positioned to view the adoption of major technological advancements like Robot 1X into society as the norm.  This rampant adoption has the potential to be problematic for robots, as Hirschl argues, “Adopting these technologies… [I]ncreases unemployment, heightens realization crisis, and thereby sets the competitive conditions encouraging another round of technological adoption.  This cyclical process defines the ‘final’ decline of capitalism” (164).  Indeed, evidence of these “rounds” of technological adoption (and inevitable abandonment) emerges when Bender lands on a desert island occupied by obsolete robots.

After realizing that the robots in the colony have gone through essentially the same form of technological devaluation as himself, Bender begins to disavow technology and its usefulness as a whole.  Although they are a small group, the obsolete robots living on the island come to represent the structurally unemployed (individuals whose lack of employment results from a mismatch between demand in the labor market and the skills and locations of the workers seeking employment), and further come to constitute, “[A] ‘new class’ that has nothing in common with either the capitalists or the industrial working class.  Their immediate class interests are to transform the social system to distribute goods and services on the basis of human need” (169).  Indeed, the robots on the island find themselves at odds with both capitalists and the working class, and vow to bring forth the social revolution that Marx foreshadowed as the final crisis in his theory of capitalist development, only rather than distributing goods and services on the basis of human need, their goal is to dispense of technology altogether.

Plans are set into motion, and the robots make their way back to Manhattan in a primitive submarine with the hopes of destroying Robot 1X.  Their plans, however, are pathetically thwarted, as their crude and imprecise tools not only fail to destroy Robot 1X, but also cause a fire which traps all of Bender’s friends.  In his attempt to abandon technology, Bender trades his full metal body for one made of wood, and is therefore unable to help rescue his friends from the fire.  As result, he must rely on Robot 1X to save them.

As Bender lies helplessly and watches the fire inch closer to his friends he wails, “Why didn’t I get that upgrade?  I’m an outdated piece of junk!”  Until he notices Robot 1X in the corner and exclaims, “Wait.. I can use you as a tool to save my friends, and I’ll still be the hero who everyone says how great he was.”  True to form, Robot 1X swoops in and uses giant motorized fans to extinguish the fire, even managing to save what’s left of Bender along with his friends.

Information Capitalism, Upgrading, and the Future

Throughout this paper I have drawn parallels between “Obsoletely Fabulous” and Carchedi and Hirschl’s respective theories on the effects of technology on labor in a capitalist society, but have not yet explicitly addressed Hirschl’s question of where the jobs will be in an information capitalist society.  Returning to Futurama, it is significant to note that all of the labor issues in “Obsoletely Fabulous” are seen as impacting robots and not humans.  In fact, we see few instances of humans actually working throughout the show, with the exception of MOM (robot manufacturer and reigning capitalist power), Professor Farnsworth, whose very name betrays his non-productive intellectual labor, and the man in the factory who is responsible for giving the robots their upgrades.  Perhaps we as viewers are positioned to see Hirschl’s dream that, “If production can be conducted without workers, then it can be distributed without money” (165) as realized in the show’s futuristic society, except that capitalism is still portrayed as being alive and well.  The only thing that really seems to be different in the year 3000 is production, which is conducted without human workers, who have been entirely replaced, as they feared, by robots.  And yet things appear to be more the same as ever—technology advances, labor is displaced, replaced, and the cycle begins anew. 

After narrowly escaping death thanks to the help of Robot 1X, Bender opts to get the software upgrade in order for them to be compatible with one another.  As he steps onto the machine’s platform, Bender comments, “This new technology is great!  I love those 1X Robots, those guys are my beeest friends!” before it is revealed to the audience that the entire “obsolete robolution” (and hence the majority of the episode) was a hallucination brought on by the upgrade software.  It appears, then, that the jobs of information capitalism are reserved for those who can perpetuate its capitalist interests throughout society.  This is the chief enterprise of the capitalist, who hopes to create and perpetuate the “need” for information capital among consumers.  In this case MOM is highly successful in that she not only appeals to her baseline consumer (Professor Farnsworth), but is also able to convince the displaced laborer (Bender) of the necessity of the very object that took his job (using only the thinly veiled tool of brainwashing).  If nothing else, “Obsoletely Fabulous” illustrates capitalism’s primary and most deeply rooted interest: its own self-preservation.  Whatever the jobs in information capitalism are, they will serve these interests above all others.   

Works Cited

Carchedi, Guglielmo.  “High-Tech Hype: Promises and Realities of Technology in the Twenty-

First Century.” Davis, et al.  73-86.  Davis J., T. Hirschl, and M. Stack, eds.  Cutting Edge:    

Technology, Information, Capitalism and Social Revolution.  London: Verso, 1997.  Print.

Hirschl, Thomas.  “Structural Unemployment and the Qualitative Transformation of Capitalism.” 

Davis, et al.  157-174. Davis J., T. Hirschl, and M. Stack, eds.  Cutting Edge:    

Technology, Information, Capitalism and Social Revolution.  London: Verso, 1997.  Print.

Marx's Final Capitalist Crisis and the Impending Robolution

In chapter 10 of Cutting Edge, entitled “Structural Unemployment and the Qualitative Transformation of Capitalism”, Thomas Hirschl examines Marx’s theory of capitalist development, specifically focusing on the possibility for and effects of a social revolution in capitalist society.  According to Marx, “[A]n era of social revolution begins when the technological capacity of society supersedes or becomes too productive for the existing property relations” (Davis, 158).  The explicit connection that Marx draws between social revolution and technological advancements is addressed by Hirschl, who seeks to argue that, “[G]iven the framework of Marx’s dynamic theory of capitalist accumulation, the introduction of electronic technology is, indeed, a catalyst for revolutionary change” (158).  Indeed, Hirschl is a proponent of what he suggests is an imminent social revolution.  What this revolution might mean to capitalist society itself is a topic that he addresses throughout the chapter.

I found Hirschl’s ideas to be in significant conversation with Guglielmo Carchedi’s examination of advanced technologies and the productivity of labor, which we looked at last week in chapter 5.  In his chapter on the promises and realities of technology in the twenty-first century, Carchedi examines the effect/s of technological advancements on the labor force, ultimately cautioning that the cyclical process of technology replacing labor will result primarily in unemployment, poverty, human exploitation, starvation and despair.  His fear is not unfounded, nor is it particularly new, as this clip from The Twilight Zone (1964) illustrates:

Here, a single supervisor (Hanley) is replaced by a machine that is purportedly more precise and effective than he is.  Initially Mr. Whipple (the boss) is pleased with his purchase, despite the fact that it earns him his employees’ scorn and leads to him being punched in the face.  As the episode progresses, however, Mr. Whipple becomes increasingly obsessed with the machines in the factory, and is ultimately replaced by one himself, lamenting “It isn't fair, Hanley! It isn't fair the way they [machines] ...diminish us” at the end of the episode.  Although this episode of The Twilight Zone is nearly 50 years old, I found it extremely interesting that even then, the sentiment that “no one is safe from technological advancements in the work force, not even the boss” still rang oh-so true.  It is this sentiment that underscores Hirschl’s imperative that, “As more and more firms in the economy adopt these [ever-advancing] technologies, the total amount of productive labor in the system declines, and the rate of profit falls.  This increases unemployment, heightens realization crisis, and thereby sets the competitive conditions encouraging another round of technological adoption.  This cyclical process defines the ‘final’ decline of capitalism” (164).  Here, Hirschl not only echoes Carchedi’s theory of the impact of technology on productive labor, but uses it to underscore, and even announce Marx’s theory of social revolution and the decline of capitalism.

Admittedly I had, and still have, a difficult time wrapping my head around the idea of the death of capitalism, although if Hirschel is right in his analysis then we certainly seem to be moving in that direction.  He argues that, “The structurally unemployed are in the process of becoming a ‘new class’ that has nothing in common with either the capitalists or the industrial working class.  Their immediate class interests are to transform the social system to distribute goods and services on the basis of human need” (169).  On more than one occasion Hirschl suggests a move towards communism, in which wageless production via technology has the potential to at least threaten the end of capitalism.  But this emancipation, as he points out, will be hard won through political, social, and economic struggle.  Even so, Hirschl’s analysis was a bit reductive for my liking, and while his chapter very nicely laid out and explained various aspects of Marx’s theory of capitalist development (decline?), and the role that technology plays in enacting social revolution, he seems to diminish (if not overlook) the intense opposition that any movement to end capitalism would be met with.

One of the more interesting things I came across while looking for a contemporary application of Marx/Hirschl's theories was an entire collection of propaganda-esque art signaling the beginnings of a robot revolution (or robolution).  This image signals our demise at the hands of our own creations, an anxiety that is echoed throughout a litany of science fiction writing.  Does the end of capitalism signal the end of man?  I’m inclined to say of course not, but a small part of me can’t help but wonder.  If we are moving towards wageless production, my guess is that the road ahead is long, windy, and covered in blood (and circuitry).