What are the humans to do with their time? (China)

 

After watching his video of the hotel room service bot (https://piccola-chinita.blogspot.com/2026/04/room-service-bots-china.html), I texted my friend's brother.

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The worrying thought this hotel bot clip of yours has sparked is:  with such a huge population, what are the humans going to do if bots take over so much of their workload?  Especially the ones with lower levels of education and can only do menial tasks.

A German friend Bernhard from SOAS (School of Oriental and African Studies) went to China as an individual traveller in the early 80s.  Sent a postcard saying he went to a park which charged something very small (even by Chinese standards in the 80s, like maybe 10 fen [Chinese cent]) to get in.

1. He went to pay at one window,

2. ⁠went to a second window to get his ticket,

3. ⁠handed his ticket to a third person,

4. ⁠and was let in by a fourth person.

He said at the end of the postcard:  “No wonder they don’t have an unemployment problem.  It took four people to process my visit which cost 10 fen.”

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    My take is that this way (employing four people when one would've sufficed), it meant that three of those four people working at the park were not hanging around at home doing nothing for society, just feeding on the taxpayer's hard-earned money.  Well, in a country where there are state benefits to be had anyway.

    It's good social education for people not to take things for granted, I think.  I know a British woman on state benefits spending "money that the government owed me" on a tattoo (not her first either).  Apart from her attitude, calling it money that the government owed her, tattoos are not a life's staple.

(China, 2026 / early 1980s; London, 2025)

(from googling)

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The cost of a tattoo in the UK generally ranges from a minimum of £50–£90 for tiny, simple designs to £700+ for large, complex pieces (like full sleeves). 

Tattoo prices are heavily dependent on time,, with many artists charging hourly rates ranging from roughly £80–£100 in areas outside London to £150+ per hour in London.

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