Yesterday I was a tech-wrangler at an event featuring IBM executive Mark Bagshaw, who opened his presentation with the surprising observation that “it’s very nice that some asylum seekers are being released today, but if you look at the wider context, with all that’s happening in the world, I think we have to face the fact that capitalism is in decline”. (!!!) The rest of his speech was about IT and disability, and while interesting, I think he couched it problematically in terms of lost productivity. (Of course, the very real desire for fulfilling activity and getting a life on the part of those excluded by the able-bodied “public” is bound to be expressed in terms of integrating into the work machine in most contexts. Unfortunate but true.) But I still can’t get over the capitalism comment!
[ tags: asylum-seekers, capitalism, disability, ibm, mandatory-detention, mark-bagshaw, refugees, technology ]
