Why zombie economics is losing its value

Image attribution: David Shankbone; CC BY-S.A. 2.0

The people in the above picture are sending a message and it is interpreted as this: Dehumanization in exchange for money requires inhumanity. In reality this is not always the case. However, being less human is a component part of the following socioeconomic equation that helps people increase their standard of living. Hence the term, zombie economics.

Standard of living= dehumanization + worker skill sets + labor capacity

For the above equation to work, humans accept compromising part of their humanity via things like grueling commutes, exploitation of human resources, and characterless labor in exchange for a standard of living or money. When that standard of living or money access subsides via shrinking wages, larger income disparity, and a labor force participation rate near 30 year lows, people's attitudes change. As a result, dehumanization loses its luster as a medium of exchange for greater standard of living.

For business, the broader issues are only a primary concern if they affect top line or bottom line numbers. Moreover, human resources a.k.a. people are an investment businesses make to meet market demand for a product or service. Outside of non-market based employment, business is a huge factor that allows us to maintain standard of living. However, if businesses can't grow, we risk dividing more of the economic pie among more people if the pie is divided at all. In addition, wages have not increased as much as inflation per National Public Radio.

Now the equation looks more like this:

Lower standard of living= dehumanization + worker skill sets + labor capacity

To reiterate, the currency supply of dehumanization as a medium of exchange is shrinking meaning there isn't enough dehumanization via employment available for everyone to increase their standard of living. In one sense, a portion of the Occupy Wall Street movement actually campaigned for more dehumanization with faceless protests that masked their human faces.

USA Today even quotes one protestor saying as much: “"It's not about damaging anything; it's about being anonymous — and peaceful." Zombie economics requires faceless protestors to be anonymous and peaceful as well. In any case, the movement did not completely accomplish what it set out to inspire, and the pleas for more dehumanization, or a new type of human currency altogether have themselves lost value.