There's been a few examples recently of some Americans being hesitant to transition away from a dated industry because that transition will render those in that field jobless and devastate some towns built around that industry. The theme comes up time and time again, whether it's around when to ditch coal as an energy source or how to replace animal agriculture with plant-based options.
In general, I think it's crucial to always help those left on the chopping block in these transitions navigate the change and find ways to pivot their lives or businesses in alignment with the new direction. That being said, I also don't think this is ever really a good reason to significantly delay necessary innovation or advancement.
The truth of the matter is: a lot of carriage makers lost their job when the car was invented, but I'm happy the car was invented.
Part of living in a constantly advancing country is understanding a lot of tools and technologies essential to life today will be obsolete in 20 years. This principle applies to industries too. It never feels good to leave another human or town in the dust, but if the alternative is forever clinging to a dated and often harmful industry, then sometimes tough decisions just have to be made.
We can't keep propping up the coal industry forever just because there are lots of coal miners for the same reason it made no sense to keep propping up the carriage making industry when the car was invented. It's sad but true.
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