This is a line of reasoning I'd like to pursue, that global Capitalism is deskilling Muay Thai fighters, but changing the rules and aesthetics to breakdown complex fighting knowledge to repetitive tasks, like throwing memorized combos, in order to increase the labor force, making individual fighters less unique and more replaceable, and transfer the knowledge core to promotional and media oriented marketing.
the chat gpt summary of deskilling:
The argument that capitalism induces deskilling comes primarily from Marxist and critical labor theorists, particularly Harry Braverman, who expanded on this in his influential 1974 book Labor and Monopoly Capital. Here's a breakdown of the argument:
What is Deskilling?
Deskilling is the process by which skilled labor is replaced with less skilled or unskilled labor—often through:
Technology or automation
Standardization of work tasks
Fragmentation of complex jobs into simpler, repetitive tasks
Why Would Capitalism Encourage Deskilling?
1. Profit Maximization
Capitalist firms aim to maximize profits. One way to do this is to:
Replace skilled workers (who are more expensive) with less skilled workers or machines
Simplify tasks so they require minimal training, which reduces labor costs
2. Managerial Control
Simplifying jobs increases management’s control over the labor process:
Skilled workers often have more autonomy and bargaining power
Deskilling reduces workers' independence and makes them easier to supervise, replace, and discipline
3. Increased Productivity
Deskilled labor allows for:
Mass production techniques (think Ford’s assembly line)
Faster and more consistent output
Easily interchangeable workers, which supports scalability
Theoretical Roots
Karl Marx: Believed capitalism alienates workers from the labor process, reducing their work to mere repetitive actions
Harry Braverman: Argued that capitalist development deliberately strips away workers’ skill and knowledge to concentrate power and expertise in management