I don't even see the irony in the comparison to be honest, being the assembly line robot controller and repairman is quite literally a better job than doing what the robot does by hand.
If you're working in a modern manufacturing business the fact that you do your work with the aid of robots is hardly a sign of despair
I don't claim it's a sign of despair. Rather, it's a boots-dug-in belief that one does is special and cannot be done autonomously. I think it's wholly natural. Work, time, education ... these operate like sunk costs in our brains.
I think what we're all learning in real-time is that human technology is perpetually aimed at replacing itself and we may soon see the largest such example of human utility displacement.
If you're working in a modern manufacturing business the fact that you do your work with the aid of robots is hardly a sign of despair