XPost: rec.arts.tv, rec.arts.sf.tv   
   From: weberm@polaris.net   
      
   davidjohnston29@yahoo.com wrote:   
   > On 2022-08-20 8:53 p.m., RichA wrote:   
   >> On Saturday, 20 August 2022 at 21:06:08 UTC-4, Ubiquitous wrote:   
      
   >>> Star Trek has a huge universe that is constantly growing through the   
   >>> additions of new shows and movies into the franchise. Holding up the   
   >>> narratives and vast array of alien life forms is a solid foundation of   
   >>> lore, fiction science, and various socio-political structures. Among   
   >>> these is Starfleet, a military/exploration organization (the era in   
   >>> question determines which aspect will have the emphasis). This   
   >>> organization's history and formal structure has been fleshed out a lot   
   >>> over the years. One of the key fundamentals of their culture, which   
   >>> spreads across a lot of the Federation — not just Earth — is their   
   >>> ‘evolution’ away from currency and monetary importance. While this   
   >>> sounds utopian in design, it does create some fairly dark issues.   
   >>>   
   >>> The idea that the Federation had ridden itself of the need for money   
   >>> was first introduced in the golden age of Starfleet, during the early   
   >>> days of The Next Generation. The Federation had grown almost complacent   
   >>> over the years of peace: the war with the Klingons had ended, and the   
   >>> Romulans were keeping to themselves. Their evolution past money was   
   >>> something pioneered by Gene Roddenberry, the show's creator, in an   
   >>> effort to show the most ideal and utopian version of what humanity can   
   >>> achieve in the distant future. As the show began to distance itself   
   >>> from Roddenberry, however, who suffered a multitude of health problems   
   >>> at the time, they began to drift away from his vision, often for the   
   >>> best. And in later series, they began to poke holes in the moneyless   
   >>> culture.   
   >>>   
   >>> One such hole, vaguely conceptualized during the last season of TNG,   
   >>> was that the Federation economy was much more trapping and controlling   
   >>> than first appearances might suggest, and acted as a fairly solid brick   
   >>> wall for social mobility. The idea of limiting people into very narrow   
   >>> career paths and choices is present (shown rather than specifically   
   >>> explored) within the Picard show. In this series, the stoic captain has   
   >>> grown old, and has retired from Starfleet to run his ancestral vineyard   
   >>> in France. This is great for him, a man who has inherited this land,   
   >>> but what would happen if someone else wanted a change in career and   
   >>> wanted to make wine?   
   >   
   >There probably is some vine-growing land that is up for grabs because   
   >the previous owners released it to the government because they had no   
   >interest in viticulture.  Alternative they take off to one of the   
   >underpopulated colonies that has some suitable land.  They'd just have   
   >to show the government that they were serious about their pursuit of   
   >such a career.   
      
   Why would they have to prove need to Starfleet?   
      
   >>> How could one can they ‘buy’ a vineyard when money   
   >>> no longer exists? Picard shows that inherited wealth is still   
   >>> prevalent, as Picard explicitly owns the vineyard, and there is no   
   >>> suggestion of a communist or sharing scheme. The Federation economy   
   >>> only makes it harder for everyone else to achieve dreams unrelated to   
   >>> what they were born into.   
   >>>   
   >>> The same issue is present with the morally ambiguous Captain Sisko’s   
   >>> New Orleans restaurant in Deep Space 9. It’s great for Sisko, but what   
   >>> about someone else who wants to open up their own place in the same   
   >>> area? The lack of money eliminates even the possibility of purchasing   
   >>> an establishment. The only other option to rely on a barter system   
   >>> which, effectively, is a primitive and far less measurable form of   
   >>> currency. If one doesn’t have the inherited wealth, what exactly can   
   >>> they offer in exchange that the ‘wealthy’ (for want of a better word)   
   >>> would not already have?   
   >>>   
   >>> The other issue that arises in a world without money is another double   
   >>> edge sword. Removing monetary incentive removes a massive pressure on   
   >>> people who are working endlessly to simply put food on the table. The   
   >>> Federation of the 24th century has eradicated world hunger through the   
   >>> widespread use of replicators, and providing shelter does not seem to   
   >>> be an issue. This creates a problem, however. If people don’t need to   
   >>> work to live, who would do the unsavory jobs necessary for a society to   
   >>> function?   
   >>>   
   >>> Star Trek has provided half an answer for this, using AI and automated   
   >>> systems to carry out the majority of these functions, although this   
   >>> does raise another issue regarding the ethics of creating a permanent   
   >>> slave race.   
   >   
   >Full AI probably isn't necessary for the really dirty jobs.   
   >   
   >>> The problem is only half solved, however, as through the   
   >>> various shows it is shown that there are still actual people who are in   
   >>> jobs such as bartending or waiting on tables — but what's the point if   
   >>> there is no wage and no opportunity to progress in this career?   
   >   
   >Keeping the damn shrinks off your back.   
   >   
   >>> Not everyone can be a business owner, so surely there must be ten   
   >>> subservient roles needed to be fulfilled for every one privileged   
   >>> owner, with no apparent way to escape this.   
   >>>   
   >>> The Federation economy is one of those science fiction concepts that   
   >>> sounds, on paper, to be utopian. But the further the concept is   
   >>> explored, the more holes can be found in its logic, and various   
   >>> societal dark underbellies are shown. It may seem like a freeing   
   >>> notion, to not be tied down by the necessity to make money each and   
   >>> every day to survive. But strangely, by removing this, the Federation   
   >>> has managed to find a way to solidify even further the massive class   
   >>> divide that exists today. Ironically, it's impossible to eliminate   
   >>> poverty by taking away all the money. It only seems like this is   
   >>> possible because audiences are only shown the lives of the social   
   >>> elites, such as Picard.   
   >>>   
   >>> --   
   >>> Let's go Brandon!   
   >>   
   >> There was some rational thought going on.  Picard owns a vineyard,   
   >> probably because not everyone wants replicated wine, so some wants   
   >> are still regulated by scarcity.  The guy who sold tribbles sold   
   >> them for something, though Spock does say he has a modest living.   
      
   Wasn't there a throwaway line about synth alcohol not being as good?   
      
   >The guy who sold tribbles lived before Earth got taken over by the   
   >commies.   
      
   Or left before it happened...   
      
   --   
   Let's go Brandon!   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)