While I sympathize, it seems odd to segue from 'total environmental meltdown' to 'scorekeeping in an imaginary game for imaginary points'. Which is what capitalism is - a game for made-up dollar-points to motivate individuals to go to work. Really, almost ever economic system is exactly that thing.
Your objection to the segue would make more sense if those "imaginary points" didn't have the potential to e.g. purchase one of a limited number of tickets off the planet (or any number of other life-changing/saving things). There's a sense in which money isn't "real", but capitalism certainly isn't an imaginary game for imaginary points.
Capitalism is just a social control system to replace previous control systems like "religion" and "nationalism." It provides a general rules-set for the average person to follow and believe in while allowing for greatly artificial and generally negative social gradients and stratification.
For example, why should an ignorant hotel-heiress be afforded one of the limited opportunities to flee the degraded Earth simply because she happens to possess more imaginary points than a skilled technician or competent farmer? Her real-social-utility is quite low compared to someone with functional capabilities and her "great wealth" is directly derived from the environmental degradation she is hoping to flee.
"Intellectual currency" as you put it, is absolutely necessary on the frontier, along with tenacity and a willingness to put up with physical and mental hardship.
If there is a limit to the number of people who can flee a degraded earth, I see no problem limiting it to people who can work together and yield their intellect in service of survival. I'm almost positive that I would be one of the ones left behind on Earth so this isn't some sort of personal superiority complex.
I also think it's entirely appropriate for those who have benefited disproportionately from the degradation of a system to use their extensive resources in direct service to fix the problem.
Ultimately I'd like to believe that all persons interested in "escape" could be accommodated but I also think most of us would have to remain and deal with or fix the degradation.
If everyone's life was on the line, no amount of imaginary dollars would get you a ticket. It would be fixed by those in power. Don't fool yourself. The imaginary points are only there to motivate the working class.
Comments
While I sympathize, it seems odd to segue from 'total environmental meltdown' to 'scorekeeping in an imaginary game for imaginary points'. Which is what capitalism is - a game for made-up dollar-points to motivate individuals to go to work. Really, almost ever economic system is exactly that thing.
Your objection to the segue would make more sense if those "imaginary points" didn't have the potential to e.g. purchase one of a limited number of tickets off the planet (or any number of other life-changing/saving things). There's a sense in which money isn't "real", but capitalism certainly isn't an imaginary game for imaginary points.
Capitalism is just a social control system to replace previous control systems like "religion" and "nationalism." It provides a general rules-set for the average person to follow and believe in while allowing for greatly artificial and generally negative social gradients and stratification.
For example, why should an ignorant hotel-heiress be afforded one of the limited opportunities to flee the degraded Earth simply because she happens to possess more imaginary points than a skilled technician or competent farmer? Her real-social-utility is quite low compared to someone with functional capabilities and her "great wealth" is directly derived from the environmental degradation she is hoping to flee.
@spearchucker
"Intellectual currency" as you put it, is absolutely necessary on the frontier, along with tenacity and a willingness to put up with physical and mental hardship.
If there is a limit to the number of people who can flee a degraded earth, I see no problem limiting it to people who can work together and yield their intellect in service of survival. I'm almost positive that I would be one of the ones left behind on Earth so this isn't some sort of personal superiority complex.
I also think it's entirely appropriate for those who have benefited disproportionately from the degradation of a system to use their extensive resources in direct service to fix the problem.
Ultimately I'd like to believe that all persons interested in "escape" could be accommodated but I also think most of us would have to remain and deal with or fix the degradation.
So you're swapping paper currency for intellectual currency. So unless we all get a ticket, one control system or another will be in effect.
If everyone's life was on the line, no amount of imaginary dollars would get you a ticket. It would be fixed by those in power. Don't fool yourself. The imaginary points are only there to motivate the working class.