It's been a recurring, if not central element in cyberpunk and science fiction: widespread use of legal dugs.
William Gibson shaped his sprawl flooded with designer drugs, and the inability to consume them was a major factor in convincing the main character of "neuromancer" to join Armitrages crew, similar themes exist throughout the other two books of the sprawl triology.
The BBC made a great short movie with very strong cuberpunk themes to accompany "the If debate" ... if drugs were legal. Which emulates the future with almost complete drug legalization: the good sides the bad sides, police and corporate world and criminals etc. ...
The government in Huxleys "brave new world" used drugs to control the population, todays situation is similar in a paradoxal way.
Thousands of people go to jail on drug related charges, often victimless crimes. These people come out of jail economically weaker, destitute sometimes. Their property is often seized and sold to further the means of hunting down drug criminals; the proceeds of selling seized property fuel the militarisation of police forces.
No-Knock warrants are a hazard to both the residents of the house being invaded, and the police officers carrying out the warrant. All of this despite the meager amounts of drugs seized on average. Still, these actions are a major source of revenue, which serves to strengthen the seizing forces even more.
This money comes from ordinary citizens who buy drugs. Ideally, the consumers will stay out of jail and keep pumping money into the black market. Then police officers will be able to seize the money (and hopefully arrest a professional criminal in the process). No other tax system drains the population so effectively of money, which they willingly give up.
Why on earth would a government decriminalize drugs? It wouldn't really have a huge impact on availability to come down harder or softer, and they could be taxed. But those taxes are nowhere near the funds seized from the drug trade, especially if you can build a police force that seizes as much as possible from criminals without destroying the black market entirely.
Meanwhile, the war on drugs is a great "reason" to maintain a strong police force, and it provides tools of propaganda for the war on terror, as well as effectively making a growing demographic a slave to the penal system.
In comes the incorporated government: Would they legalise drug use?
If it would benefit them, then yes. If it would allow them to permanently bind employees without causing significant damage to profits, yes. If it would reduce the cost of keeping a working population entertained during their time off, yes. If it would allow them to prolong a mans working day without loss of concentration, yes. If it would make people break down and die before the age of retirement, yes. If it would turn their corporate slaves into an apathic mass unable to rise up and break free ... of course they will.
Showing posts with label Gov inc. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gov inc. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Friday, February 1, 2008
Ever so much bigger they grow
It was recently reported that Yahoo was laying off a rather substantial amount of people.
Now, both Microsoft and Google are bidding for ownership of the company.
Remember that governments can only dream of having the voluntairely-provided information on citizens that Google has, and that Microsoft is pretty much the biggest and most powerful player on the software market. I wonder which of them will manage to absorb sun microsystems when the time comes.
Seriously, I'm running a blog on Google servers, they know my real names, address, phone number, bank account, my mail runs through them, ...
How much do they know about you, and would you ever divulge that information to a uniformed public servant?
Now, both Microsoft and Google are bidding for ownership of the company.
Remember that governments can only dream of having the voluntairely-provided information on citizens that Google has, and that Microsoft is pretty much the biggest and most powerful player on the software market. I wonder which of them will manage to absorb sun microsystems when the time comes.
Seriously, I'm running a blog on Google servers, they know my real names, address, phone number, bank account, my mail runs through them, ...
How much do they know about you, and would you ever divulge that information to a uniformed public servant?
Sunday, January 27, 2008
What is the incorporated government?
Whenever I speak of the future and the incorporated government, people get confused. Do I believe that a huge corporation will seize control of public affairs? Do I believe in sovereign enclaves under corporate control?
Various models and posibilities have been explored in a myriad of *fictionous* books. Today I will explain what I believe will happen.
The first democracies.
Originally, the demographic that was allowed to vote was severely limited. In Greece, only free men were allowed to, and only free richmen could do so for all practical purposes. Later in Rome, issues arose with slaves who had been freed by their masters, or who accumulated enough wealth to buy themselves free. Should they be given the sane civil rights as the common citizens? What of the educated slaves who were used to copy books and teach children? The criteria for allowing people to vote have often been subject of discussion and strife.
Women have the right to vote today, but that wasn't always so. Their struggle to attain that right was long and harsh, and a very recent devellopment if you take into consideration how long democracy has existed.
Present day.
Today, citizenship goes hand in hand with the right to vote accross the world. In the US there could be issues with permanent residents, or the residents in DC. Felons don't get to vote either but generally speaking, there is a widespread right to vote amongst US citizens. Simillar situations exist around the world.
"Everybody" gets to vote, and everybodies vot carries the same weight.
Corporate democracy
There exists also a form of democracy withing corporations and large companies: stockholder meetings. Everybody who invested in the company, and some who work for it, get to have their say in determining policy. Everybody who has bought shares or stock gets to cast their vote, and the weight that your vote carries is determined by the investement that you've made. That's the essential difference between corporate and political democracy.
What about the "government" part?
It seems such a foreign concept to be ruled by a company, but is it really? What has the government ever done for you? Housing? Education? Your government taxes you, taking your money, and gives you something in return. A police force to keep you safe, firemen to protect your house from fires. An army to protect the borders, healthcare ...
What is essential here is that you should recognise that these are all services that can be provided by private institutions. The only possible exception would be the "army" thing, and even then, we've recently seen the rise of large companies of mercenaries who fight alongside enlisted men in foreign theathres.
Large companies often provide their employees with vehicles, or encourage/sponsor carpooling,
corporate housing exists in many countries, healthcare, pension plans, security. Large companies have their oen fire and rescue squads, especially in the cheical industry, but also in harbors and on airports. These are all services that the government also provides, the corporation is complementing the government in some of its most essential tasks. Sometimes replacing it alltoghether (healthcare for example).
All of this comes out of the paychecks of those on the corps payroll, hardly any difference than taxation. And by "out of the paychecks" I mean: skimmed off the profits that would otherwise end up in shareholder profit or an increase in pay.
Can we really call this a form of government?
Easy question! A German car parts company is willing to set up a factory in the US; who's got more influence on that decision: the chambre of commerce or General Motors inc who will be using the parts? Who's got more influence on Government policy: grassroots political activists, or large corporations who will be bankrolling the re-election campaigns? What's a bigger incentive to maintain peacefull relationships with China? The US' desire for global peace, or the vast amounts of commerce in between continents by international companies?
No, this doesn't constitute a government, but it should be clear that companies already have a much bigger say in the lives of its employees than the government can ever hope to attain without being accused of fascism and being a totalitarian dictatorship. And more and more people are becoming directly or indirectly subjected to corporate actions.
Democratic governments are here to stay, and they will take every action they can to increase their power, but who you work for is going to be a biggie in the future, maybe some concrete examples on that tomorrow.
Various models and posibilities have been explored in a myriad of *fictionous* books. Today I will explain what I believe will happen.
The first democracies.
Originally, the demographic that was allowed to vote was severely limited. In Greece, only free men were allowed to, and only free richmen could do so for all practical purposes. Later in Rome, issues arose with slaves who had been freed by their masters, or who accumulated enough wealth to buy themselves free. Should they be given the sane civil rights as the common citizens? What of the educated slaves who were used to copy books and teach children? The criteria for allowing people to vote have often been subject of discussion and strife.
Women have the right to vote today, but that wasn't always so. Their struggle to attain that right was long and harsh, and a very recent devellopment if you take into consideration how long democracy has existed.
Present day.
Today, citizenship goes hand in hand with the right to vote accross the world. In the US there could be issues with permanent residents, or the residents in DC. Felons don't get to vote either but generally speaking, there is a widespread right to vote amongst US citizens. Simillar situations exist around the world.
"Everybody" gets to vote, and everybodies vot carries the same weight.
Corporate democracy
There exists also a form of democracy withing corporations and large companies: stockholder meetings. Everybody who invested in the company, and some who work for it, get to have their say in determining policy. Everybody who has bought shares or stock gets to cast their vote, and the weight that your vote carries is determined by the investement that you've made. That's the essential difference between corporate and political democracy.
What about the "government" part?
It seems such a foreign concept to be ruled by a company, but is it really? What has the government ever done for you? Housing? Education? Your government taxes you, taking your money, and gives you something in return. A police force to keep you safe, firemen to protect your house from fires. An army to protect the borders, healthcare ...
What is essential here is that you should recognise that these are all services that can be provided by private institutions. The only possible exception would be the "army" thing, and even then, we've recently seen the rise of large companies of mercenaries who fight alongside enlisted men in foreign theathres.
Large companies often provide their employees with vehicles, or encourage/sponsor carpooling,
corporate housing exists in many countries, healthcare, pension plans, security. Large companies have their oen fire and rescue squads, especially in the cheical industry, but also in harbors and on airports. These are all services that the government also provides, the corporation is complementing the government in some of its most essential tasks. Sometimes replacing it alltoghether (healthcare for example).
All of this comes out of the paychecks of those on the corps payroll, hardly any difference than taxation. And by "out of the paychecks" I mean: skimmed off the profits that would otherwise end up in shareholder profit or an increase in pay.
Can we really call this a form of government?
Easy question! A German car parts company is willing to set up a factory in the US; who's got more influence on that decision: the chambre of commerce or General Motors inc who will be using the parts? Who's got more influence on Government policy: grassroots political activists, or large corporations who will be bankrolling the re-election campaigns? What's a bigger incentive to maintain peacefull relationships with China? The US' desire for global peace, or the vast amounts of commerce in between continents by international companies?
No, this doesn't constitute a government, but it should be clear that companies already have a much bigger say in the lives of its employees than the government can ever hope to attain without being accused of fascism and being a totalitarian dictatorship. And more and more people are becoming directly or indirectly subjected to corporate actions.
Democratic governments are here to stay, and they will take every action they can to increase their power, but who you work for is going to be a biggie in the future, maybe some concrete examples on that tomorrow.
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