• MelodiousFunk@slrpnk.net
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    2 months ago

    Conservatives don’t want people to be starving, starving citizens are the sign of a poor society.

    Starving citizens are required. They’re there to keep those that aren’t currently starving terrified of becoming that person. (And also to be someone to look down on.)

    • Melmi@lemmy.blahaj.zone
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      2 months ago

      Okay, but that’s capitalism. There’s the classic cope of “this is simply a requirement because scarcity exists.” They think it’s necessary and unavoidable.

      The conservative read of Star Trek is that feeding all its citizens is a sign of the Federation being so rich that it can feed all its citizens without the need for capitalism as we know it. True post-scarcity.

      It doesn’t challenge their belief that starving citizens are required in the modern day. If anything, to a conservative techbro like Musk, it reaffirms their beliefs because it’s all about how rich the Federation is and how feeding the whole world would require massive advances in technology like replicators. It’s even a common plot point how other civilizations want access to Federation replicators and other tech.