UrsaMajor
23rd June 2005, 11:01
I've seen a lot of talk of some boards that there is no example in the current media that reflects the values of socialists or anyone on the left. I have the example, and it is Star Trek.
This has grown out of a decade-long debate I have been having with a conservative friend of mine (a frat brother) who thinks that in the world of Star Trek, the United States still exists not only as a geographic entity, but also as a political entity that is capitalist in nature. He often mentions how "credits" are mentioned in the original series, in that it could just be a cashless society. This is even after in First Contact, Picard reveals to Cochrane's assistant that in the future, the economy is not based on money, no one gets paid, and that people in the future work to better themselves (which is to say, not for material gain). An Earth where there is no war, no poverty, where merit is what matters, not profit. There are other examples.
Ferengi are depicted as the worst sorts of capitalists, encouraged to cheat workers and clients by their "Rules Of Acquisition".
Klingons are a warring species that reflect the worst instincts in humans, though come in useful in some instances (like war).
Vulcans, though logical, are depicted as hampered and limited by their religious doctrines.
Would anyone like to weigh in on this? Is Star Trek the rough depiction of what we want to accomplish in the world?
This has grown out of a decade-long debate I have been having with a conservative friend of mine (a frat brother) who thinks that in the world of Star Trek, the United States still exists not only as a geographic entity, but also as a political entity that is capitalist in nature. He often mentions how "credits" are mentioned in the original series, in that it could just be a cashless society. This is even after in First Contact, Picard reveals to Cochrane's assistant that in the future, the economy is not based on money, no one gets paid, and that people in the future work to better themselves (which is to say, not for material gain). An Earth where there is no war, no poverty, where merit is what matters, not profit. There are other examples.
Ferengi are depicted as the worst sorts of capitalists, encouraged to cheat workers and clients by their "Rules Of Acquisition".
Klingons are a warring species that reflect the worst instincts in humans, though come in useful in some instances (like war).
Vulcans, though logical, are depicted as hampered and limited by their religious doctrines.
Would anyone like to weigh in on this? Is Star Trek the rough depiction of what we want to accomplish in the world?