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Monday, July 20, 2015

Total Equality...

Another of the stories for the July challenge


Total Equality


“What is your definition of Utopia?” the detective asked the candidate as he inspected the vandalised office front. Since the candidate was running on the platform of creating utopia, he thought it might have a bearing on the case.

The detective was running a scan for any residue that could pin-point the chemicals used to melt the large transparent aluminum window. Nothing obvious had been used or it would have been detected by the responding officers of the National Benevolence Police.

“I think Utopia can be said to exist when all humans are equal in all ways” the candidate answered while picking up some cleared items off the floor.

The detective shook his head “How would they ever be possible? Will the President and Congress get paid the same wage as everyone else? Will they surrender their benefits?”

The candidate shook his head “In the long-term”.

The detective just thought this guy needed to read a history book. It won't work because it cannot work because human beings are not inter-replaceable cogs in a machine. It had been tried so many times throughout history and has never been shown to truly work, even in small groups.

Even in voluntary communes there were leaders who worked less and took more than a regular share. Plus they held power that others did not have. That's not equality. In terms of country it was much more pronounced and obvious. Leaders of “egalitarian” societies skimming billions for themselves even as their people struggle for food.

This is human nature. The very idea of “Utopia” is against human nature. Without the violent suppression of human nature and nature, it would never even get off the ground. First you have to force it on people against their will, which violates the stated ideals of nearly all egalitarians. Using force is not peace, it is the opposite of peace. Even if you do this in the name of “peace' or “equality” it just makes you a hypocrite.

All of the digital evidence scrubbed from the online world was at his virtual fingertips and appeared on his retinal display. There were social media posts, e-mails, phone calls and forum posts between a small group of local high-school students that might be suspects. One of these kids, Malcolm Joyner, was the son of a chemist who probably knew how to concoct a formula to melt the transparent aluminum.

Joyner was once arrested, last year, but made a deal to avoid prison. He apparently tried to smuggle banned food items into the school for profiteering motives.

“I think I might have found a suspect but there needs to be more evidence before I can state that officially” he said tapping in mid-air. “I can only think of one place where enforced egalitarian even comes close to working, more or less”

“Oh” the candidate said absentmindedly, reading something on his own retinal display.

“Prison” the detective answered, not really expecting a response “And the Warden and the guards are not forced to abide by the same rules as everyone else. A real Utopia on Earth is a prison I guess.”

Finally the candidate turned to look at him “But the world isn't fair for some people. It should be fair to all people”. “Fair” was not a very well-defined term in politics and government. Why was it “fair” for one man who worked hard to have half his income taken away and given to those who refused to work.

Yes, they passed that law. If you legally registered that working for a living was “offensive” you could soon be receiving lifetime government benefits.

The detective tried not to laugh “Reality is not fair. That doesn't mean we should withdraw from it and hide in caves. It doesn't mean we ignore reality and fight reality at every step and build a fictional world. That way will require violent repression, it always does”

There were security cameras all over the place and the detective tapped into these using his credentials and was able to track Malcolm Joyner from his home to the vandalized campaign office. He had brought several friends with him and they all rode bicycles to avoid the traffic and traffic enforcement.

“Well, I have the suspect and his associates” the detective said standing up and stretching “I guess your new window will be delivered by tomorrow?”

“Yes” the candidate said “Have you alerted the Benevolence Police about the suspect?”

The detective nodded, that was just part of the job. This Malcolm Joyner youth was going to be arrested within minutes for dissident activities, which came with heavy penalties. You see, politicians had made themselves a higher class than everyone else, if your office was attacked the perp would likely be facing an easy vandalism charge.

These “egalitarians” really thought they were better and smarter than everyone else and that they were entitled to rule over everyone else. Thus: hypocrites, as the detective saw it. True egalitarianism is an utter impossibility. Sort of like taxing your way to prosperity or spending your way out of debt or just filling up the shallow end of the pool.

Giving people the freedom to sink or swim is much more likely to result in growing wealth than tying anchors to everyone's legs to make it “equal”.

From the communes of early America to the Soviet Union and North Korea the idea of “pure equality” has been shown to be a farce. Real equality is setting the rules that gave the best chance for the most people to succeed instead of tying them all together so that nobody moves forward.

“What is the vandals name?” the candidate finally thought to ask as the detective was leaving.

“Malcolm Joyner, 18” the detective said “132 Cross Pines”

The candidate was a little stunned. “I know that kid! He interned for me last summer. I knew he was too smart. This is the kind of thing that happens when some are allowed to be smarter than others, I have proposals for reforming education because of this”

The detective left, shaking his head.

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