I was and continue to be shocked that there are conservative Star Trek fans. I just can’t wrap my head around how they justify it. It’s very clearly painting socialism and left leaning ideas as the universally correct ideals which will lead us to a utopia.
They’re watching it for Crusher/Troi/Seven/Dax/Uhura. The technobabble confuses them and they think any solution they come up with in the show is just a byproduct of the fantasy premise. That or they identify with the Cardassians.
… “Multi-modal reflection sorting” should confuse you, on account of the fact it is nonsense.
Because classic trek - for all its reaching for the stars and left leanings - is still very much rooted in and reflects the US postwar mindset. We are the good guys! The best guys! We do no wrong! Which is a trough that right wingers like to feed at.
Maybe people like good writing and story telling and aren’t interested in “the message”?
They’re not big fans of ‘infinite diversity in infinite combinations’ either.
Well, basically you have 3 types of people. Humans. Painted humans, and humans with prosthetic foreheads on their real heads.
Then you have SFX aka gods.
Thought the first rule was “Greed is eternal”?
In a post scarcity society, greed becomes irrelevant.
This man doesn’t have the lobes for business.
If you can’t create artificial demand in a utopian society, what kind of Ferangi are you?
Post-scarcity societies are good for business. Rule of Acquisition #74.
Rule #74 is Knowledge equals profit. Are you reading some pirated copy of the rules?Don’t give Hu-Mons the actual Rules of Acquisition. Rule of Acquisition #23.
I see this is actually the Grand Nagus’ account. I’m sorry Grand Nagus. My apologies.
Removed by mod
Define “post-scarcity”. You can’t replicate everything (without programmable matter, anyways…), and some raw materials are needed to build the replicators. And latinum is a rare commodity, though I don’t know why it’s so value beyond its scarcity. Greed will always be there as long as some things remain scarce yet required for a functioning society.
Latinum is only valuable outside of the Federation, where societies are not post-scarcity.
Now, before you argue that there are no material conditions demanding scarcity in (some of) them, I’ll add that artificial scarcity is scarcity nonetheless.
In societies outside the Federation, where they don’t have replicators, things have value due to being able to use them for other purposes. Latinum has never been shown to be used for any other purpose except to trade. Its not clear why a useless material is considered valuable, except for the fact that its rare.
Says a huh-man that uses paper to trade…
That paper is at least backed by the GDP of my country.
That reminds me of that joke:
Two economists are walking side-by-side.
One tells the other: I’ll give you $100 if you take a shit on the pavement.
He proceeds to shit on the pavement and grab the $100.
He then tells the other economist: I’ll give you $100 if you eat my shit.
The other does the deed and collects his $100.
After walking a few more blocks, one of them says: both of us left our dignity with that work back there and neither of us are any richer!
To which the other responds: no, but we grew our combined GDP to $200.
And they both walked away happy, patting each other on their backs.
Latinum is valuable because it can’t be replicated.
Yes, but beyond its scarcity, what other purpose does it have? Lots of things are rare and can’t be replicated, but their value comes from the need to use them for some purpose such the ability to build other things that you wouldn’t be able to build otherwise. Latinum has never been shown as anything more than a currency with nothing behind it to give it value.
What value does gold have other than it doesn’t rust and it looks pretty?
It’s the same thing essentially. Latinum looks pretty and can’t be replicated therefore it’s a good currency.
Gold is used in a variety of applications. You’re likely holding a device filled with gold right now. Even before the computer revolution, is was still used in medical applications. There are tons of uses for gold that don’t involve currency.
Yes it does have applications nowadays but when gold was used as a monetary store we didn’t have electronics. Gold was mainly used because it is shiny, easily workable, rare, and never corroded.
The microgram of gold in my phone pales in comparison to the gold used in jewellery or hoarded.
You missed a big advantage of gold: for most of human history, gold was the densest material known to man by a wide margin, making it very easy to verify that a piece of purported gold is real.
Irrelevant, but it still exists.
When everyone has unlimited access to stuff, one person wanting more does not deprive others of anything so it does not matter if it exists.
IE: In a post scarcity society, greed becomes irrelevant.
but it still exists - even in Star Trek
You’re arguing against a straw man. They never said it ceases to exist, only that it’s irrelevant.
Rule of Acquisition #1:
Once you have their money, you never give it back.That’s it back in the wormhole with you
The socialist utopia that is Earth is a dystopic story for them. It’s like one of us reading Brave New World.
Remember: Ferengi exists. In germany many call our libertarian party - FDP - Ferengi Party.
How can you be a libertarian on lemmy? There aren’t any children here
But they aren’t pedophiles! They’re ephebophiles, which it totally matters to argue about the differences!
No, but if you go by reading age, I can pretend pretty easily. Much more ethical source for my kicks than actual child predation.
Is this the US libertarian which means ancap or the rest of the world libertarian which is a socialist?
Yeah. Libertarian is not only a thing for the right. There are libertarians on the left too.
Mostly on the left actually, libertarian only refers to ancaps in the US where it was co-opted from its original meaning for socialist with anti state leanings. Ancaps basically don’t exist outside the US except for rare and lone individuals so it’s still has its original meaning in the rest of the world.
They don’t exist out there? Fuckin’ lucky you. 🤦🏼♂️
Anarcho capitalists
Nah, the Prime Directive is all about staying out of other people’s business.
Yeah I know y’all read LOTR, yet none of you are anarcho-monarchists.
Meh I read a lot of the culture and am just a regular anarchist