this post was submitted on 23 Mar 2026
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A Boring Dystopia
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I think robots can help, but it requires laws, overhauled society, and a twist on things. Instead of companies owning many individual robots, such as shelf stockers, cleanup bots, and food handlers, individual people own a single robot. This robot is loaned out to companies, but service can be retracted by the human owner.
That sort of requirement would make it so that companies can't become automated fiefdoms of an individual will, as they have to get robotic labor from ordinary people.
It requires truly abandoning the idea that one must work for one's pay. That basic assumption has to completely die before you can enter that world of technological post-scarcity. I don't think that reckoning is going to arrive peacefully.
IMO, the United States is speedrunning the conditions needed to upset the apple cart. As such, much of my focus when making suggestions is the assumption that society would have a serious redefinition of how the economy is supposed to work.
To that end, I think UBI socialism could pair with capitalism, but in specific ways. UBI providing free necessities, while capitalism offers luxuries. For example, UBI allowing anyone to own a single generic car in one color, with a set feature list. Luxury cars have to compete against the free basic government car, by offering creature comforts, aesthetics, size, and so forth.
Capitalism is great at offering interesting stuff for a person. But it is fundamentally unfit at ensuring the wellbeing of people. Money should be used solely used for buying lifestyle, while everything fundamental to a decent life is freely given. Free fuel, free food, free basic lodgings, free utilities, free healthcare, free basic supplies, free childcare, free generic clothing, ect.
It is the bandages decorated with children's cartoons, fashionable clothing, fancy christmas lights, and so forth that people have to spend money on.