Skeptic's Row

essay

"Perfect World? Perfect Bullshit, more likely."

That is the number one response I get while trying to rouse people to the idea of changing to a better social system. Believe me when I tell you, selling Perfect World Concept to a bunch of hardened American blue collar workers is tough. By comparison, having them agree to transvestite ballet lessons is easy.

Every time I mention an aspect of Perfect World to them, I'm run over with simultaneous soliloquies on how 'communist' or 'socialist' it sounds, and how the government will ruin it, how evil will always exist, how you can't get rid of the rich, or the selfish, or the lazy... it literally comes at me from all sides.

I try to explain the lengthy nature of the plan, how its two hundred year span weeds out all the people alive today who were raised the old way, how new child rearing and education techniques can promise a better human, how better humans already exist today and when you observe how they were raised the method can be reproduced and used to raised everyone, I'm smacked down with accusations of creating human farm factories and wanting cloning or eugenics and why anyone would vote for a plan they will never live to see, and you'll never get your hands on my kid, mister!

Oh yeah, it's tough. But I'll try once again.

Here are the answers to a few of the more frequently asked questions from my information gathering sessions. Try not to contemplate suicide-- not everyone thinks this way:

(For this post I will use the fictional city 'Aden' to represent our completed Perfect World.)

Q: If you're not going to pay me in Aden, then why should I work?

A: Money will not be used in Aden, so you couldn't be paid. You work because it's the least you could do, for all the wonderful things being provided for you. In exchange, you won't have to pay for your house, or your food, or your entertainment, or anything. The software that runs the show puts city needs together with citizen abilities to arrive at a very efficient way of working without having to create, and then follow, all the petty and unimportant dollar signs.

The obsessive tracking of every penny in an attempt to quantify all human experience is misleading at best. Being regarded as somehow less because of your bank balance or earnings potential is damaging to the human psyche, and doesn't tell the real story-- many people have valuable qualities which don't correspond to a dollar value. Even in the present day it is possible for a person to starve, to freeze, to die of treatable illness, any of which can and will happen to the person without the funds to pay for those protections. This makes no sense, but is our accepted social system.

Right now there are a huge number of 'useless' jobs in 21st century America, brought on by a series of mismanaged social situations. How many jobs are directly or indirectly related to money? Never mind the printers of money and the bankers-- every single store has cashiers, and a bookkeeper, and an accountant. A section of each work day is reserved just to count and secure the money. Then people are charged with keeping money safe while in transit. People who try to steal money are locked up in prisons and guarded. It's hard to imagine a society without money-- what the hell would everybody do?

When you remove money and pricing from a society, all that is left are the jobs which need doing and the jobs people want to do. We have to arrange food for everyone, and housing, and healthcare. We have to educate everyone and take care of the old, the young and the infirm. We have to put out fires and prevent floods and rescue people from mudslides and earthquakes and other natural disasters. We have to protect the Earth from our influence and clean up the mess we've already made. After that, it's all icing. Literature, art, music, philosophy, science, drama and other cerebral endeavors come to mind. Sports, play, exercise, dance, sex, games, and entertainment nourish people's physical side. And as always, the greatest rewards come from learning about each other; interacting, cherishing and merging with them in mind, spirit and body. That stops a lot of tail chasing and kills the rat race. It also leaves us with a lot of free time which can finally be used for more than vacuous staring at the boob tube or ingesting vast quantities of junk food, cheap food and fake food.

You work because it's something to do! It makes you feel useful and helps you become an expert in something good, which is wonderful for your own self respect.

Q: If I don't pay for food, what's to stop me from eating the rarest and most expensive food all the time?

A: Besides your conscience? Remember, children in Aden will be raised to share much better than we do, and adults would find that selfish behavior repugnant. Until we get to that point there will be a system similar to money available, as a stepping stone to the final, moneyless system. The interim system will be different from money the way counting calories is different from eating Weight Watchers (which uses a point system to achieve the same results).

In that interim example, people bring their shopping to the checkout counter, which flashes red or green (for example) depending on whether the item is allowable. Most staples would automatically be 'greenflashed'. Disallowed items would be considered excessive, and be based on the shopper's work profile-- for example, the shopper has not put enough hours of work to 'afford' that caviar and truffles quite yet. But because the interactive computer that organizes society is designed for flexibility, it can modify the shopper's work profile to help them afford that item. Often that means either working extra hours at their current job, or choosing an job with a higher 'disagreeability' factor.

Plus, overeating and wealthy eating are symptoms of depression. In a society designed to remove fear from everyday living, contentedness is what is felt by most people. And most people don't overeat when they are content-- there's just no impetus.

Q: You're going to run an entire society with computers? That makes no sense, unless we are all going to become drones.

A: Don't think a society organized by computer will occur? Too late, it already is-- we are as connected as we have ever been. The problem with it now is that it is far too impersonal, treating each person like a value based on their income. Every time you use a credit card, you are checked for creditworthiness. Each time you use major transportation your profile is checked. Don't believe the warnings your teacher made about your permanent record? You should have-- it exists, only not just in one place. The information about you is spread all over the Internet, linked by a few numbers. Sadly, the system is only benevolent to the system. It began as a way to prevent people from taking advantage of others. It does a very good job of that, as information about you from many different agencies can be quickly accessed. The days when crossing state lines solved legal problems are over.

Aden's computers will be more integrated into the city than even today's Internet. Each person will have onboard communication, like a computer necklace or earring, which will allow them to contact the computer audibly, and vice versa. If you need to travel somewhere in the city, tell the computer where you need to go and it will tell you where to find your transport. If your sink has a leaky faucet, tell the computer in your ear and it will send a request to the nearest person able to fix a leak-- it doesn't have to be a plumber. If you've lost your way the computer will guide you back. If you are lost the computer will find you.

Aden's computer would likely be very personal, and could be personalized to each user's taste. One might prefer the sound of a man's voice. Another wants the computer to be witty. Still another wants the computer not to speak but instead play constant reminders to help with their memory problems. Any configuration will work. It would not be surprising to hear the computer sound like a homey, or a cholo, if that's what the wearer wants.

Another function of the computer would be to compile regular lists of products for import into the city from other places, places with different monetary situations. One of the functions of Aden would be to produce marketable products for the outside world to buy. The received monies would be wisely invested and allowed to accrue, and used to buy outside products. It would also be given to traveling citizens so they may vacation in the other cultures for awhile without resorting to begging.

It would likely be accomplished with linked supercomputers which each handle a different, important function for the city, like controlling the production of solar and wind power and getting it to every switch and outlet, or making sure traffic runs smoothly, or regulating the vote results and generating project lists. Multiple backups would ensure there's no failure, and geothermal power production backup would guarantee no loss of power, ever. Aden might be the first city which could continue to run if there were no people in it. Thanks, ENIAC!

Q: If there are no jails, then what happens with criminals?

A: As you know, in America only a very small number of people commit crime simply to break the law. Most people need money. Eliminate the need for money and many crimes cease to exist. But there are other types of crimes-- gang violence, sexual assault, crimes of passion-- the list goes on. What can be done about those?

We modify society, that's how. Society exists to serve humanity. If people's needs aren't being met, society has failed. Gangs exist because young people feel unprotected and join for safety. Unstructured leadership and gray area laws morph the gang credo over time from 'safety in numbers' into 'our gang will kill your gang'. Repairing society eliminates gangs. Raising people correctly solves the rest.

It's true that people growing up today will have a very hard time envisioning a world without crime. We hear about all manner of illegal activity on the news and watch it on television and in the movies. Without exception we all know someone who has committed a crime-- or have done the deed ourselves. And what little kid hasn't tried to steal the candy bar mom said 'no' to? We are immersed in it, and even though we hear how wrong it is, it seems as though there will always be a kind of perverse pleasure in 'getting away with something'.

It sounds like we are a society of incorrigibles. Fortunately that's not the case... there are other forces at work here. First as I've mentioned is being influenced, by it being a daily topic and a glamorized one as well-- remember Bonnie and Clyde? Butch and Sundance? Bush and Cheney? Today's people want to get away with taking advantage.

There's also jealousy; we watch television, and so drool over the wealthy and famous attending exclusive parties while all we can muster is to invite the greasy neighbors over for burnt hot dogs and 99 cents store chips. They fly in private jets to exotic locations while we take busses to overcrowded parks and beaches. They eat thousand dollar hamburgers; we have a thousand dollar yearly food budget. It doesn't seem fair and it isn't going to change.

That is, unless we do something about it.

Q: I don't feel like working today-- can I just blow it off in 'Aden'?

A: Yes and no. Aden is populated with people who give a shit about their community, so unless they don't feel well they are unlikely to 'blow off' work. Remember, with so many jobs falling into extinction in Aden there will be plenty of able bodied people available to work at the remaining jobs. Most occupations require no more than about 10 hours a week to complete your 'requirements' for minimum service. But since many people work at jobs they love, 10 hours won't seem like enough and they will just want to work more hours in a week. The additional time they spend at work is recorded as 'surplus', making it easy to throw a party with caviar and rare champagne for your guests, for example. So yes, you can blow off work; but no, you wouldn't want to.

Q: You say marriage will be a thing of the past. Won't society be a wreck without that institution?

A: There are many examples of marriage-less cultures in the past which did just fine. The institution of marriage-- the laws and the penalties implemented by the state-- is the part I think is damaging, not the desire to be with someone you love. Being forced into a lifelong union with your high school sweetheart is akin to loving an author but being assigned one of their books in school. The sweet enjoyment of reading is replaced with a sour 'I don't wanna do this' attitude... even though you would love the book! Nobody likes being given an ultimatum.

In Aden, let's say two people find each other and want to do more than bang like Bengals; they want to live together or have children. Living together would be as simple as requesting a larger home and choosing one you both like. Children would be a different matter because of two reasons: 1) Population control is an important aspect of Perfect World existence-- too many people alive at one time makes the Earth an unhappy place, and 2) There is nothing more important than raising children correctly in Aden. The two of you would have to take exhaustive child raising and child care classes, and pass a series of real-life tests before the birth prevention each Adener uses would be removed.

Once you have been approved for childcare, many factors would be different than they are now in America. You will have a lot of assistance, for one. Feedings at 3am would be taken care of by a night worker (an Adener who is usually awake at those hours and has the proper instruction in child care), so exhaustion would no longer be a part of parenting. You will have lots of professional assistance at other times in the day as well, to help with unusual situations and confusing behaviors.

Outside of children, the current belief that married partners must not stray outside of marriage is replaced with a much more reasonable allowance for desire, handled in myriad ways. Partners could be urged to occasionally visit one of Aden's many PleasureDromes, a non-judgemental way for all Adeners to 'get their freak on', the point being to eliminate the frustration that kills couplehood.

The answer is that Aden is designed to work around human needs and desires. It makes no sense to curtail a person's natural behavior to fit a set of stringent rules, since people are so different.

Q: How does Aden control the greed and underhanded behavior of politicians?

A: By eliminating the greed and the underhanded behavior, as well as the politicians. American politics suffers from many problems, and one of the main reasons for that is the lure of power. By electing politicians into a lifetime career, we are entrusting far too much power to far too few individuals. Psychologists knows how malleable people can be, and to that end helped bring about a political occupation-- professional persuaders, called lobbyists. The lobbyist's main weapon is greed, their main tool is money, and their main clients are large corporations which need to sell their products in vast numbers in order to remain competitive. Because of that, Americans are sold on many things they neither need nor want, including a war based on lies, in order for corporations to sell products to the government to fight that war.

But what are politicians? They represent people, usually a large number of people. Back when America was first founded, it was very difficult to have the entire population vote on every law, every proposal-- in an agrarian society, most people were working the fields from sunup to sundown and had no time for politics, so they elected politicians to do it for them.

Today we have a very different society-- down to an individual, we have more free time, are generally better educated and are completely interconnected using the Internet. Yet somehow, this archaic representational form of government still exists. You know why it does-- because we have voted a small number of people to wield all the power, and they don't want to let it go, and so have slowly modified the laws over time to make it impossible to run the country without them.

But a new method is out there, and Aden will use it. Adeners will have even more free time than Americans do, and will be better educated thanks to focussed schooling, so have eliminated the middle man-- politicians! Now instead of people, it is proposals which are voted on, by all the people that proposal affects. Two examples: 1) Two Perfect World cities want an underground transportation system built to rapidly move people and products between them and have voted to start coming up with ideas. The proposal is submitted to design teams, who come up with a few different concepts. The resulting designs are displayed online for all to see, detailed and clear, with a list of positives and negatives for each plan. Every citizen in both cities pore over the designs and each chooses their favorite, as you might rate a movie on IMDB. The design with the majority of votes gets built.

2) Children in a neighborhood must walk too far to get to a playground and tell their parents or teachers. Each affected family votes on whether to build another playground, where it will be, what it will feature. The rest of the city never hears about this vote, because it has zero impact on them.

In both examples no politicians were needed. One project had much larger impact and so was voted on by a much larger percentage of the people. In this way red tape is eliminated, wasted time is eliminated but most importantly, politicians are eliminated. If there are no politicians, then there is no political system-- which means no Communism. No Socialism. Not even Democracy. What Aden has is a Meritocracy Minus Power-- the people with the highest skill set get to lead projects, but not people. The people lead themselves by majority. Individuals are expected to be good examples... but not all the time, because nobody can... and nobody should.

Q: What happens when you fight with your boss? Do you get fired?

A: First ask yourself-- what is a boss? Usually, they are business owners, or managers of a section for a larger business. They are charged with maintaining or improving the efficiency of that business (or section) so that the company stays competitive and doesn't fail. If one of his employees seems to be dragging the efficiency down, it is his duty to remove them.

In Aden, competition is not an issue. It's like a family-- what needs to be done is just done, by whoever knows how, or is closest, or wants to. In Aden money isn't needed to keep the doors open or the lights on. The organizational software that solves dilemmas prints a list of needs, and sends requests out to the various groups which have been created to satisfy the need. If there should be more needs than groups, then software sends requests to people who don't normally work in that area but have it listed as one of their skills nonetheless. When the surge dies people resume their preferred work.

Bosses in Aden are just experts. If it is a light bulb making company, the boss is just the one with the most knowledge and experience. The boss holds no power to fire anyone, or even yell at them. The boss just helps with the organization, trains workers to be better at what they do, and gives assistance where needed. You won't find a crappy worker, because everyone in the job likes what they do, and in a family approach the weak link is helped with training, not drummed out like day old bread. If there's a boss anywhere in Aden, it would be the organizational software that says 'You can't do whatever you like-- you have responsibilities, pal!' Fortunately, the responsibilities are usually shared by many.

Q: I like to party and get shitfaced. Will there be drug and alcohol abuse in Aden?

A: There will be drug and alcohol use in Aden. Drugs and alcohol overuse (and other behaviors) are symptoms of a deep discontent within each person, whether it be from internal conflict, relationship issues or a larger societal woe. Aden's charter has resolving individual human issues as the number one priority, which has the overall effect of reducing frustration, fear and anger. American thinking has each human as a tiny cog in the big machine of society. Using the machine metaphor, you can see how it begins to work improperly when lots of small cogs drop out of the machine. Aden prefers to oil the squeaky cogs by giving the citizens what they need in order to be content. And who needs to abuse drugs when you are receiving so many hugs and kisses and pats on the back?

Now on to the recreational use of drugs and alcohol. Adeners say 'it's fun!' and they would be right. There would be no laws preventing it. If through some physiological issue a citizen were to develop an addiction, the family concept of Aden kicks right in to help them regain control.

Q: It's all sweetness and light with you, huh? What happens when non Adeners come and want to destroy your city?

A: Didn't I mention the death ray?

Okay, there will be no death ray. But Aden would not be defenseless. The people will know how to use weaponry. The people will learn hand-to-hand combat and other methods of self defense. Not too strangely, they will be required to know these things before they visit one of the 'normal' American cities.

Visitors coming from other cities to Aden will not be allowed to carry firearms. If they feel they must carry some kind of self defense they don't need to visit. If they somehow manage to sneak one in-- it, not they, will be removed. Remember, it is a city designed to work with people, not punish them.

If for some reason there is a dedicated assault on Aden, our most important criteria is to protect the citizens. Any damage caused to the city can be repaired quickly because money and red tape don't get in the way. But even in America we don't bomb cities without a good reason. Didn't we have a good reason to bomb Baghdad? Hiroshima? Dresden?

Oh, dear.

Okay... new vote. We'll need to build a city bomb umbrella.

Q: What about unrest? Who will be there to shut down 4 am parties or horny guys who can't remember what 'no' means? Will Aden have police?

A: Last question first-- there will be no official police, although there will be people who can step into the role should it be needed to do so. Make no mistake-- it should not be needed.

Loud parties are to be expected, which is why all party facilities are designed to be away from sleeping areas or, when not possible, in soundproof party headquarters.

Guys who are horny? Where will you find those? Laugh out loud, winky face. All guys are horny-- it's the nature of the beast. Funny thing though-- given the chance, all gals are horny too. This is why we will have places for people who feel they must have sex right away, places like the Sex Playground, which is an immense building with hundreds of rooms divided by choice of tittilation. They all go there, and guess what? They all have sex. Try not to drool.

Q: Can I still keep my gun collection in the Perfect World?

A: In the Armory. Target practice is a valid goal and going hunting for food will be a respected pastime in Aden. But for the extremely rare times when another citizen needs to be calmed down, there are many other methods which are not only injury free, but rather painless as well. Bolo nets and foam come to mind immediately. Rubber bullets hurt but usually don't cause injury. Taser-type weapons also hurt without real injury. But the point is moot, since those weapons won't be used in Aden.

Aden wouldn't have what it takes to make a person to become that distressed. Long before it got to that point, someone has found out what is upsetting to the citizen and tried their damndest to fix it. That's the real difference between the current world and the Perfect World-- They would care enough to try. They wouldn't let anyone fall through the cracks if it was at all possible.

Q: Will I be able to wear frilly dresses in Aden? My wife hates 'em.

A: That's a question for Penthouse Forum, I think. But sure, you can wear whatever suits you-- a rabbit outfit, if that's your thing. Just don't go out during hunting season.

Q: What about shitty jobs-- will there be any in Aden? The only reason people do them now is because the money is good.

A. There will always be certain jobs which are difficult or unpleasant, but absolutely necessary. Back in the day there was the unenviable job of emptying the 'honey bucket', because there was no sewer system, and therefore no toilets. And they usually emptied it through the window, onto the busy street in front. That makes me cringe, but it had to be done. It was such an unpleasant job in fact, that sewers and toilets were invented just to end the practice. I wonder if the inventor had to empty a lot of honey buckets in his youth?

Today there are still some pretty unpleasant jobs which need to be done. In a system like Perfect World, though, there is nothing getting in the way of inventing mechanical solutions to all of them, to distance ourselves from them. And thanks to the advent of robotics, I can foresee a near limitless number of solutions to what are still common dilemmas. Robots will eliminate the backbreaking 18 hour work days of the farmer by controlling the large machinery farmers currently drive. Any machine can be designed to lighten our load, freeing up the human mind to delve into other matters of universal significance.

And don't forget-- in a city which asks for so little yet gives so much, if there's a job that no robot can ever do and must be done by humans, and is just a terrible, terrible job-- we'll take turns. Like mature people. Which is what we are.

Q: Not everyone is mature. What about children and teenagers-- how will their selfish ways translate in Aden?

A: I'm glad you brought that up. Aden won't have any children. It's only for adults.

All right, all right, I'll answer for real. The truth is, we have patterned our current society with children in mind, because lawmakers seem to think that there are no adults, only selfish apathetic kids of all ages. And now we see why society works so poorly... too many people forced into behavior which suits society, but not them.

In Aden, children are not only monitored, they are accompanied at all times by at least one adult. One child, one adult. Think of them as teacher/mentors. It will be one of the most important jobs in Aden-- the transitioning of children into adulthood, complete with maturity and responsibility.

Today's kids are a messed up bunch, and here's why. In schools, too few adults are present. That allows a child-based social strata in which most kids are judged far too harshly and unfairly by their peers. Strike one against the possibility of well adjusted adults coming from that crop.

When they get home, often they are greeted by an empty house because both parents have to work in order to afford the house, the cars and all the other regalia of modern life. They get home and watch TV, usually the programs their parents would prefer they didn't, the ones with too much violence and exposed skin and cursing instead of the shows which could inspire them. Strike two-- garbage television.

Then the parents get home, exhausted. They slap together a meal and eat it in front of the TV as a family. Usually the same kinds of shows, but at least when the folks are home they can exert a positive influence. Where that influence comes from I don't know. The end of the evening comes and they are already fast asleep. Strike three-- babysitter parents. But don't blame them-- they're exhausted from chasing the American Dream that we all want.

Aden's schools will be one student, one teacher. Often during the day the teacher will be a highly entertaining and interactive piece of software which not only follows the child's results, but determines their natural strengths and teaches to them. All subjects are covered, but only their favorites are taken as far as they can go. Because everyone has unique talents which are all allowed to blossom, far more young adults eagerly step into work which not only benefits the city but themselves as well.

And then there's the rebellious time, that monstrous phase all kids suffer through, the one we pray our kids make it through intact. The Native Americans would send their young men out to hunt, alone, on an extended ritual. If they survived and brought back game, they were considered to be full grown men by the entire tribe. If they didn't, they were considered dead.

Aden will want to challenge their teens, just not fatally. But they don't have to know that. Adeners would have a tribal challenge open to all children, boys and girls, which would tax their muscles and their minds and their cunning, where to lose a challenge would be to be dumped ingloriously into a mud puddle from great heights and then have to start anew. Tests based on their learned abilities would be custom-designed to maximize their potential and get them to strive for success. As in school, their competitive urges would be mollified with self competition, in trying to equal or better their previous attempts, and at the end of the months-long course the children will truly be closer to adulthood.

But the number one rule for raising kids in Aden would be to weed out frightening influences during their impressionable childhood until they develop the inner strength to fight the fear, helped along with a series of trained and talented 24/7 mentor teachers. Maybe we should start that practice here in America, right now.

It couldn't hurt.

--••---•---••--

And there you have it-- my answers to some of the most Frequently Asked Questions I've received so far. I hope I've inspired you. If I've planted a kernel of doubt in any of your heads, then I will consider this post a resounding success.

But I've only just scratched the surface. There are so many questions asked of me regarding the specifics of Perfect World mechanics, that I think you all must believe I've already built Aden.

Maybe I have. If so--

Are you man or woman enough to join?

Copyright 2009 Bruce Ian Friedman