Amazon Dystopia

During work and commuting time all workers are mandated to wear a “health watch”, a wristband that monitors their movement. The wristbands also tell the time and weather. Workers also wear “world view” collars and glasses equipped with biometrics and a 360 degree video display to determine the level of their exertion, and where they are fixing their gaze. The collars can generate electric impulses to encourage workers. If they fail to perform, there is summary dismissal. The government has recently added a worker-terminating explosive charge if workers are found engaging in treasonous behavior â€“ which includes “robust criticism or a marked lack of enthusiasm.”

The elections are determined by majority vote, but the people’s choice becomes the tool of the wealthy once ascended to office. This transformation is known as “cocking”. This is an unfortunate play on the Koch name, but one that is not classified as robust criticism. 

It was revealed through an investigative report in the Washington Post that the Koch brothers, a bastion of political activism, present each incumbent with a check made out to their opponent for $25 million, with the threat that the check will be handed over to the opposition if the incumbent does not act in what the Koch brother consider to be the best interests of the country. The threat only had to be made good one time, and the story planted for the Washington Post team to uncover, (with a Pulitzer for their efforts), before compliance to the threat became absolute.

Power became increasingly consolidated with those with the deepest pockets, until in the limit it finally became a plutocracy of one. And having power over the press didn’t hurt either, in order to correctly frame the new order for the masses. At least the subset of the masses not placated by free, unlimited streaming of videos and music.

A value-added tax is a primary source of revenue. Essentials such as food, clothing, and school supplies pass through a taxation station, the “fulfillment center.” The government keeps records of every citizen, both their biometrics, gazing patterns, queries, social interactions, and of course consumption history, to infer their preferences, taxing them more highly on their goods depending on the algorithmic determination of how much they desire or need them. This principle is promoted with the slogan, “from each according to his need.” All purchases are made with the certification of the buyer that they will not resell or redistribute, and product coding at the time of delivery assists the buyer in doing so.

Luxury goods by definition are not needed, and therefore generally are exempt from taxation. 

The tax is paid to the agency that is responsible for the building and maintaining of the distribution system. This payment is tax exempt, because it already is a tax. The agency is in private hands because the government has determined to leave to business those things that it can do best, as measured by the profit they can extract. Thus the slogan, “to each according to his abilities.” This is the most sure way of adding to the economy, and thus to the wealth of all individuals. 

As with any dystopia there is a plucky, fearless group that is fighting back. Led by Kadir and his former-rival-but-now-lover Sabella, a beautiful woman who is good with knives, this group is bringing in others to fight against the tyranny of the plutocracy.