Sorry, you aren't profitable enough to live.
February 13, 2012 10:03 AM Subscribe
I'm looking for what are (probably) Science Fiction or Dystopian stories/novels based on the premise that a person's value in society is based on how profitable he/she is to a bank. I.e., a person who didn't live his/her life in such a manner as to be profitable for a bank would suffer negative consequences as a result. It sounds uncomfortably close to reality, nowadays, so I figure someone wrote the stories I'm thinking of years ago. Any ideas?
Best answer: Max(x) Barry's Jennifer Government, maybe? In which you take the surname of your employer and have to buy protection from the police if you need it?
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:10 AM on February 13, 2012
posted by Sidhedevil at 10:10 AM on February 13, 2012
I think there was an episode of Sliders like this.
posted by steinsaltz at 10:32 AM on February 13, 2012
posted by steinsaltz at 10:32 AM on February 13, 2012
The last (?) sequel of SAW touches this topic, though it's (health) insurance companies and not banks. It's not scifi though.
posted by MinusCelsius at 10:35 AM on February 13, 2012
posted by MinusCelsius at 10:35 AM on February 13, 2012
A similar theme gets quite a bit of play in YA novel Feed. In this case, however, it's about being unprofitable for advertisers, rather than banks.
posted by Joe Schlabotnik at 10:51 AM on February 13, 2012
posted by Joe Schlabotnik at 10:51 AM on February 13, 2012
Best answer: The Unincorporated Man, by Dani Kollin & Eytan Kollin deals with this theme. If "corporations are people" what if every person became a corporation?
posted by General Tonic at 11:34 AM on February 13, 2012
posted by General Tonic at 11:34 AM on February 13, 2012
Never Let Me Go by by Kazuo Ishiguro certainly brings up questions regarding the worth of a human life.
posted by koinonia at 12:24 PM on February 13, 2012
posted by koinonia at 12:24 PM on February 13, 2012
Best answer: Gary Shteyngart's Super Sad True Love Story features a collapsing US where individuals credit ratings are displayed above their heads and govern all aspects of their lives.
posted by Happy Dave at 1:41 PM on February 13, 2012
posted by Happy Dave at 1:41 PM on February 13, 2012
Best answer: There are hints of this in the "Sonmi" chapter of Cloud Atlas.
Fredrick Pohl's The Merchants War and Midas World are based on a post-scarcity reverse-consumption economy where the poorest people are the ones who have to work hard consuming things, but the rich are allowed to relax on only consume things they need.
posted by Afroblanco at 2:04 PM on February 13, 2012
Fredrick Pohl's The Merchants War and Midas World are based on a post-scarcity reverse-consumption economy where the poorest people are the ones who have to work hard consuming things, but the rich are allowed to relax on only consume things they need.
posted by Afroblanco at 2:04 PM on February 13, 2012
Best answer: Stepfather Bank by David Poyer brushes up against these concepts pretty hard.
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 2:13 PM on February 13, 2012
posted by Kid Charlemagne at 2:13 PM on February 13, 2012
Scott Westerfeld's Extras is set in a city where individual compensation & financial worth is determined by one's relative fame.
posted by Cuke at 5:11 PM on February 13, 2012
posted by Cuke at 5:11 PM on February 13, 2012
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posted by ukdanae at 10:06 AM on February 13, 2012 [1 favorite]