Trekkies, Ferengi and a Political Statement

Its no lie we've enjoyed having netflix for one reason and one reason a lone, we have access to ALL Star Trek seasons. Deep Space 9 went up on the streaming October 1 and we've started going through the seasons again.

One particular episode stands out to me "Past Tense" 3 of the crew get transported back in time to the year 2024. The female is found by a passing man who takes her to his office so she can get her ID's reordered but the other two are not so lucky. Two passing policemen wake them and noting they have no ideas throw them in the "Sanctuary".

Sanctuary is an overpopulated fenced off debtor's prison with 4 types of people:

the poor,

the sick,

the mentally disabled,

and anyone else who cannot support themselves

Sound familar?

The people were demanding the government find them jobs and the Sanctuary is used as a place for them to go while they wait. There were riots where people held hostages but by the use of the internet, were able to show what was going on in these districts.

I was haunted by how many similarities I saw with the current state of things, but one thing is for sure while I support parts of the 99% and the Tea Party, I don't agree with enough of either to support either one.

I feel for people who are over their head in student loans, I feel for people who have no retirement funds because of the stock market and while I support aid, I don't feel the government is big enough or should be allowed to be big enough to put in Sanctuaries for people to go while they find them jobs. I want to be self sustaining and think everyone has a right to be self sustaining but its insane for a society to continue trying the same things and expect the outcome to always be the same.

The world, like people, change.

I saw a graffiti mark the other day that said that Capitalism was a Pyramid scheme. It made me giggle, but made me think of a Star Trek quote:

"You don't understand. Ferengi workers don't want to stop the exploitation. We want to find a way to become the exploiters."
- Rom (responding to Bashir's suggestion that he form a union)

While thats extreme, it holds a certain level of truth. Are the Tea Party more like Ferengi's than the Federation?

I wouldn't mind living in a world where I did what I loved and loved what I did without having to worry about making ends meet. But that isn't a world we live in, and we've seen places that have gone corrupt in so doing that. But I can't quite let the humanist vision of Gene Roddenberry go. Its very attractive.

* This post was inspired by the following links:

Occupy Oakland Strike Turns Chaotic

We Are the 99 Percent

Tea Party Movement Wikipedia

Physics Shocker Neutrinos Clocked Faster Than Light

Nasa Hopes to Develop Tractor Beam

I can dream of those days right?

What do you think? Do you like the philosophical messages? the Scientific discoveries? Are you completely turned off by this franchise? Do you think it could work? Why or Why not?