No Poverty: Difference between revisions

Maybe [[Alternate Universe Reed Richards Is Awesome]], [[The Singularity]] brought total equality, matter replicators and infinite energy machines made scarcity disappear, or a revolutionary philosopher/economist came along and taught humanity a new way to go about civilization that doesn't marginalize anyone. Whatever the case, someone(s) have made it so that characters can only be poor or indigent by choice, and can almost effortlessly access a support network that would elevate them out of it. If characters native to this setting encounter a vagrant or someone in poverty (this may require [[Time Travel]], visiting alien worlds, or going to a remote and uncivilized place) they'll be confused and horrified at the concept (and running into active slavery will cause fits).

 

 

It's also possible that rather than be applied to humans, this trope be used by aliens, a fantasy races, or a subgroup of humanity. There may be some [[Cultural Posturing]] involved on the part of these peoples.

* Naboo in ''[[Star Wars]]''. The government figures and civilians alike dress like Venetian noblemen from the Renaissance, and even the Gungans, supposedly ostracized from society, live in glittering bubble-cities underwater. It makes Amidala's later claims of widespread economic depression, to the point of starvation, very hard to swallow, as the city always looks unblemished and no such hardship is ever shown.

 

* In ''[http://www.ansible.co.uk/books/3mill.html The Third Millenium: A History of the World 2000 - 3000 A.D.]'', virtually the entire population of the world is middle class by the end of the millenium. While this was partially due to technological and political reasons, the death of the "lost billion" in the 22nd century and the radical global tax code changes of the 28th century (which effectively exiled most of the planet's super - wealthy offworld) also played a critical role.

* In ''[[wikipedia:Macrolife|Macrolife]]'', this is true of the civilization within the "urban levels" of the Asterome, a [[Generation Ships|colony ship]] roughly [[That's No Moon|200 km across]].

* The [[Backstory]] of ''[[The Wheel of Time]]'' establishes the Age of Legends to have been like this. While there was still inequality, nobody lacked food or shelter.

 

* In ''[[Star Trek]]'' it's mentioned that poverty is effectively no longer an issue in 24th century Earth. By the time of ''[[The Next Generation]]'' [[Teleporters and Transporters|transporters]] and replicators make most things so cheap that money is kind of pointless, making this is one of the reasons people of the 24th century tend to question the moral character of anyone from the 21st century.

** Then ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' came along and deconstructed this. Because Earth has no money, they've lost the concept of the value of work (Jake at one point asks Nog to give up his entire life's savings for a baseball card, and thinks Nog's the one being unreasonable when he refuses) and they're too much of an ivory-tower utopia to really appreciate the troubles that happen out in the rest of the universe.

* ''[[Hostile Waters]]'' has widespread use of nano-assemblers that can create practically everything from its base components and (apparently solar- and fusion-based) energy. This has led to eliminating poverty by ensuring ready access to the assemblers for anyone: Anyone capable of accessing an assembler can obtain food, clothing and basic healthcare needs freely. The other result was the end of capitalism, money and the private market.

 

* ''[[The Simpsons]]'': in "You Only Move Twice" Homer gets headhunted for a job in a Company Town. In order to encourage the family to move he shows them a video made by the company which displays signs of No Poverty. It shows an ugly suburb transforming into a perfect community; parking meters become trees, abandoned warehouses become coffee shops, and a bum becomes a mailbox.

{{quote|'''Marge:''' I keep expecting to get the bum's rush.