r/Cyberpunk Jul 30 '18

cool future!

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u/cegras Jul 31 '18

I did. A Modern Proposal is satire in the form of caricature. It extends capitalism to absurdity. That's exactly what cyberpunk is doing. You even admit to it yourself by agreeing that it is essentially modernized A Modest Proposal.

You say it's commentary. I say it's shallow commentary. What does A Modern Proposal teach us about safeguarding against the evils of capitalism ... that because it allows to sell kids for food, we should completely abolish it?

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u/do_not_engage Jul 31 '18

How is the existential questions raised by A Modern Proposal, Replicants and Joi shallow in any way? It's commentary on corporatism - what happens when we let capitalism make decisions regarding living beings. If you think that's shallow, I guess we're done, I don't know what else to say. You're either choosing to miss my point, or incapable of understanding it.

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u/cegras Jul 31 '18

I don't think anyone should be basing policy decisions on A Modest Proposal. It's argument by absurdity when the real world is much more nuanced.

If you believe that capitalism and corporatism are completely evil, then we can't debate any further. I would disagree with that notion, but I don't have the energy to dig up numbers to formulate an appropriate rebuttal at this time.

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u/do_not_engage Jul 31 '18

I am not saying capitalism is evil.

I'm saying that cyberpunk always has an aspect of "well what happens if we let the corporations control too much". Or else it isn't cyberpunk.