notes from scenario_design_201310 on the question: “What will happen to fear in 2033?”

In 2033 in the Land of Little Dictators (LLD) all thoughts and actions are driven by suspicion, mistrust, egoism, caginess, greed and dogmatic conviction of everything else excluding viewpoints, opinions and attitudes. Interactions / transactions – if existing at all - between domestic and/or foreign people, companies, universities are solely based on personal maximization of profit and assets. Ethical and moral aspects are off the cards and no-one takes care about the others not the mention “the other”. Values such as understanding, solidarity or bonds became alien concepts. Thus, exploitation – both, the environment and people – is the pillar in economy as well as the social order. An order which along the years installed a very strict border between the rich and the poor. You belong either to the ruling, money-making elite through your business or you are condemned to live in bitter poverty as a slave for the rich.

This economic / social order became a highly fertile ground for fears. The poor need to keep frightened to make sure, they serve the rich and the rich need to fear the loss of their supremacy. Thus we find a highly flexible and voluminous market of/with fears in LLD. A whole army of people work to maintain and manage fears. Fears need to be invented, designed, sowed, promptly updated if they become less terrifying and replaced if single of them become irrelevant.

This widespread “fear-management” has established structures as well as mindsets which dominate the entity of the LLD. Firstly we see an unrestricted growth of an insurance industry which pretends that just everything someone fears to lose, to become worthless or to be destroyed can be covered through an insurance declaration. Especially in a culture, which maintains a highly unbalanced social structure you always have a rather high amount of people who try to keep their goods (no matter if tangible or intangible, no matter even if they are valuable or protectable for real) insured as effectively as possible, which again, assures a hand full of people loads of money.

Secondly we have a sophisticated system of surveillance in the LLD. A threatening powerful Ministry of Surveillance even, which monitors successfully all businesses undertaken, controls and charges for every and all sorts of transaction made and prevents all cross-border and cross-disciplinary communication tried to be performed. All residents are registered, profiled and clearly classified, to provide information needed to be known for the effective distribution of fears. As a result of that we have an additional market which blooms – a black-market for profiles. Just another matter of money, whether you will be able to perform your transactions, your businesses, etc. under a rented fake-profile which never will be retraceable to your known identity.

As another result, triggered through this permanent intimidation by fears, is the rise of psycho-somatic diseases. There is an increasing amount of inhabitants (in both of the classes) who just can't stand the constant living in fear. Instead of establishing institutions which would support people who – through a system-immanent triggered malfunction – won't be able to partake in a meritocratic society anymore, in the LLD you are simply doomed – or – to at least have a single hope: join the vivid LLD-resistance (either before you get awfully sick or whilst in the middle of it – if you still find the strength for it). The LLD - resistance can be seen as another significant factor which is slow but steady growing in LLD! The more and the longer the order of this land is established, the more inhabitants start to question the system and not only feed, support, follow and obey all orders being established, but fight against it.