Judge Dredd, Trucks and what we are doing to the world

Let me start by saying that I am an optimist. Where others see impending doom and the end of all civilization, I see opportunity and the chance for a brighter future. I am a European brought up by hippie parents¹; and I grew up believing in a society that looks after the less fortunate while encouraging people to make the most of themselves. I’ve kept hold of these beliefs as I became a techie and then an entrepreneur. In this evolution, I am faced with the reality that we are changing the world at such a pace that sometimes I’m not sure we are doing it with enough care.

Let me take you through my thought process when I read this: https://medium.com/basic-income/self-driving-trucks-are-going-to-hit-us-like-a-human-driven-truck-b8507d9c5961

If you have time, I suggest you read it but if not, I will summarize. Because the automated truck is coming, the TruckApocalypse is coming.

Basically, a large portion of US workers are truck drivers and a large portion of the economy is driven (no pun intended) by these truck drivers from the money that they contribute to local towns while trucking. Right now we are seeing the first driverless trucks on the roads in Nevada and the fear is these driverless trucks might make the truck driver redundant, therefore destroying local economies. This will surely mean masses of unemployment and the end of the world as we know it. Man vs Machine 2015.

At the end of the article there is a section about the Basic Income which really got me thinking. My boss at my first real job was, in most occasions, very similar to the bumbling boss of “The Office”, but on very rare occasions, he combined words that actually appeared wise. When he first interviewed me, he asked me why I went to work. I, of course (as and someone in their early twenties) launched into a monologue of how I wanted to make a difference, work hard, etc. He corrected me and said “No John, you go to work so you can earn money to spend on the people and things you like to do.” Not exactly inspirational, but he had a point. How many of us work everyday because we must and/or because we want to earn more money to “improve” our lifestyle? Or, even worse, because working is what people do (Sorry hippy roots, see ¹). I suspect it’s the majority.

If we follow this thought, would the majority be happier if we received income, had all the modern conveniences and free time to pursue our interests without having to work? Without having to do something we dislike everyday, just to earn a wage? Maybe this means starting a business we are passionate about, or taking up an extreme sport? Could the use of technology actually give us more time to try living differently? To live by doing things we actually want to do?

Now time for another confession, I read comics. I specifically read 2000AD and have done so every week since the age of 9. Reading sci-fi is a huge influence on how I ended up doing what I do and thinking how I think. 2000AD is known for its main character, Judge Dredd, who you probably have heard of (if you hadn’t been living in a box for the last 20 years). Judge Dredd is a lawman, a judge who has complete rights to dispense instant justice including death based on “The Law.” He operates in MegaCity One, a city created and populated by humans after a series of unexplained nuclear wars. MegaCity One has a 99% unemployment rate, as most jobs in society are done by machines. People are fed, sheltered and have loads of free time, therefore they create interesting and insane hobbies: competitive weight gaining, riding hovering surfboards in suicidal competitions, even reaching for a heightened state of ugliness — just because they can. MegaCity One is a relatively happy place apart from the boredom that hits those who haven’t figured out how to spend all their free time (and the occasional apocalyptical war involving talking crocodiles or chaos plagues).

Given the impending TruckApocalypse, are we much closer to a MegaCity One reality? Is this future ideal? No. I for one, like my freedom and instant justice has its own problems. But there is something about the idea of this society that appeals. A future where the mundane is done by machines and we have more time to enjoy ourselves seems like a good thing to me. Maybe when we get outraged by sentient trucks and robotic home cleaning devices or even our kitchens becoming obsolete (as a cook and a European, this offends me), we should think differently. Maybe we should be thinking, “How can we make sure in this Impending New Society, everyone has enough to to do things we want to do?”

This will require a change in how we think about the shame of unemployment and how work defines our existence. Maybe this is a return to more idyllic pre-industrial revolution times. The optimist in me creates and embraces innovation. However, it’s time to innovate on living. It’s time to make sure we create a more fulfilling society based on the freedom the machines give us and not just how we make the machines.

I, for one am excited by this opportunity and look forward to a future of leisure. A future of leisure awarded not only by mandatory retirement, but one awarded by innovation. Oh, and finally, let’s avoid the talking crocodiles, that doesn’t end well.

If you like this article please follow me and share.