I’ve been thinking about universal basic income recently, and I think context has changed.

Ok, lets say we get UBI. I think we will get UBI fairly shortly.

But it’ll be as a result of AI taking all the jobs. And that’s when the rich will be hit head on with the unfortunate truth they’ve been conditioned to deny for centuries.

A middle and lower class having money is a GOOD thing for them. See, if I have $800 in my wallet, and no bills, and nothing coming up, I might be enticed to go spend $300. Or maybe I’m an idiot, and go dpend all $800.

Well now these billionaires are getting my money.

But if I just lost my job to AI, then I don’t have $800. I have a struggle to even make rent. So I’m not spending that $800 on anything beyond thinking about next months rent.

So now you have all these people, and they all lost their jobs.

Now the CEO of dorritos notices nobody is buying dorritos.

Ticketmaster now notices nobody is going to concerts.

All the CEOs are losing money because we’re their source, and we have no money.

And THAT is when they introduce UBI. Except now think of it like living with a toxic parent. Yes, you get your $1,500 a month. Yes, it’s a huge step down from your old wage, but you don’t have your old job. You gotta be grateful for what you got.

And then, something political happens. People are outraged! The thing the government just did is unacceptable! Maybe they just nuked Canada for no reason. People do not approve. Protests in the streets.

And thats when the government says that they are watching everyone. If you attend a protest, your UBI is cancelled for 6 months. If you help someone who had their UBI suspended, you get your UBI suspended.

Suddenly the people have no voice, as people would be too scared to speak out. With the herds thinned out, it’s now possible to just arrest all protesters, and get more free slave labor.

Because in our constitution, slavery is legal, as long as they’re in prison.

And thats why I no longer view UBI as the automatic feel good utopia moment it should be.