We live, all of us, in capitalist societies—or societies that are touched, in some way, by capitalism. There’s no escaping it, and whatever advantages or disadvantages such an economic system has, the element of competition within capitalism has had unfortunate consequences. One of these is the presence of economic predators: individuals or communities that amass wealth well beyond their needs and to the detriment of others. The increasing gap between the rich and poor can lead, as The Spirit Level argues, to conflict and unrest. The limited opportunities afforded to those without sufficient economic means can only impact negatively on society as a whole, because that society then cannot benefit from the fully-developed knowledge and talents of all its members.
All in science fiction
In two days, as I write this, I’m getting on a plane to visit Japan for the first time since the pandemic began. I’m drowning in deadlines and haven’t started to pack, but all I seem to be able to do is rewatch the second season of Good Omens. Two years and a few months ago, I was getting ready to relocate from Sydney to Brisbane to start a PhD. That time, my binge re-read was The Lord of the Rings. A year and a bit before that (give or take), when I was getting ready to move to Japan to teach English, I rewatched every episode of every season of Lucifer, start to finish.
Each of these moments were exciting, but nerve-wracking. Right now, I’m worried about how different post-pandemic Japan might be compared to when I was living there. I left in a hurry in mid-2020 and that part of my life feels unfinished. What will it be like to be back?