|
Then, based on what people were good and wished to do, they were placed in
their permanent jobs for which they worked until 45, the age of retirement.
Another problem with employment was wages. In the 19th century, wages were on
the average very low with the average worker having to spend nearly all their
money on food and shelter without room for luxury. Now, everyone earned the same
thing and it was his or her hours of work that varied from job to job. Even if
everyone worked, problems would still occurred with production in the 19th
century. Since producer has no clue as to how much of a certain product was
needed by the population, there was almost always a surplus or lack of a certain
product. In the new society, distribution was carefully calculated by an average
consumption rate. Thus there is never a shortage and any surplus can be given to
other nations. Another problem was the schism between the rich and the poor.
There wasn’t enough of a median for the two groups to interact except with
through work-hire relationships. The real problem was money, something this
world didn’t have. This also eliminated the need for crime since everyone had
the same amount and no one was jealous of anyone else’s property. The last two
problems were female and child labor. In the 19th century, both of these two
groups still worked but were paid less and often were treated much worse. Women
nowadays were part of the same system men were and were paid equally. In fact,
Dr. Leete felt they should be paid more. “Can you think of any service
constituting a stronger claim on the nation’s gratitude than bearing and nursing
the nation’s children?” (Bellamy, Looking Backward, 188). Children of course had
education to worry about until the age of 21 and thus couldn’t work. As one can
see, everything in the book is just putting on paper a way to improve society in
every way. Through the control of all economy by the government, all of
society’s evils have been eradicated. As for the predictions it makes, this is a
novel of utopian society. As far as inventions go, the only things accurate were
electric lighting, shopping malls and radio. Everything else in this book is
just wishful thinking on the part of Bellamy.
|
