Corporatocracy: is an economic, political and judicial system controlled by business corporations or corporate interests.
I try to keep to myself.
I find people taxing & I don't get any refunds.
So, if I happen to have a Random Encounter, I do my best to enjoy the moment.
We all know that every entity now has a Corporate Identity, in Australia, for Value Added Tax reasons.
So much so, that Government bodies need to carry an ABN (Australian Business Number) that links them to our Corporations Law.
The rub comes, when our major assets, and most of our needs, are now controlled by Corporations.
It is a fine line when it comes to control.
They have a service or product that people require to exist.
Yet, they also have to protect their profit motive interests.
I take advantage of our 10 cents bottle/can return system that we have.
I collect several of these depositables and cash them in.
I get a voucher to redeem for cash at the big Corporate supermarket.
Normally, I don't need to enter the business. I walk to the front counter, get my cash, and leave.
However, today, I had to go into the store to find an attendant.
She politely told me to walk through the self serve isle.
I assumed, incorrectly, that I would exit and goto the front kiosk.
There was a perspex barrier to exit. It didn't open so I gently went to move it.
An alarm sounded! It was just a small warning blast telling me "don't touch"!
Oh, I had to see her inside at the kiosk.
As she was producing my cash I then noticed all of the CCTV cameras watching.
Wow! Imagine if it wasn't to protect from pilferage.
What if it used AI to scan everything about me?
How many times I had been to the store? What I had purchased in the past? What's my credit status? My social media? My connected significant others? My job, political preferences, prejudices, and so forth...
What if it determined that, for whatever reason, I couldn't LEAVE!
Or, just as problematic, that I couldn't ENTER?
How could I exist if I didn't fit the current paradigm?
The world is pretty bi-polar as it is.
Well, worse still, it is suffering from delusion and multiple personalities.
So, I received my small amount of cash and I was allowed to exit.
But it didn't feel right. Not one little bit.
Am I entering an episode of Black Mirror?