The dystopian reality of a social credit system

Of all the heavy-handed tactics governments (both domestic and international) are implementing, one of the most bizarre is the social credit system. First brought to world attention by China, many Western nations are happily embracing the utter and complete control such a system puts over citizens.

But don’t worry – a social credit system will only be implemented with the best possible intentions. We must do our part to save the planet and fight climate change!

In this we are aided and encouraged by the benevolent souls at the World Economic Forum. According to J. Michael Evans, president of the Alibaba Group, a new social compliance platform tested in Chinese cities might be the wave of the future. “We’re developing, through technology, an ability for consumers to measure their own carbon footprint. What does that mean? That’s, where are they traveling, how are they traveling, what are they eating, what are they consuming on the platform? … Stay tuned, we don’t have it operational yet – but this is something we’re working on.”

Of course, no social credit system would be possible without the proper tools. Smartphones are the obvious culprit for the constant second-by-second monitoring potential they offer, but the shift toward digital currency is also a massively important step in that direction.

According to Alibaba Cloud, “Alibaba Cloud launched the Energy Expert platform in February this year, allowing people to track their carbon footprint and receive credits worth money when making low-carbon choices.” The technology is designed to “encourage people to adopt low-carbon behaviors and be environmentally accountable.”

Here in America, the move toward a social credit system is brisk. At the corporate level it’s called an ESG score, which stands for “environmental, social and governance factors.” Unwoke companies are penalized, which is doubtless why such seemingly neutral businesses as fast food are now putting on drag queen performances for customers. They’re inclusive! They’re diverse! More social credit points! “You’re no longer measured by how profitable your business is,” observed one writer. “You’re now measured by how long you’re willing to comply with tyranny on a global scale.”

For businesses, here are the criteria:

Environmental factors:

  • What effect do you have on the environment? What are your carbon emissions like? How much waste do you create?
  • How effectively do you utilize natural resources? How much water do you use? How much electricity do you use?
  • Do you engage in any climate change initiatives?

Social factors:

  • How well do you treat your employees, local community, and society at large?
  • Do you support diversity?
  • Is your workplace safe?

Governance factors:

  • Do you make political contributions or influence legislation?
  • How much do the executives at your company make?
  • Are the executives within your organization diverse?

(It goes without saying on which side of the political spectrum the answers to all these questions durn well better fall.)

On an individual level, many businesses, banks, lenders, schools, and employer are already using a social credit score to gauge your worthiness for employment, enrollment, loans and mortgages. The criteria are simple: to measure your degree of wokeness.

It’s very easy to scoff at a social credit system and decide you’re going to refuse to participate. Hey, if you don’t have smartphones, you’re immune … right? Wrong. The benevolent masters who think up these things have also thought through every contingency. Smartphones are the most convenient vector, but by no means the only one. Can you go through the rest of your life without spending any money? Buying any food? Using the internet? Driving any vehicle? Using electricity? Heating your home? No? Then welcome to the social credit club.

Those individuals who plan to fight against social tracking will be increasingly marginalized to the point of paralysis. What if you need health care? A dental visit? New eyeglasses? What if your pet needs attention from a veterinarian? Not only will those services be influenced by a social credit score, but you may be unable to even (legally) drive to these locations because your driver’s license has been suspended due to a low score.

This week, for example, I took a trip to town to do some errands – bank, grocery store, hardware store, insurance agent, and Department of Motor Vehicles. Every single one of these errands has the potential to be unavailable to me should I refuse to be involved in a social credit system.

According to this article, “So far around 4.5 billion people around the world use the internet and most have social media accounts. … 32% of adults between 25 and 34 in 21 countries (a total of 10,000 individuals) have already had difficulty getting a mortgage or loan because of their social media activity.”

If this sounds paranoid, I ask you to look at China and see how scofflaws are treated. If one person in a family breaks the law, the whole family will be punished. Taking an active part in a religious ceremony can result in punishment. “China has led the way because the Chinese system is more ruthlessly efficient than anything the West can offer,” notes this article. “The Chinese government has more control over everything and the people don’t have much control over anything. … Snitches, sneaks, police officers and over-compliant government employees will mark you down for any sin of commission or omission.”

Western leaders, including those in America, are racing to embrace this level of control. More power over the people, whoo-hoo! But of course, government officials won’t admit this. Instead, as they always do, they dress up this dystopian system in fine linen. It’s for the children. It’s for public safety. It’s for the earth. It’s for your own good.

In theory, the Constitution and Bill of Rights will put a brake on full-scale implementation of a social credit system as extreme as China’s. But the left has demonstrated, over and over and over and over and over again, their eagerness to put aside those outdated documents and usher in a brave new world created in the image of their version of Utopia.

Welcome to the future.

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This article was originally published by the WND News Center.

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