A Commentary on Amazon Prime's Expanse

I'm a big sci-fi fan - more Star Trek than Star Wars and more Indepedence Day than Alien (though didn't the Alien's look the same in both?)...? 

I'm rewatching The Expanse - I love Shohreh Aghdashloo and her Chrisjen Avasarala - and honestly I love strong women. On TV/Film and in life.


There are several things that I don't love about The Expanse (us vs. them nature of Mars and Earth, torture, black market dealings - all trade should be legal with consent) but I do love the role of UN Secretary General (played by Shohreh Aghashloo in later seasons, here she plays kind of a Secretary of State role as Deputy Undersecretary). Why? Because Earth has a singular governing entity who provides assistance (including housing and food) for everyone. 

In this scene, Chrisjen (Season 2, Episode 9 - "The Weeping Somnambulist") comments on the majority of earth relies on basic assistance because "It's not that they're lazy you know...it's just that we can't give them enough opportunities."

It's not surprising that the term "lazy" is used in connect with people who "rel[y] on basic assistance."  "Rely" and "basic" are in conflict with American ideals of individualism and "hard work."  A lawyer working 12 hours a day is seen as "more productive and condusive to what society needs" than someone who takes to time to heal from a break-up (for example).

Both are hard work - and the work to properly heal from a break-up could enable more/better societal contribution. On an individual scale, and expontially on a global one.

Which is why I love that in The Expanse the entire planet Earth can wake up every day knowing that at least two of the three rights that all humans deserve (food and housing, with the third being healthcare) are taken care of.

That means yes you can properly heal from that breakup, and yes you can take the time to paint that next art piece, or know that you can invest the appropriate time to cultivate the idea that could change the world.

I don't love that even with Earth unified, we still have another foe - i.e. in The Expanse everyone still has a counter party.  Just like the US and China (for example), one group has another group to point at and say "we're better than you."  It's unfortunately also how we grade our kids - on a curve that requires others to determine what success looks like.  It's no wonder that as adults we still look to others to determine if our life was worth living.

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