I know Etho is approaching his world building in a real Way (#healthism) but the idea of giving ppl a base income determined by their Health Status is so interesting for the fact that it becomes immediately obvious that those who are born into wealth are more likely to be āhealthierā because their basic needs are being met and theyāll have access to better resources (eg housing, food, medical care, just simply time to care for themselves and to rest and and and) whereas those living in (or near) poverty are more likely to face greater health issues just based off worse living conditions and less access to support and resources which then keeps them in poverty and worse health (and woah sidebar: this type of society probably has sectors that are wholly avoided and abandoned because itās where the āunhealthyā live and I just know tuberculosis amongst other illnesses are going crazy there) and like Etho is right in that tying income to Health Status would be a class creating/dividing force in this world but im not sure he fully understands the extent to which/just how that might work
Etho you do know that the idea of ābeing healthyā is extremely nuanced and that health is not an individualās responsibility but rather the combined outcome of a lot of different factors outside of their control, right??? You know that you canāt just willpower your way into āgood healthā????? Not even to mention how Etho is tying weight to notions of health and also?? Iām not sure heās addressed how disability fits into/is reacted to in this world at all??? (Another sidebar, but, if your society uses parkour to get around that immediately isolates anyone with mobility issues. Relatedly, how are aging populations cared for? Parkour is dangerous, surely people get injured - do you have ways to heal bones instantaneously? Does it cost money? What about permanent mobility issues? Are āhealthyā ppl who lose a leg considered āunhealthyā now? Are dystopian prosthetic limbs available and are they accessible or will they chew through your pockets? If you canāt afford to get medical care does the government provide any support or are you just doomed to now receive LESS money because getting injured/sick/etc is considered to be a personal failing?)
Anyways I actually kinda think that a society which takes a healthism mindset to the extreme by explicitly and systematically tying value to health is really interesting and does in fact reflect a lot of current attitudes and good dystopian fiction should engage with contemporary issues and fears but like. Etho I know you understand this is a dystopian world and that itās bad to live in but I need you to study some public health stuff and unlearn a lot of bull shit before you keep going okay
