History Main / NoPoverty

Usually the key to a post-scarcity future revolves around new technology. Maybe AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome, TheSingularity brought total equality, {{matter replicator}}s and infinite energy machines made scarcity disappear. In a fantasy story, maybe wizards use {{Magitek}} to provide unlimited energy. In a science fiction story, maybe benevolent aliens arrive and give us advanced technology that triples food production and eliminates chronic illness. Other authors are convinced that we don't even need any new technologies; rather it's a matter of better distributing the resources humanity already has. Thus, their works may feature an AuthorAvatar revolutionary philosopher/economist showing up to teach humanity a new way to go about civilization that doesn't marginalize anyone. Whatever the case, someone(s) have made it so that characters can only be poor or indigent by choice, and can almost effortlessly access a support network that would elevate them out of it. If characters native to this setting encounter a vagrant or someone in poverty (this may require TimeTravel, visiting alien worlds, or going to a remote and uncivilized place) they'll be confused and horrified at the concept (and running into active slavery will cause [[BerserkButton fits of rage]]).

And then there's always the {{subver|tedTrope}}sion where the lack of poverty was achieved by the society becoming a totalitarian {{Dystopia}}. The good news is that you get three means a day and a government-provided apartment. The bad news is that there is constant surveillance by secret police and dissidents are tortured and executed for criticizing [[BigBrotherIsWatching Big Brother]].

--> '''Superman:''' Every adult had a job, every child had a hobby, and the entire human population enjoyed the full eight hours of sleep they required.

* In ''Literature/TheKingkillerChronicle'', Kvothe visits the homeland of the Adem, a society funded by their world-class mercenaries. He notes that everyone lives simply, but in great comfort.

* ''Literature/Island1962'': Pala, thanks to philosophical enlightenment, population control and advanced agriculture.
* Played with in ''Literature/TheDispossessed''. Anarres, being inhabited by anarcho-syndicalists, has no wealth disparity, and no 'poor' by definition. All resources are shared as equally as possible and everyone participates in the system as much as they can; no one is turned away and no one is forced to fend for themselves. What makes this complicated is that Anarres is barely habitable to humans, so everyone on the planet live in what is considered a state of poverty by the standards of other, more inhabitable planets. When protagonist Shevek visits neighboring Urras, he's struck both by how incredibly wealthy its people are are owing simply to the planet they settled on, and how much they're unable to share said wealth equitably.

* ''Literature/TheHandsOfTheEmperor'': The government of Zunidh has practically eradicated poverty worldwide in the great reforms following [[UnspecifiedApocalypse the catastrophic events of the Fall]]: first with with housing and job programs for the least fortunate, and later with an universal income (the stipend) for any who need or want it.

* The human Cylons in ''Series/BattlestarGalactica2003'' by virtue of being purpose-built machines. It's a notable contrast to the humans in the rag-tag fleet, every Cylon is clean, has nice clothes, is well fed, has access to a direct democracy that votes on all issues, and there isn't even any real hierarchy. Contrast to the humans who, even before the Cylons attacked the colonies, had poverty, inequality, and disenfranchisement. Even the Cylon's ships are self-sustaining, each able to provide enough food and water for the entire crew indefinitely. Where it gets subverted is [[spoiler: that the Centurion {{Killer Robot}}s and Raider automated space fighters have been locked into non-sapience to use as foot soldiers. This along with the SpaceshipGirl Hybrid piloting each Basestar, who are trapped in the role and physiologically unable to leave.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'': in "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS8E2YouOnlyMoveTwice You Only Move Twice]]" Homer gets headhunted for a job in the Company Town of Cypress Creek. In order to encourage the family to move he shows them a video made by the company which displays signs of No Poverty. It shows an ugly suburb transforming into a perfect community; parking meters become trees, abandoned warehouses become coffee shops, and a bum becomes a mailbox. Somewhat justified by Scorpio being a megalomaniacal Franchise/JamesBond villain who's ''ridiculously'' good at [[NoDelaysForTheWicked administration]] - enough so that from that one town, he manages to '''conquer the East Coast.'''

[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
* In ''Anime/No6'' the titular No. 6 appears to have no poverty and be a utopia. It has been designed that way.
[[/folder]]

* In the anime ''LightNovel/{{No 6}}'' the titular No. 6 appears to have no poverty and be a utopia. It has been designed that way.

* Then ''Series/StarTrekDeepSpaceNine'' came along and deconstructed this. Because Earth has no money, they've lost the concept of the value of work (Jake at one point asks Nog to give up his entire life's savings for a baseball card, and thinks Nog's the one being unreasonable when he refuses) and they're too much of an ivory-tower utopia to really appreciate the troubles that happen out in the rest of the universe.
** Then again the reason why the Federation abandoned money (other than replicators making it pointless) is that they don't see wealth the same way we do. They understand work just fine, after all, Jake spends most of that episode doing a number of tasks for crew members in order, it's just they aren't used to the idea of being ''paid'' for it. "We work to better ourselves and the rest of humanity", as Jake says. Or, paraphrased, the value of work is work.
** Jake does this with guidance from Nog and is essentially trading favors, or work for goods or goods for goods throughout the episode. He's just not using currency to facilitate the exchanges.
** As gold-pressed latinum is often used as currency one might argue that the no-money thingy could have been a simple [[WorthlessYellowRocks cultural misunderstanding by time-travelers]]. The gold itself is worthless: the liquid latinum encased within is considered valuable because replicators can't replicate it.
** In addition it is primarily Earth that has this condition, many of the other planets in the Federation lack this, having not officially adopted the policies of a post-scarcity economy. Still, the technology that allows the elimination of scarcity remains available, so even Federation worlds that still have currency often have a very high standard of living.

And then there's always the {{subver|tedTrope}}sion where the lack of poverty was achieved by the society becoming a totalitarian {{Dystopia}}. The good news is that you get three means a day and a government-provided apartment. The bad news is that there is constant surveillance by secret police and dissidents are tortured and executed for criticizing BigBrother.

And then there's always the {{subver|tedTrope}}sion where the lack of poverty was achieved at the cost of society becoming a totalitarian {{Dystopia}}.

Usually the key to a post-scarcity future revolves around new technology. Maybe AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome, TheSingularity brought total equality, {{matter replicator}}s and infinite energy machines made scarcity disappear. In a fantasy story, maybe wizards use {{Magitek}} to provide unlimited energy. In a science fiction story, maybe benevolent aliend arrive and give us advanced technology that triples food production and eliminates chronic illness. Other authors are convinced that we don't even need any new technologies; rather it's a matter of better distributing the resources humanity already has. Thus, their works feature an AuthorAvatar revolutionary philosopher/economist showing up to teach humanity a new way to go about civilization that doesn't marginalize anyone. Whatever the case, someone(s) have made it so that characters can only be poor or indigent by choice, and can almost effortlessly access a support network that would elevate them out of it. If characters native to this setting encounter a vagrant or someone in poverty (this may require TimeTravel, visiting alien worlds, or going to a remote and uncivilized place) they'll be confused and horrified at the concept (and running into active slavery will cause [[BerserkButton fits of rage]]).

Usually the key to a post-scarcity future revolves around new technology. Maybe AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome, TheSingularity brought total equality, {{matter replicator}}s and infinite energy machines made scarcity disappear. In a fantasy story, maybe wizards use {{Magitek}} to provide unlimited energy. In a science fiction story, maybe benevolent aliend arrive and give us advanced technology that trippes food production and eliminates illness. Other authors are convinced that we don't even need that and it's a matter of better distributing the resources humanity already has; thus, their works feature an AuthorAvatar revolutionary philosopher/economist showing up to teach humanity a new way to go about civilization that doesn't marginalize anyone. Whatever the case, someone(s) have made it so that characters can only be poor or indigent by choice, and can almost effortlessly access a support network that would elevate them out of it. If characters native to this setting encounter a vagrant or someone in poverty (this may require TimeTravel, visiting alien worlds, or going to a remote and uncivilized place) they'll be confused and horrified at the concept (and running into active slavery will cause [[BerserkButton fits of rage]]).

Usually the key to a post-scarcity future revolves around new technology. Maybe AlternateUniverseReedRichardsIsAwesome, TheSingularity brought total equality, {{matter replicator}}s and infinite energy machines made scarcity disappear. Other authors are convinced that we don't even need that and it's a matter of better distributing the resources humanity already has; thus, their works feature an AuthorAvatar revolutionary philosopher/economist showing up to teach humanity a new way to go about civilization that doesn't marginalize anyone. Whatever the case, someone(s) have made it so that characters can only be poor or indigent by choice, and can almost effortlessly access a support network that would elevate them out of it. If characters native to this setting encounter a vagrant or someone in poverty (this may require TimeTravel, visiting alien worlds, or going to a remote and uncivilized place) they'll be confused and horrified at the concept (and running into active slavery will cause [[BerserkButton fits of rage]]).