Abstract
In times of austerity, rationing becomes key. Arguably, in just societies, rationing processes are fairness-led. Medical models – as the pandemic underscored – should be grounded in human dignity, equality, and non-discrimination, but may easily yield to utilitarianism. Humans with the best chances of survival tend to escape the ‘frailty algorithms’ aimed at preserving scarce or finite resources and avoid darker consequences of unwritten policies such as those underpinning ‘Do Not Resuscitate’ (DNR) orders. This paper argues that law is ill-equipped to prevent or highlight the various injustices arising from landscapes of harsh rationing. Rather, works of fiction often serve to raise public awareness, identify inequities, and challenge those holding the ‘purse strings’ of social justice (whether fiscal or conceptual). Looking at forms of ‘fantastic rationing’ found in literature and popular culture (food, information, knowledge, and fairness itself), several works of dystopian fiction are examined: the literal, unjust rationing of food, security and human rights in The Hunger Games is contrasted with the limited allocations of shared memory, human emotion, and inheritable knowledge in both The Giver and Dust (both particularly prescient works given their themes of social isolation and lockdown). Likewise, the fatal inequities that are ‘socially justified’ in Logan’s Run serve to highlight the easy potential for egregious rights violations – and lethal otherings – seen within algorithmic decision-making processes. In sum, calls for law reform, however vocal or impassioned, do not as easily convey the emotional, intergenerational aspects of those ‘unavoidable’ harms that tend to flow from harsh, unjust rationings.
Original language | English |
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Publication status | Published - 17 Jun 2022 |
Event | The Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities 24th Annual Conference: Unsettling Law - Emery University, Atlanta, United States Duration: 16 Jun 2022 → 17 Jun 2022 https://lawculturehumanities.com/event/2022-conference/ |
Conference
Conference | The Association for the Study of Law, Culture, and the Humanities 24th Annual Conference: Unsettling Law |
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Country/Territory | United States |
City | Atlanta |
Period | 16/06/2022 → 17/06/2022 |
Internet address |
Keywords
- Social justice
- rationing
- human rights
- dystopian