The GLN is supposed to be dark and everything, but in a lot of ways they seem almost inhumanly noble to me. Like, they represent hierarchy and control -- but notably, when Meng Jianli met with Sunny he just offered recommendations, he doesn't try to enforce it. The GLN has the power to basically force any country on Earth to do its will by threatening to cut said country off, but seems to have an astonishingly permissive attitude. Off the top of my head I cannot think of any other entity in history that had so much power but exercised it so little.
"[O]ur upper echelons must studiously dehumanize ourselves and embrace a Dark Corporate Wellness culture to transcend petty human obsessions like 'community' and 'happiness.'" But it really is true that, while on the clock, the decision makers should try to avoid being influenced by desires for community or their own happiness! The fact that they're willing to give up their own happiness for the benefit is a point in their favor, not a mark against them. And it's also worth noting that it seems, from that quote, that it's only the upper echelons that are expected to give up on happiness. They put this restriction on themselves, but not on anybody else.
They "ruthlessly cultivat[e] a spartan and minimalist sense of ‘normal’" but if I understand correctly this only applies to their universal welfare program, they aren't stopping anyone from going out and buying more with their own money (I'm actually not entirely clear on this point, I could be wrong here). And, y'know, if that's the only way there's enough to go around then yeah, you absolutely do have to have that attitude! They're feeding an entire planet and all they ask for in return is your personal data for AI training. They're arguably the most beneficial organization in history!
ellievsbear
jbbartram-illu
origamiaround
blakekathryn
pixelskylines
kianamaiart
snowghoul
gummygunk
areudirty
