Dominate, Control, Prosper

A recipe for authoritarianism

The slogan of the Krelborn corporation in Nekonikon is: Dominate, Control, Prosper; and it is intended in that order. The executives see this progression as their path to power and drill it into their denizens from an early age.

One of the main themes of the story is the nature of power and how different people define and express it. Colloquially, “control” is often used interchangeably with “power” -as is “dominance”- but upon close scrutiny it is clear they are actually quite different.

Power, in my estimation, is more closely aligned with concepts like freedom and autonomy. It is having the ability to do what you want when you want. Those who crave power want to be free from as many external restraints as possible. Control, on the other hand, is the use of such external restraints. It’s an exertion of external force onto an agent. In a jiu-jitsu match, for example, one seeks to control their opponent’s movements and impose their own will upon them. Do you need power to do this? Yes, of course. But note, they are not the same thing. Control is a type of resistance against an obstacle, whereas power is a state of being that either enables you move obstacles or prevents those obstacles from getting in your way in the first place.

Domination is different also. It is a type of overwhelming control. Again, jiu-jitsu provides a suitable example: If one merely controls their opponent, they may eke out a win in the match by running out the timer. But if one dominates their opponent, they will overwhelm them with superior skill and/or strength and likely submit them very quickly- and leave quite a psychological impression doing so.

So it is with Krelborn’s motto. First they use their Guards, to dominate the populace through force. With potential resistance quelled, they then establish their state and make laws which allow continuous control of their denizens, while allowing them relative freedom. That sustained control leads to Krelborn’s prosperity. They see it as their recipe for their success and they define that success as “power.” This is why Wagner held the “RepublicRats” in such distain: “You see, as private corporations and individuals became wealthier than nations, they too desired power and they used their wealth to get it. Many RepublicRats actually ceded power to these private entities in the pursuit of personal wealth. Can you believe it? Imagine having your priorities so backward.”

However, in their “soup conversation,” Beeson presents Juan with an alternate view. He argues that competition is not a virtue, but rather a vice that leads people to seek power through domination. He acknowledges that everyone seeks power (in his words, they are greedy) but he prefers to associate with people who seek power through cooperation. Through helping others and working together we accomplish more and prosper with our fellows rather than at their expense. He sees the trick of capitalism as one where people have been convinced power is a zero sum game. He argues that obtaining power through competition only leads to more and more people on the losing side and fewer and fewer on the winning. We see this play out in the real world as multimillionaires and billionaires consolidate their wealth at the expense of the middle class and the wealth gap continues to widen.

Juan ultimately adopts Beeson’s mentality and throws it in Wagner’s face later on in the story: The arrogance of this reply was more than Juan could take. “You call this heaven? Take a closer look out that window you’re so fond of! More people suffer here everyday. You value competition because you won early and then rigged the rules to keep it that way! Every time there is a winner, there is inevitably at least one person who loses. As you consolidate power, more and more people land on the wrong side of your so-called progress.” He took a second to collect himself, “This is not heaven. This is something much different for most of us.”

I’ll admit to initially thinking I would drop the “Dominate, Control, Prosper” slogan. It sounded cheesy and derivative of other dystopian fiction to my ears- and perhaps it does to yours as well. But the more I thought about the themes and message of the story I wanted to tell, the more they grew on me. Their simplicity highlights the rote thinking that is required of unquestioningly loyal subjects like the Guards. It also, hopefully, turns off the reader whom I can only assume is a more critical thinker than poor spoiled Rafiq.

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