#the smiling god is in there Somewhere too. probably mostly leveraged for power by kevin

[weepylucifer]

let’s talk strexcorp!!!

i think “strex tortures the employees” is certainly one thing to hc and write, and you should do that if it butters your biscuit, but i personally am finding i like writing strex as just. normal capitalism taken to extremes. i’m talking amazon or tesla the way it is in reality, with everything dialed up. like:

employees being paid in ~strexpoints~ or whatever that they can only spend in strex-affiliated stores and that are worthless everywhere else. like ofc the DB economy collapsed after the strex overthrow

employees being paid just barely enough to make rent and feed themselves. those who don’t manage that? well gee, way to Fail To Reach Your Productive Potential! those people are just lazy and probably get shot by strex drones behind a dumpster. need to buy anything else? like medication for example? your Strex Insurance™ will cover it! probably. maybe. unless it’s deemed Nonessential To Productivity. then nah.

in pain every day bc you can’t afford your meds and your Strex Insurance™ doesn’t cover them? just put a smile on and get to work! the only disability is a bad attitude, friendo :) oh your health is steadily worsening and you Will Die? don’t fret! you can probably be replaced by a daniel-type android. it’s okay. i mean you will die. but you’ll die in the happy certainty that at least the work will get done :)

most everyone living in Strex Apartments™ that are little more than barracks and still, somehow, cost an outrageous amount of rent

anyone who dares utter the word “unionize” gets invited for a friendly chat with kevin, who happens to need some help redecorating his studio

they’re not obedience collars, they’re Mood Adjustment Collars, reminding you with a gentle but admonishing electric pulse that you should be thinking more happy thoughts! :)

romantic relationships being monitored, regulated and manufactured with regards to which people will Heighten Each Other’s Productive Potential! you want to be in a relationship with someone HR deems unsuitable for you? too bad. better luck next time! wanna procreate? fill out the permit. there is no such thing as parental leave. children, or rather, Future Strex Employees! are raised in corporate teaching facilities

strex will also pick out your platonic relationships for you! in your allotted Self-Care™ Social Bonding Time™ , you should surround yourself with people who are best suited to you and your productive potential :)

everyone eats Strexmeals™, a cheap, efficient and nutricious food-replacement gruel. it’s the only food anyone outside of management can afford to buy. is it laced? you bet. sometimes management will hand out cupcakes as a treat for heightened productivity. how nice of them!

it’s not the working conditions that are problematic, it’s your attitude!! hey, you should smile more. then everything immediately looks much better!! a smile on a scarred, malnourished, agonized face is still a smile :) it signifies that at least you’re trying! :)

lauren is that Peppy Cool Manager that everyone’s had at some point. you know the one. she “totally gets it” and “we’re all a team here” and “we’re one big family you know!!” but she has no interest whatsoever in changing the conditions. her name tag identifies her as “vice-president” of strexcorp, and in the same way that a 12-year-old sweatshop worker will never meet tim cook, the CEO of strex has never been seen. does such an entity even exist? to the lives of the workers, it doesn’t matter.

NO ONE SEES ANYTHING WRONG WITH THE ABOVE. everyone is completely conditioned to see all this as just the way things are.