It certainly never occurred to me that the Ferengi were supposed to resemble Jews?????????? Huh? In what way?

To me the Ferengi were simply aliens who represented the worst side of capitalism...the present ruling order in the world, which is based on limitless greed. The Star Trek society had completely done away with money! The motivation for getting ahead in that society was the sense of accomplishment and pride you get from mastering a trade that interests you, the enjoyment you derive from practicing that trade, and the respect you earn from others by doing a good job at it.

That's brilliant! That is the foundation of a truly enlightened and free society. That is the accomplishment of genuine equality and social justice.

They had no poverty. They had no class divisions. If you needed shoes, you went to the commissary and picked out a pair you liked! For free! No need to be like Imelda Marcos and hoard 3,000 pairs of shoes in a society where shoes are free, is there?

You want to eat lunch? You go to any one of many local restaurants and you eat lunch for free! No need to stuff your face at the "all you can eat" buffet, because you won't be "saving" money if you do...

And what was the part required of you? Simply participate and do your part. Go to school (also free), learn whatever you are inclined to to the best of your ability, and find a job or career that suits you, and participate!!!

By God, if we had a society like that, and if our parents and our kids had all had a chance to grow up in a society like that from day 1 and develop with that set of ideas we would have virtually none of the problems we presently have with crime, poverty, and all the other ills of the greed-dominated Ferengi-like culture we are presently living in.



That was the greatest thing about Star Trek...its social philosophy. Well, and the cast, of course... ;-)