Who would disagree? If you have a pet and you don’t take care of it, you’re an unworthy “owner”.
In distant e-China this is not idle talk. Every dog owner (only one per person is allowed – and love of animals must have its limits!) is first obliged to have the relevant permit from the police. The licence (for owning and walking a dog…) is issued together with 12 points that are built into the dog’s collar like electronic rouble coins: they are the score of care and social responsibility. For every act of irresponsibility some points are deducted. For instance, when the dog takes its master out for a walk it must be on a lead no longer than 1.5 metres, and the accompanying person must be over 18 years old. If this rule is broken, 3 points are deducted. The penalties are steeper if the owner fails to pick up the dog’s “droppings” or if the animal barks and annoys the neighbours. Below a certain points threshold the owner pays a fine. And if the points drop to zero the dog is confiscated: the owner has proved unworthy…
It looks cute and animal-friendly, but maybe it isn’t. It is part of the “social responsibility system” that involves extensive evaluation of citizens’ lives—mainly through the traces they leave in cyberspace: social networks, geolocation, etc. It isn’t only the state that assesses its subjects—that’s outdated in the age of social networking. Citizens score one another, and there’s no room for cheap excuses or grudges.
And while dog owners are responsible for their dogs, each and every one of us is individually responsible for our social behavior. The dream of every panopticon: in the stations and trains of Chinese cities, every so often a female voice reminds you to watch your behavior, because it is being recorded and will have consequences for your social credit system…
Who wouldn’t appreciate state surveillance of everyday savoir vivre?