Unity! Community! Equality!
The UCE Movement is the dominant force in Panglobal society. It is unmatched in indoctrination, and its ability to whistle up nearly unlimited numbers of Zealots on a moment’s notice gives it vast power of intimidation. Its supposed goal is the creation of a perfect society in which everyone thinks as one, acts as one, and lives as one. In practice, the senior leaders are in constant political conflict and their sole concern is how to remain in power and sabotage their rivals.
Beliefs
UCE’s ideology are based on the Three Great Principles of Unity, Community, and Equality: all must join together (Unity), striving for the common good (Community), with no one asking for more or better than anyone else (Equality). Whatever the virtue of these aspirations, the regime has pursued them to the point of fanaticism, where any expression of individuality is forbidden. Their notion of an ideal society resembles an ant hill, and anything that gets in the way of this vision is denounced as selfism.
In support of this effort, a selective breeding program has eliminated most differences in race and ethnicity. Both black and white skin are rare, with almost everyone being of a dark beige color. Differences in pigmentation are further masked by the application of skin toner, often in wild, unnatural colors. Most people shave their scalps and cover their heads with manes (wigs). Differences in height and facial structure are also much reduced, to the point where it is difficult to tell one person from another.
The regime goes to great lengths to mask the difference between men and women. Clothing is unisex and vaguely feminine by contemporary standards, with smocks, tunics, jumpsuits, and similar garments passing in and out of style. These garments are cut so as to conceal the shape of one’s body, masking hips, breasts, and muscular development so as to produce a uniform, androgynous appearance. Wearing a top with a scooped neckline or a pair of tight-fitting pants will get you arrested for indecency.
Zealots
The Zealots are a hereditary cast within the UCE movement. They are born in industrialized creches, where they live with their birth-givers for just a few weeks. They are then whisked off to a childcare facility, where they are raised and indoctrinated in a communal setting by teams of professional. Those who show the slightest sign of rebellion are culled. Those who survive the winnowing and are inducted as Zealots can be counted on to obey, and to believe everything they are told.
Most Zealots live in barracks as members of The People’s Guard. They are on standby, 24 hours a day, ready to do the bidding of The Hierarchy. They engage in drills and simulations, march through the streets, beat people up, and produce nothing of value. A select few Zealots are trained as nurses, respected providers of medical care, or as guardians (spies). There are also swarms of functionaries, who keep the organization running, and the brutal UCE Police, who maintain order.
The leadership of the movement, referred to as The Hierarchy, comes in various ranks and grades, such as Acolyte and Potentate. The highest office, that of First Minister, is currently vacant due to the death of The Blessed Kay, the founder of the Movement. That happened generations ago, and the Deputy First Ministers have been squabbling over a successor ever since.
Zealots wear white, except for the UCE Police, who wear the usual black body armor.
Citizens
Those not born into the movement are referred to as Citizens. They are expected to follow the same UCE code of conduct as the Zealots, but are held to a lower standard. Although everyone is supposedly equal, this is manifestly untrue among the Citizenry, with vast differences in living standards amongst them. The Zealots treat the Citizens with condescending disdain. The Citizens think the Zealots are a bunch of fanatics. They do not like one another.
Selfism
Within the UCE moral code, selfism is the root of all evil, and much of the regime’s power is expended in the never-ending struggle against this most primal of all sins. As mentioned in the glossary, the pronouns I/me/my are forbidden, with we/us/our mandated in their stead. Dropping the I-Bomb will result in immediate expulsion from of the ranks of the Zealots, but it is tolerated — up to a point — among the Citizens; one cannot expect anyone raised outside of the creches to truly embody UCE ideals.
Selfism takes many forms.
Distinctivism is a belief that one is entitled to ‘special clothes,’ ‘special food,’ or anything ‘better’ or ‘fancier’ than what everyone else is getting. The Zealots therefore eat the same meals, wear the same clothes, and engage in the same forms of recreation, lest they be culled for trying to be different.
Bipolar Selfism is any attachment of one person to another. Friendship and love are therefore forbidden among the Zealots, and strongly discouraged among the Citizens.
Pair Bonding (marriage) is among the most reviled manifestations of bipolar selfism. The fact that it remains legal is a major source of outrage among the Zealots.
Parent-Child bonding is considered even more dangerous. (see childrearing). This is why the birth-givers must give up their infants on their fourth birthday, and hand them over to the educational system.
Genderism is considered among the most heinous forms of selfism. The notion that there are two different kinds of people, male and female, is the antithesis of Equality.
Cults
The Hierarchy spends most of its time denouncing and suppressing Cults, defined as “any group of individuals exhibiting either selfist or distinctivist tendencies.” This is, by intent, a broad and all-encompassing definition; aside from the ever-obedient Zealots, almost nobody can live up to the fanatical standards of the UCE moral code. For example, if you like distinctive food, you will be classified as a Foodie; if you like to listen to distinctive music, you are an Aficionado. Minor distinctivism of this sort is tolerated, up to a point, but the moment you conspire with your fellow Citizens to satisfy your selfist cravings, you risk being labeled a member of an Outlaw Terrorist Cult, which will make you subject to severe penalties, up to and including incarceration. There are some forms of selfism, such as genderism, for which society has zero tolerance; misbehavior of this sort is always punished.
Enforcement
UCE makes little direct use of the AIs; they have a well-developed network of highly trained spies and informants who often pick up on things that the AIs, with their limited understanding of human behavior, would generally miss. For the most part, their intelligence assets are deployed within the ranks of the Zealots, who live in constant fear of the security apparatus. The UCE police are brutal and cruel, their assassins even more so. It is unwise to make yourself a target of either.