[darkstar999]

> willfully misunderstanding what it is ("all profits go to me"???)

It's an analogy.

Rich douchebag = taxpayers.

Grad students = agency that manages the program.

Whores = those accepting basic income

The "profit" of basic income would go to us, the taxpayers, and to humanity as a whole. Or not! We don't know yet.

> being an asshole about it

You didn't see the big flashing neon <satire> sign? Or the fact that the author is a sci fi writer?

[Uhhrrr]

The "profit" in real BI would mostly go to the recipients, with the government only getting the usual IRS cut, and taxpayers likely not getting it directly.

The analogy also doesn't work because you also have the rich douchebag investing venture capital and buying board seats and laying people off. Taxpayers don't do that.

Also, semantically, calling those who accept basic income "whores" is not going to serve the goal of promoting basic income.

Also, the BI in the story only goes to those earning "close to the median income."

Etc, etc. There are so many ways this piece fails: Getting the facts right on BI, as an analogy, as satire, and as a pro-BI piece.