Some really weird shit you didn't know about taxes
The Avenue of the Dead in Teotihuacan, an ancient city located in what is now Mexico. Were the people who built this badass pyramid basic because they didn’t have a tax system? Image by Ricardo David Sánchez.
Why are taxes the secret weapon in so many science fiction and fantasy stories? And why the heck do archaeologists measure the complexity of ancient civilizations partly by looking at their taxation policies? We talk about all this and more, as we recover from tax season. Plus, later in the episode, contributing host Alan Henry will tell us how to survive the harsh new workplace conditions of 2025, particularly if you are a marginalized person.
Notes, citations, & etc.
The Daniels, directors of Everything Everywhere All at Once, have talked about how they tried to shoot a tax audit like it was an action sequence.
There are a ton of accountant websites discussing the accuracy of the tax audit in the film.
See our previous episode about Ayn Rand
Max Barry's Jennifer Government
Bloodbusters by Francesco Verso
V. Gordon Childe’s definition of cities and complex societies.
Tax documents and debt bondage in Khmer Empire
“Beyond Economic Inequality: Unmeasurable Values, Collective Demand, and Community Building in Classic Period Mesoamerica,” a fascinating article by Tatsuya Murakami that deals with Teotihuacan.
Charlie Jane’s list of anti-tax revolts in science fiction for io9
Max Gladstone's Full Fathom Five
P.C. Wrede's discussion of taxes in fantasy, including comment thread
Find out more about contributing host Alan Henry, and get his book Seen, Heard, and Paid: The New Work Rules for the Marginalized