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Are the Borg allegory for communism or capitalism taken to its most extreme?

I may get ripped for this, but they are both.

The Borg are a collective mind which robs the assimilated of individuality in service to the collective while otherwise supplying all needs. So there is communist ideology there. But the Borg also exist to do nothing but consume. Everything is a product to be used, every place strip mined without regard of value or usefulness for any other purpose, so the Borg are also unfettered capitalists, as well.

Weighing the evidence, I would say the more menacing aspect of Borg nature is their communist ways. They genuinely believe they are doing you a favor by robbing you of your identity because all your needs will be taken care of in return. You will never painful emotions. Never want for anything. Never be alone. Of course, you will also be expandable should the collective require your sacrifice. There are a lot of negatives there.

Truth be told, I have a tough time wrapping my mind around the negatives of capitalism. Free markets have lifted more people out of poverty than collectivism ever has ort will. I do not find consumerism evil. It is the desire for a bigger house, faster car, and cooler gadget that grows an economy. Call me naïve, but I do not buy into the Captain Planet assertion that companies purposefully destroy the environment in order to make a buck. Sure, I suppose capitalism has a habit of turning God’s country into real estate, but even my panic over the Kelo decision a few years ago has subsided. So it is difficult to visualize how the Botg as extreme capitalists is a scary as borg as perfect communists.

I have heard arguments the Borg are a comment on the destruction of social skills caused by over stimulation of electronics. That is a retroactive assumption. The borg were introduced in 1989 and were not well defined as an assimilating force of nature until 1990, which is well before the internet, cell phones, iPods, and such became such a “necessary” part of life. Nevertheless, I suppose the obsession with owning the latest gadget is a negative stereotype of consumerism.

Not that communist as a threat allegory was all that timely with the end of the Cold War in 1989-90 anymore than the race for buying the cooler gadget. Star Trek,’s reputation for timely social commentary has been greatly exaggerated.