Capitalist Vampires: Cartels, not Covens

[DeathtoTrite]

Inspired by a freakonomics podcast...

What if you were a vampire? Let's assume you don't become a sadistic maniac/ aren't one already, and are thrown into a world like ours, but with vampires around for centuries (so, not kill-on-sight stigma or concealed secret group.)

You would probably want a source of blood, but if you could, why not just buy it? Sure, it would be expensive, but its legal and you don't incur the risk of Van Helsing kicking down your door. So, you have your normal skills, but also the ability to turn someone else into a vampire- probably, someone willing to pay you millions for the chance. (Rupert Murdoch? Warren Buffet?)

Soon, vampires would be predominantly the wealthy and powerful, who can afford their blood habit and can purchase admittance into the elite ranks. Collectively, the vampires would have to be careful to keep their numbers low- too many vampires means not enough food, and upsetting the delicate arrangements they must have with the government.

So, collude! Make prices of becoming a vampire insanely high, then make sure the new inductees do everything they are told- not making new vampires, not committing crime, etc. - basically, don't rock the boat.

What I want from you all, is what you think this place would be like? Things I've had fun thinking about-

Crime- a vampire certainly doesn't care about 20 years behind bars. How does a life sentence work?

Politics- the left would hate vampires for their elitist, classist nature, the right for their amorality. Who would adopt a thoroughly repugnant cause?

Vampire Organizations- Better vampires taking care of trouble-makers than the CIA, KGB, etc... How do a bunch of rich, well of immortals pick a leader?

There are dozens of other aspects I haven't thought of... be creative!

 

[X Equestris]

So animal blood doesn't work in this situation? Because otherwise you could simply raise animals for their blood, and never really have to worry about running out of a source.

 

[wordwalker]

Sounds like the vampires have a perfect arrangement. I wonder if they're still too human to handle it?

If you look at history, powerful people always seem to find reasons to connive, argue, and ultimately war with each other. Call it a mix of all their honest differences in belief, multiplied by worry about what the other side now seems like they're up to and sheer boredom/ego that in the end the only challenge in their eternal life is each other. ("Like adding a second tiger to a hill.")

A sensible immortal would put all that behind them, and accept that they now have nothing to fear except dissent and carelessness, and can do almost anything in a few centuries if they "don't rock the boat." Meanwhile most stories assume they have to be as crazy as today's politicians or there'd be no story.

It might be a philosophical question: how much do you want to convey that human psyches (or the vampire changes to it) actually can play nice with each other when they have this much to lose, and how much that history always repeats itself? Related to this, do your vampires really choose the rich and powerful (capable survivors, but bad team players) or try to find loyal soldiers or other decent people (who may not be selfish enough to keep from meddling in the world)? And, if you don't want Rupert Murdoch on your council for all eternity (insert joke here, I know), is there anyone else you could pick that has enough ready-made influence to save you when Murdoch finds out you aren't letting him in?

And then... how long have the vampires already been doing this? Is this a new scheme, or has part of our history been shaped by it-- and which were the vampires' influence, and which were humans trying to expose them or build society up into something that could resist them? Trade and exploration, science, religion, philosophy, slavery and abolition, medicine, the Internet, 50 Shades of Grey?

All of them? :hot:

 

[K.S. Crooks]

I think you still need to establish how the vampires can be killed/weaknesses are. People, vampire or not, are greedy. There would be those trying to build an empire and have hundreds or thousand of people and vampires work for them or become leaders of nations. There are also those who are bound to want blood directly from the source. The movie Daybreakers touches on a lot of this.

 

[DeathtoTrite]

Thanks for the feedback; I have a lot to consider.

@worldwalker- I was more thinking of them as a well-known group. And of course how vampires are selecting would vary wildly.

@K.S. Crooks- Yeah, I'm sure demagogues would come along, but a strong sentiment among the vampires would be to enjoy their wealth and immortality, without getting too ambitious. They would have to deal with them.

@ X. Eq. - I assumed animal blood wouldn't work- it feels a bit too easy.