The Dystopians know something: they are the beneficiaries (or servants of the beneficiaries) of a massively unjust, unequal system. Said system has been getting even more unequal at a dazzling rate the last few years. (Much worse now, than even during the Bush years, although heads may explode...) The Dystopians know something else: for various reasons, it's not going to get better. For one thing, they don't want it to. (For them these are the best of times) But even if they did want it to get better, global conditions are going to get worse. Protecting extreme unprecedented levels of inequality in a worsening economic climate will require extreme unprecedented measures.
The world's economy runs on natural resources which are finite and are being depleted rapidly as global population and previously dwarf economies grow into giants. Think of the most important commodity: petroleum. New discoveries of oil are so scarce that we are routinely drilling in water over a mile deep to find it. We are taking sides in and even directly fighting hot wars on the other side of the planet to control who has access to oil and natural gas reserves, and to control land routes for pipelines. We are gearing up to drill the fucking North Pole. We are trying to blast natural gas out of rocks and cook oil out of sand. To say the least, these are not signs that a future cornucopia of cheap energy is at hand. Cheap fossil energy is over forever -unless you mean coal, which would mean the world economy chokes to death on thick black soot instead of croaking from not enough oil pumping in its veins.
Capitalism has liquidated organized labor, swelling its profits immensely, but now the supply curve of the most important raw material is being outstripped by the demand curve. Can capitalism squeeze labor more to compensate ? Only if blood can be got from a stone. Can it liquidate the post WWII social democratic welfare state? Never adequate in the first place, the welfare state is gone in the US, and middle class public benefits are already on the block. So while craven political prostitutes are ready and willing to carve up Social Security, there's not much left to be gleaned there. Likewise, some but not enough can be squeezed by austerity imposed on Europe. Labor can always be squeezed in Asia, since "democracy" isn't a big problem - but by how much really can it be squeezed? The ability to pay starvation wages and the lack of political rights for workers was the reason production was moved to Asia in the first place. Certainly not enough slack can be found there to make up for rising costs in an energy scarce future. And already in China, factory riots are common.
The beneficiaries of Dystopia can resign themselves to being forced to give up a greater share of their fabulous profits and wealth, (and probably a greater and greater share), in order to keep the great unwashed from burning the whole setup to the ground, or else they can say: "No, we are still - and will always be - the Masters of the Universe. If we need to take more from workers and the middle class, we will take it and nothing will stop us. Resistance will be crushed."
They know in choosing this path they are choosing ever more stark conflict between themselves and everyone else. It will get hot. The placid surface of first world life is going to boil away like raindrops on the hood of a cop car in the August sun. The dystopian Elites can only defend their dominant position long-run by building a state security apparatus capable of neutralizing any organized dissent and resistance. Thus, PRISM and its littermates. Protecting massive inequality isn't free or easy under the best of circumstances, but to our leadership class any price is worth it and no scheme is too inefficient or too grandiose, as long as it works to preserve the slave like obedience of the masses. Besides, they know all the costs will be borne by the public and the work can be hired out to companies they own shares in. And that way they can profit even while engineering oppression.
= new reply since forum marked as read
your post 
