So basically D3 is a weird sort of meritocracy, where you can only get so high because otherwise the Capitol comes swooping in with its giant hammer and smashes everyone back down.
Yes, though I think there’s also just basically a ceiling of how well you’re going to be able to do in D3 (or any other district), because of how crazy-pants the organization of Panem is. Like other totalitarian states, Panem is sacrificing the economic growth (and the prosperity and human flourishing that accompany that growth) and engaging in debilitating levels of social control in order to maintain a power order. All the districts are much poorer than they need to be, and I imagine that life in D3 (like the other middle-range districts), even for those at the ‘top,’ reflects that unnecessary poverty. For example, I imagine that most factory workers can’t afford most of the technology that’s manufactured there, and even the scientists are limited in what they can afford.
Also, I imagine the Capitol exerts control over areas of research/study. For example, I imagine that the Capitol permits pretty much unlimited exploration of science and engineering, but has no interest in and significantly curtails study of the humanities (no sitting around contemplating the inalienable rights of man, or whatnot). I imagine a lot of directives from the Capitol, through state- or privately owned industry, for certain types of research projects, some of which are the bane of the scientist class (e.g., explaining the impossibility of perpetual motion machines to people who have never heard ‘no’ in their lives and have the power to ruin you). I also imagine that the Capitol maintains a rather tight control on ownership of the science and technology firms, through either nationalization of certain industries or prohibiting ownership of R/D or manufacturing firms by non-Capitol citizens, etc (which would, I think, be necessary in all the urban districts, to prevent any district from eventually becoming an economic rival).
Re: District Three Headcanon, Part the Second
Yes, though I think there’s also just basically a ceiling of how well you’re going to be able to do in D3 (or any other district), because of how crazy-pants the organization of Panem is. Like other totalitarian states, Panem is sacrificing the economic growth (and the prosperity and human flourishing that accompany that growth) and engaging in debilitating levels of social control in order to maintain a power order. All the districts are much poorer than they need to be, and I imagine that life in D3 (like the other middle-range districts), even for those at the ‘top,’ reflects that unnecessary poverty. For example, I imagine that most factory workers can’t afford most of the technology that’s manufactured there, and even the scientists are limited in what they can afford.
Also, I imagine the Capitol exerts control over areas of research/study. For example, I imagine that the Capitol permits pretty much unlimited exploration of science and engineering, but has no interest in and significantly curtails study of the humanities (no sitting around contemplating the inalienable rights of man, or whatnot). I imagine a lot of directives from the Capitol, through state- or privately owned industry, for certain types of research projects, some of which are the bane of the scientist class (e.g., explaining the impossibility of perpetual motion machines to people who have never heard ‘no’ in their lives and have the power to ruin you). I also imagine that the Capitol maintains a rather tight control on ownership of the science and technology firms, through either nationalization of certain industries or prohibiting ownership of R/D or manufacturing firms by non-Capitol citizens, etc (which would, I think, be necessary in all the urban districts, to prevent any district from eventually becoming an economic rival).