Theory of Constructed Scarcity

The principle that many situations of "scarcity"—not having enough of something—are man-made, not natural. It happens when access to an abundant or sufficiently producible resource is artificially restricted through control, hoarding, legal barriers, or designed obsolescence. The scarcity of the resource is a constructed condition to drive up its value, create competition, and maintain power for those who control the supply. Diamonds aren't rare; their scarcity is carefully constructed by cartels.

Example: "The concert sold out in minutes, but suddenly hundreds of tickets appeared on resale sites at 5x the price. That's the Theory of Constructed Scarcity. The digital tickets weren't physically scarce; their availability was artificially constricted by bots and platform rules to create a desperate market. The 'shortage' was a profitable fiction built by code and scalpers, not by an actual lack of seats."

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Poverty

The argument that poverty is not just a lack of money but a social status and material condition that is actively produced and maintained by systems. Laws, economic policies, discriminatory practices, and spatial planning (like redlining) construct barriers that prevent groups of people from accessing wealth, trapping them in a condition defined as "poor." Poverty is less an individual failing and more the outcome of a societal blueprint that allocates deprivation.

*Example: "Her neighborhood had no grocery store, bad schools, and predatory lenders—all while being a 10-minute drive from a booming business district. The Theory of Constructed Poverty explains this: it's not an accident. Decades of zoning, disinvestment, and policing policies literally constructed that landscape of need. The poverty was built into the infrastructure, brick by bureaucratic brick."*

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Wealth

The flip side of constructed poverty: the idea that large-scale, intergenerational wealth is rarely just the fruit of individual genius or hard work, but is built and protected by constructed systems. These include favorable laws (tax codes, inheritance rules), historical advantages (land grants, slavery), and social networks that create exclusive access to opportunity. Wealth is not just accumulated; it is architected within a framework designed to facilitate and preserve its concentration.

Example: "He gave a speech about 'bootstraps,' but his company was built on a state-granted monopoly, his wealth shielded by trust laws his grandfather lobbied for. The Theory of Constructed Wealth shows his fortune wasn't a natural mountain he climbed; it was a valley carefully excavated by policy to funnel riches toward him, which he then called a peak of his own making."

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Exploitation

The view that exploitation (getting more value from someone's labor than you return) isn't a simple, naked theft, but is often structured and legitimized by constructed systems. The "contract," the "market wage," the "gig economy app," and the concept of "management share" are all social constructions that define what is considered a "fair exchange," often obscuring and enabling the extraction of surplus value. The system is built to make exploitation look like a transaction.

Example: "The delivery app isn't a robber on the road; it's the Theory of Constructed Exploitation in digital form. It builds a system where drivers are 'independent contractors' (a legal construction), pay for their own gas and repairs, and have no benefits, while the app takes a 30% fee and calls it a 'platform service.' The exploitation is baked into the software's very business model."

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Oppression

The analysis that systemic oppression (like racism, sexism, homophobia) is not merely the sum of individual prejudices, but is a social reality constructed through laws, institutions, language, and norms. These systems create hierarchies, define who is "normal" or "other," and distribute rights and violence accordingly. Oppression is the active, ongoing work of maintaining these constructions, which then shape individuals' lives and choices within them.

Example: "Jim Crow wasn't just a bunch of racist people; it was the Theory of Constructed Oppression made concrete. It was built from 'separate but equal' laws (a legal construction), segregated infrastructure, and a cultural narrative of white supremacy. The oppression was in the architecture of bathrooms, schools, and voting booths, making bias into a tangible, inescapable system."

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Determinism

The idea that belief systems like genetic, economic, or technological determinism—the notion that our fate is rigidly set by biology, class, or machines—are themselves powerful social constructions. By persuading people that outcomes are inevitable and systems cannot be changed, these theories become self-fulfilling prophecies that maintain the status quo. The construction of determinism is a tool to discourage agency and alternatives.

Example: "The CEO said, 'The market demands layoffs; we have no choice.' That's the Theory of Constructed Determinism. 'The market' is a constructed abstraction, but by framing its demands as an immutable natural law, he constructs a reality where his profitable choice appears as an inevitable force, absolving him of responsibility for the human cost."

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026

Theory of Constructed Relativism

The meta-concept that relativism itself—the idea that truth and morality are not absolute but relative to culture or perspective—is a constructed intellectual framework that emerged in specific historical and academic contexts. It's not the "default" view of reality; it's a built tool for critiquing absolutism and colonialism. Its widespread adoption (or rejection) is a social phenomenon, showing how even our philosophies about truth are constructions of their time.

*Example: "My professor dismissed a moral critique by saying, 'That's just your Western perspective.' I hit him with the Theory of Constructed Relativism: 'Isn't your radical relativism also a product of 20th-century postmodern academia? You're using one constructed lens (relativism) to dismiss another (universal rights), pretending your lens is just the clear sky.'"*

by Abzu Land January 31, 2026