Editing This Perfect Day (section)

== Backstory ==
The world is managed by a [[artificial general intelligence|central computer]] called UniComp (referred as just "Uni" in speech), which has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the Earth in check. People living under the "Unification" are continually drugged by means of monthly treatments (delivered via [[metered dose transdermal spray|transdermal spray]] or [[jet injector]]) so that they will remain satisfied and co-operative "Family members." They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce, and the job for which they will be trained. Everyone is assigned a counselor, who acts somewhat like a mentor, confessor, and parole agent; violations against "brothers" and "sisters" by themselves and others are expected to be reported at a weekly [[confession (religion)|confession]].

Everyone wears a permanent identifying bracelet that interfaces with access points, which act as scanners. Uni uses them to tell "Family members" where they are allowed to go and what they are allowed to do. Around the age of 62, every person is humanely euthanized by Uni with an overdose of the treatment liquids; almost anything in them is poisonous if an excess dose is given. The general population believes that the elderly die of natural causes, and since some die at 61 or 63, no one is too suspicious of the regularity. The few who happen to be resistant to the drugs or purposely change their behavior to avoid strong doses of some of the drugs in the monthly treatment are dealt with by the [[programmers]] of UniComp. The long-lived men and women, in their underground hideaway, are the real but invisible [[world government]]. They live in absolute luxury and choose their own members through a form of [[meritocracy]]. In part, people who choose by evasion and modifying their own behavior to leave the main Family are subtly redirected to "nature preserves" of imperfect life on islands. They, however, have been put in place by the programmers as a place to isolate trouble-making Family members. The top minds in the outcasts are further manipulated into trying to overthrow the "Programmers" and the ones who nearly succeeded are forced to join the programmers to "help them maintain the equilibrium" in the "perfect" world of UniComp and "The Family."

Despite the name, the "programmers" are not allowed to program Uni since Wei Li Chun, the person who started the Unification, reserves the privilege solely to himself. Instead, they do administrative work.

Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the programmers' will: men do not grow facial hair, and it rains only at night. Dampers even control the movement of [[tectonic plates]]. Reference is made in the story to permanent settlements on [[Mars]], [[Venus]], and the [[Moon]]; outposts on [[Saturn]]'s moon [[Titan (moon)|Titan]] and on [[Mercury (planet)|Mercury]]; and even to interstellar space exploration. The outposts have their own equivalents of UniComp.

The full rhyme is sung by children bouncing a ball (similar to a [[clapping game]]):
:''Christ, Marx, Wood and Wei,''
:''Led us to this perfect day.''
:''Marx, Wood, Wei and Christ,''
:''All but Wei were sacrificed.''
:''Wood, Wei, Christ and Marx,''
:''Gave us lovely schools and parks.''
:''Wei, Christ, Marx and Wood,''
:''Made us humble, made us good.''

Only the programmers and their attendants know that Wei Li Chun remains alive as the leader of the programmers, extending his lifespan by having his head transplanted onto successive youthful bodies.

Bob Wood is mentioned throughout the novel but never discussed in detail.  A painting is mentioned depicting Wood presenting the Unification Treaty.  In one conversation in which the protagonist discusses his discovery that people once had varying lifespans, one character comments that controlling people's lifespans is the ultimate realization of Wei and Wood's thinking. The poem also mentions [[Jesus Christ]], the central figure of [[Christianity]], and presents the historical [[Karl Marx]], an ideologue of [[communism]], with the text describing paintings of Jesus attacking the moneychangers in the temple and Marx writing at his desk, both possibly implying an anti-capitalist ideology. These two pillars of the official state ideology are depicted on its [[coat of arms]], with a [[hammer and sickle|cross and sickle]]. ''Sacrificed'' is a [[artistic license|poetic synonym]] for ''dead''.

Uniformity is the defining feature. There is only one [[language]], and all ethnic groups have been [[eugenics|eugenically]] merged into one race, "The Family." It is so genetically uniform that no transplants are rejected. There are only four personal names for men (''Bob'', ''Jesus'', ''Karl'', and ''Li'') and four for women (''Anna'', ''Mary'', ''Peace'', and ''Yin''). Instead of [[surnames]], individuals are distinguished by a nine-character [[alphanumeric code]], their ''"nameber"'' (a [[neologism]] from "name" and "number"), such as ''WL35S7497''. Everyone eats "totalcakes," drinks "[[Coca-Cola|cokes]]," wears exactly the same thing, and is satisfied every day.

It is assumed that Uni and the restriction on names were created not very long ago, since Papa Jan was one of the employees who constructed it, and he claims to have remembered when there were many names. However, to make the members genetically uniform, many generations are needed.

Levin's dystopia enjoys some commendable features as well. The Earth and its extra-planetary colonies are free of war, hunger, most diseases, crime, envy, and inter-personal violence. Thanks to rigid population control and a more rational management of the environment, the threat of human extinction has been considerably reduced.