OK, what? When you say "worse-than-death", are you including Friendship is Optimal?
What about a variant of Hanson's future where:
(Edited for fatigue.)
I haven't read Friendship is Optimal, because I find it difficult to enjoy reading fiction in general.
Not sure how I feel about the described Hansonian future, actually.
If it's worth saying, but not worth its own post, even in Discussion, it goes here.