Reflections and Parodies
Authors from “Utopia”, “Fahrenheit 451” and thousands of science-fiction books in print today love to take their imagination by storm, and write about the future. In some ways they parody society, our rules- they show us where we'll end up if we continue on our path, on some ends, they dramatize the ending, to make us reflect on what we as a society, want to be the end of our trial. Normally, the PC (politically correct) will tell you the “goal” of our future- diversity, acceptance, trust, where there is no violence and no boundaries- where everyone is equal. Vonnegut took that concept to an extreme and showed how that thinking can be BAD. Everything must be in moderation, including moderation itself!
However, the “ideal” isn't the same for everyone. Some people would prefer futures of violence and hatred, while other wish for an exciting new frontiers and worlds to be discovered. Personally, I think most people wish for things to be slightly improved, but still in general be the same as it now, with no alien wars or other insane government propagandas. Besides authors, great people- leaders of men- have talked about what they wished to see. Kennedy, King, Gandhi- nearly all of them want peace, they all want a day where no ill is done, where the just prevails. A day when no one is outcast, when your children can go outside to play without fear, when people can love.
It reminds me of Aesops fables- no one likes to be pointed at and broken down, so by using animals, or “futuristic societies that are flaws” or pulling a Jonathan Swift and using “ societies that are not real” we can take an objective look at how we, as a society really are and think about it. In “Cold Equations” the girl must die for not adhering to the rules. Was that a play on capital punishment? The only variation was that she meant no harm and indeed, did not harm anyone. In “Harrison Bergers” is that a ploy on “No child left behind” laws, or making fun of the politically correct with their “mentally handicapped” and “alcoholism is a disease” propaganda? Writers using alternative universes, people, or mediums to show us what we truly are is an invaluable way for us as a society to improve and truly think of the messages we are sending.
