
The International Writers Magazine: Futures
A
brief history: Why must the future always be so glum?
Michael Barakat
Since
his early days Man has longed to know what the future holds. And
many have sought to foretell our fate as a race. Often speaking
of doom and certain destruction, these heralds of our fate became
the obvious champions of their day. In their times of prosperity,
figures ranging from Nostradamus to Edgar Cayce predicted the
obscured bleakness that people needed to hear.
All promised hell on earth.
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Unfortunately,
the deplorable advent of the printing press and the infectious mass
standardization of education caused a subsequent disbelief toward the
rantings of the lunatics we formerly trusted. Its really quite
a shame.
Thank god then for a later horrific fear of technology instilled by
many 20th century authors like George Orwell, Aldus Huxley, Philip K
Dick, James Cameron and a handful of others. These patron saints - with
an influx of literature - wrote of future wastelands driven by technology
and despair haven for none. A bleak future existence was back
on the map. Still, a small number promoting a future of peace and plenty
slipped through the cracks to poison the minds of our unruly populous.
The lowly Asimov: preacher of friendly technology and the innate good
within machines. Bradbury the shameful: daring to tempt his audience
with the chance of a hopeful existence beyond the post-apocalyptic age.
Fools. We all laughed once, but their incessant proliferation eventually
paid off.
Aside from the occasional protesting by hoodlums, people of today are
relatively content. George W has a strong political hold. Most of our
undereducated Americans view the future positively. They see no need
to improve or to work for a better tomorrow. They assume things will
be "OK," and that the "sun will come out tomorrow."
With this attitude we have failed. We have all failed. With this attitude
the future will be glum. With this attitude evil pink giant robots will
enslave us all, force us to dig our own graves, and drink our blood
as fuel.
But, why not? Soma anyone?
© Michael Barakat (RIT Student)
<msb2512@rit.edu>
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