From
2017 and for the next ten years, science fiction lovers expect
"prophecies" of their favorite writers and directors to be
fulfilled. The problem is that some of the worst predictions are
already a reality.
When we
think about chronologies that have been chosen by writers to set up
their futuristic works, our minds usually go to '1984' by George
Orwell.
Although
there are significant disagreements on whether the dark predictions
for the creation of a permanent surveillance society have been
confirmed, we all feel relieved through a common thought: the next
great Dystopia, which Aldous Huxley envisioned in his book "Brave
New World", is 523 years from now, as the story takes place in
the year 2540 AD. (or 632 after Ford, according to the book).
Yet, dozens
of other writers have put their fantastic societies in a much closer
date for us. 2017 is, for example, the year that, according to the
film "The Running Man" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, the
economy collapses, the United States turns into a totalitarian police
state. World's population is being manipulated with "Survivor"
type TV shows so that any revolt against the cruel working conditions
to be prevented. If you are Black in America or Greek in the EU, you
fit about 80% in these forecasts.
Philip Dick
sets his story in 2019 in the book "Do Androids Dream of
Electric Sheep?" on which the film "Blade Runner" is
based. And we may not live, as he had predicted, among Androids, but
the American Marxist sociologist Mike Davis often uses scenes from
the book and the film to describe the class divide observed in modern
cities.
In just two
years we expect the fulfillment of the "prophecies" from
the award-winning book "The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell.
Meaning that groups of Jesuits should travel to the Alpha Centauri,
where there is no some divine revelation for them, but prostitution,
in which they are being forced by various alien races.
If you can
wait until 2024, you will probably experience the unification of
Ireland after a series of successful terrorist attacks by the Irish
Republican Army. This was at least predicted by the creators of the
Star Trek TV series in an episode of the third season, which was
banned in Great Britain and Ireland. When finally broadcasted, the
scene where Data refers to the reunification of Ireland was removed.
In this scene, the hero uses the following words: "Would it be
accurate to say that terrorism is acceptable when all options for
peaceful settlement have been foreclosed? " By 2024, however,
Great Britain is more likely to have lost Scotland rather than
Northern Ireland.
Two years
later, in 2026, it is expected that Fritz Lang's prophecies will be
fulfilled through the classic film of German Expressionism,
"Metropolis". The absolute class division that the film
predicted, between the ruling aristocrats, the workers, and the
middle layers of technocrats that ensure the smooth operation of the
system, has rather been confirmed. However, the shift from eight
working hours to ten, turned out to be a moderate prediction by Fritz
Lang.
Outstanding
similarities to the reality experienced by millions of refugees and
immigrants can be found in the film "Children of Men",
based on the book of P. D. James, taking place in - not so distant –
2027. Britain has become a police state to prevent the entry of
asylum seekers, described as cockroaches (the British "Daily
Mail" already describes them as rats, while in Greece Takis
Theodoropoulos wrote in Kathimerini newspaper for "stray"
Afghans that multiply like "cancer"). The concentration
camps for immigrants in the book already exist in several countries,
and several scenes from the film directly reference to Guantanamo,
Abu Ghraib, and the Homeland Security Department of the United
States. The main pattern of the film, however, is the sterility of
the population, which we increasingly meet in movies that are taking
place in our very close future.
The American
TV series "The Handmaid's Tale", based on Margaret Atwood's
book, describes a society occupied by fundamentalist Christians when
the ecological disaster of the planet starts to induce infertility to
men.
But if you
expect positive news from science fiction, you have to stay alive
until 2173 AD when the Orgasmatron device - from Woody Allen's
"Sleeper" - which causes direct orgasms will be discovered.
Yet, this
sounds as fake as maintaining primary surpluses above 3% by 2038 (as
predicted by a secret ESM - European Stability Mechanism report) and
debt relief in 2060 for Greece, which we heard in a recent Eurogroup.
Better to
become Androids in "Blade Runner".
Article
by Aris Chatzistefanou, translated from the original source:
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