Okay, so we've spent some time discussing what we'd like to have in the future. Cool tech gadgets, amazing replicators, new ways of travel, etc.
But what could we get rid of in the future?
For me, I think there should be some way to get rid of mud. I know it sounds lame, but I really don't like mud. The smell, the squelching, the disgustingness of it. There ought to be some kind of absorption pellet or something we can sprinkle on the ground so that mud is not made.
In a more serious realm, I think it would be awesome to have a future without illnesses. Think of all the things that wouldn't be needed if people didn't get sick. Entire professions would be eliminated: doctors, pharmaceutical reps, nurses, hospital administrators, pharmacists, etc. With no sickness, there'd be no doctor's offices, no hospitals, no nursing or medical schools. Just eliminating one thing can really impact the future society.
Just think what we wouldn't need if we didn't have cars, if we could teleport instead of drive. It boggles the mind (or maybe just mine). But I find it fascinating to think about what we'd like to get rid of and how that would impact our lives.
What do you think? If you could, what would you like to eradicate? How would that change our society?
The Future Shouldn't Have...
  The League of Extraordinary Writers is a group of debut YA authors who write science fiction and dystopian works. The ten of us have works that run the gamut of near-future mind control to far-future space travel, but they do have one thing in common: a future where the Earth we know now is twisted, gone. |
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11 comments:
Good post, but you just sent me off into a daydream, when I'm supposed to be working!
I'd go for eradicating prejudice (yeah, it's a bit StarTrek and not very dystopian). We'd get so much more done as a species if we stopped quibbling over minor details like religion, skin colour, gender, and whether you're a Windows or Mac user.
Ooh, interesting inversion of the usual question.
My frivolous answer would be Being On Hold To A Call Centre, Oh Please Please Eradicate It. But that's cos I've just been on hold for 25 minutes, and it alternated between a tinny cover of Human and endless over-chirpy adverts for their services ...
Anyway, on a more serious note, I think your question is fascinating and it's sparking all sorts of thoughts. It's easy to come up with things which are desirable to get rid of, but when you start thinking about the effects of that eradication ... suddenly it's maybe not so desirable after all. For example: eradicate ALL advertising! But then how does anyone know what there is to buy, and if there's a better option, and businesses would find it SO hard to start/gain a reputation, and ...
Eliminating illness would be nice, but it wouldn't end the healthcare industry. People would still suffer injuries, and need medical attention. But it would increase the expected lifespan, and population would get out of control. Illness and aging serves as a way to thin the herd, to put it bluntly.
If one thing could be completely eradicated, it should be the sense of taste. Just think how much healthier we would be if we didn't love to eat those wonderful tasting, extremely unhealthy things. If nothing had flavor, they could make nasty tasting food SMELL better, then we'd be more inclined to eat it and less likely to grab a candy bar.
Even more interesting to explore is the unintended consequences of getting rid of those "bad" things. If we get rid of illness, does that mean that all sick people just die immediately? I love how Lois Lowry explores this idea in The Giver. All the ills of the community are gone, but they also give up much that is good.
I'd like to eradicate bugs from houses and buildings. A lot of creepy crawlies are good for getting rid of the bad pests and maintaining crops and other positive things, so I want them around. I just want them to stay outside where they belong!
Oh boy, here I go now... *thrown into wild fits of daydreaming*
Okay, I'm back. The only thing different was that our cities were in the sky. Why not? Keeps the earth a little cleaner, more space for farms and gardens, which I love.
Although I also like your idea about the mud (and illness), and Laura's idea about bugs. Yuck, yuck, and yuck. My sky cities don't have mud or bugs, but who knows about illnesses? They might be the most pervasive evil this world has ever known.
with no illnesses there'd be no more pharmaceutical spam. Wouldn't that be nice?
Without illnesses, the medical field could focus on life-enhancing products and services. Cosmetic surgery might become even more popular. And we would still need medical professionals for delivering babies, whether it's in a birthing center or a test-tube factory. :)
I just hope in the future there is no SLOW internet.
I often wonder about things like this - comes from growing up on Star Trek I think. I'd most like to eliminate poverty. On a sillier note, I'd eliminate shopping! Everything would just appear :)
I'm all for teleportation Elana. I think I'd still find a way to be habitually late however, and that would eliminate a lot of very good excuses.
Getting rid of mud would be so nice; maybe I'd never have to scrub floors again.
What I'd really like to get rid of though is computer viruses. The one's the spammers sit all day long creating and sending out to thousands of people.
That would put a lot of computer personnel out of a job, but I think the spammers and the people who make virus protection are the same entities. Its a conspiracy . .
Of course, if these evil geniuses aren't creating viruses - what else would they be up to?
.....dhole
Dirty snow slush.
Smelly cat litter boxes.
Forms of any kind.
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