Science Fiction as a Lens on the Present

By Brandon Engel: Science fiction, as a genre, has a distinct social purpose compared to that of conventional drama. While the latter is noblest when it cultivates empathy, forms of Sci-Fi, whether books or movies, serve a higher purpose when they foster critical scrutiny of the present. Sometimes this is best accomplished when all the trappings of the story—from the setting to characters’ habit of dress—are completely foreign and outlandish. But all this is mere window-dressing, for the right themes transcend these elements, stealthily communicating to careful readers important lessons about the actual world they inhabit.

Soylent Green, a 1973 film by Richard Fleischer, is a prime example: a film that addresses food issues still with us today. Loosely based on the 1966 novel Make Room! Make Room! by Harry Harrison, Soylent Green takes place in 2022, in a world ravaged by the triumphs of industrialization: namely, food scarcity and overpopulation. The bulk of society subsists on rations produced by the Soylent Corporation, whose newest item, Soylent Green, has just hit the market. Advertised to contain “high-energy plankton,” this green wafer is touted to be more nutritious and palatable than its forerunners “Red” and “Yellow,” but in short supply. The reality is that the wafers are composed of human flesh.

Above the fray sit those elite enough not to have to consume any of Soylent’s products, and enjoy a diverse diet of fresh food. This scenario bears a striking resemblance to our present food arrangement, where most people eat non-nutritious, genetically-modified food, either out of economic necessity or ignorance. Today, it’s a privileged position, almost a boutiquey pass-time, to consume healthy food.

Another perfect, more-recent example of big picture-conscious science fiction is a novel by Paolo Bacigalupi entitled The Windup Girl. This book extrapolates present social and environmental circumstances to a distant 23rd century Thailand where global warming has raised ocean levels, carbon fuel sources are no more, and biotech companies control food production by way of “genehacked” seeds. The corporations use private armies to carve out markets for their products, while populations succumb to widespread plague and illness. This scenario resembles today’s, but is stripped of its current benevolent veneer. Free-market rationales and pseudo-diplomacy are no longer necessary in Bacigalupi’s world, where such formality is dispensed with in favor of naked force.

In these bleak sci-fi forecasts of future dystopian societies, the issue always stems from humanity squandering planet earth’s scarce resources. And while headlines commonly decry abuses by Monsanto, we mustn’t lose hope just yet. Some states (Vermont especially) are starting to demand more transparency from agribusiness, and are insisting that all genetically modified foods be labelled appropriately. Independent, grass-fed farming is becoming more common throughout the United States, and even Monsanto is talking about experimenting with growing organic produce. Alternative energy is becoming more and more accessible too, with deregulation and technological advances in the US and Canada opening up options for consumers to source their energy from renewable sources instead of fossil fuels, and find their own information independently instead of relying on corporate propaganda.

For science fiction to play a role in public debate may seem a laughable notion, but it’s because of the imaginative power of many sci-fi authors that we live with much of today’s beloved technology. But for issues to have a visceral impact on citizens, for citizens to actually care about what goes on around them, important matters must framed in such a way that they can be understood emotionally and intuitively, rather than just intellectually. And it’s up to sci-fi authors to take up this task.

Engel: Bradbury Prophecies Manifest in Digital Age

RayBradburyartworkCroppedBy Brandon Engel: When you listen to the news on the radio, do you ever wonder if what you’re hearing is authentic news, or merely some elaborate ploy? Maybe you hope, against all odds, that you’ve accidentally stumbled upon a broadcast of some dystopian, science-fiction radioplay, ala the infamous Orson Welles War of the Worlds broadcast.

Certain recent news items readily summon classic science fiction titles to anxious minds. Surely, there were genre enthusiasts who didn’t immediately think of George Orwell’s 1984 when it was revealed that the NSA had been spying on civilians. While the autocratic government in Orwell’s bleak vision of the future relied on “telescreens,” the United States government can rely, conveniently, on iPhones, computers, and other portable devices to gain invasive insight into our daily lives —our search queries, email exchanges, and even shopping histories.

Speaking of smart phones, the other recent news item which has set many people on edge is the news that Google recently acquired the home automation tech developer Nest. Home automation, for those who aren’t familiar, is a technology which many companies in the private sector have been developing in recent years. Companies in the private sector, like ADT, have been generating buzz at tech shows and conferences for their home automation systems which enable people to control many of their household appliances through a smart device app. While it might sound like a dream come true to some readers, bear in mind that, despite whatever short term conveniences this sort of technology might yield, users are made vulnerable to a whole world of potential abuses.

Google already possesses comprehensive data about virtually everyone, and they have gotten themselves in hot water in recent years for selling data to third parties. Imagine what could happen if Google were to acquire even more data about us —to think that your cellphone could conceivably offer anyone a direct window into your home…

The whole thing must feel uncannily familiar to fans of Ray Bradbury. One of the most memorable short stories from the author’s The Martian Chronicles is his story August 2026: There Will Come Soft Rains, which follows the story of a suburban house well into the future. Throughout the course of the story, the house carries out its daily duties: it prepares meals, cleans itself, and recites poetry. But, absent from the story are descriptions of human interactions. We don’t hear anyone say anything. No characters are introduced.

When we hear that a baseball has been permanently lodged into the side of the house, presumably as a consequence of phenomenal pressure, and that shadows of the house’s former occupants have been permanently burned into silhouettes on the exterior walls, it becomes clear that we’re observing the ultimate opulent application of technology, carrying on its duties and ultimately self-destructing after some sort of nuclear holocaust —the ultimate destructive application of technology. The story masterfully demonstrates what science fiction literature is good for.

Different fictions serve different purposes. Escapist fiction of the “sword and sorcery” or fantasy variety transports readers to alternate worlds, frequently inhabited by fictional races who speak fictional tongues. Horror fiction enables readers to confront their innermost demons and anxieties in a safe and controlled fashion. Science-fiction, in a way, sublimates the function of the two previously mentioned fictions; it commonly transports readers to another time, place, or dimension, (although the action of the story is almost uniformly a reaction to current, real-world events) and it typically features, at its basis, something pertaining to anxieties, specifically anxieties associated with technology.

Science fiction novels commonly offer speculative (and often paranoia inducing) visions of the future, where technology is used primarily to suppress humanity. Many of the most beloved science fiction novels and film scripts of all time where born out of the 1950s, during the most tense parts of the Cold War. The United States had shown the world that it not only possessed deadly nuclear capabilities, but that it wouldn’t shy away from using them if provoked. Certainly, one can see the artistic manifestations of this in their vehicles for popular fiction; films like Godzilla, which featured menacing, allegorical monsters devastating civilian communities, or television programs like Gigantor or Gundam, which show the preoccupation that the Japanese had with technology and warfare in the years after their defeat in World War II. Similarly, in the United States, many popular works of science fiction addressed issues of xenophobia and intolerance to foreign cultures or customs, for example the film The Day the Earth Stood Still.

There’s no disputing that technology has advanced our society by leaps and bounds, but at what potential costs? How do we harness the advantages of technology, while safeguarding ourselves against the potential risks that are presented? We’ve seen much science fiction anticipating the potential downfall of society due to the misapplication of technology, so let us hope that governments and scientists in the academic and private sectors do their part to help ensure that the technology is used chiefly for good.