Friday, June 11, 2010
Klaatu runs for Senate
In an otherwise humdrum article on the candidates filing for office this year, my eyes were snagged by two names:
Goodspaceguy??
This may be the first case of an online "handle" used as an official name for a candidate. I looked him up, and he's a perfect stereotype of the sci-fi philosophy. Seems to be serious.
From his official Voter Statement:
Lately I'd been thinking about this innocent-sounding but essentially bloodthirsty sci-fi philosophy, which began after WW2 when the world was justifiably tired of all forms of war, and then peaked around 1960 with considerable help from the Soviet agents in the book and movie industries. Since then it's evolved into Gaia-worship, with a different emphasis but the same goal of reducing Western Civilization to ashes.
In the 1950 Klaatu edition, the aliens get tired of watching Earthlings kill each other, so they invade the planet and kill all Earthlings except the Enlightened Few who think like Goodspaceguy.
In the 1975-2010 Gaia edition, the Planet herself gets tired of watching Earthlings breathe, so she turns up her thermostat and bakes all Earthlings. No Chosen Few in this story, but the Enlightened Ones semiconsciously believe they will be spared anyway.
The writers and developers of these new apocalyptic cults really should be paying royalties to Moses and Calvin, who wrote the original texts.
Still, it's pleasantly nostalgic to read Goodspaceguy's fairy tale; his utopian vision is gentler than Klaatu or Gaia, closer to 1890ish writers like Edward Bellamy and G.B. Shaw.
(Mike the Mover is the absolute opposite of Goodspaceguy, but considerably less literary and, I suspect, less serious.) ¶ 6:38 PM
U.S Senate: Paul Akers, Republican; Charles Allen, Democratic; Will Baker, Reform, Bob Burr, Democratic; William Chovill, Republican; Clint Didier, Republican; Goodspaceguy, Democratic; Norma Gruber, Republican; Mike Latimer, Republican; Schalk Leonard, no party; James Mercer, no party; Mike the Mover, Democratic; Patty Murray, Democratic; Dino Rossi, Republican; Mohammad Said, Centrist
Goodspaceguy??
This may be the first case of an online "handle" used as an official name for a candidate. I looked him up, and he's a perfect stereotype of the sci-fi philosophy. Seems to be serious.
From his official Voter Statement:
With help from NASA, let’s start the seeds of several small and growing orbital space colonies in orbit around Earth, around the Moon, and around Mars. With all the money we have already spent on our space programs, we should already have these growing, orbital space colonies. Unfortunately, much of our space money has been wasted. It is as if our leaders have not been educated in orbital space colonization. The waste and destruction of taxpayers’ space property show a lack of understanding of space colonization.
Also, we should replace war on our Spaceship Earth with world-wide free trade. It doesn’t make sense to bomb world-wide customers and suppliers. World peace and education and employment should also be our big goals.
Because some workers want more leisure, government should lead by creating many flexible employment programs, such as the three day and four day work week options.
Let’s establish a head tax to slow the population explosion (the cause of many problems) on our Spaceship Earth. A head tax would be more pleasant than the old, cruel methods of population control, such as starvation, disease, and war.
Lately I'd been thinking about this innocent-sounding but essentially bloodthirsty sci-fi philosophy, which began after WW2 when the world was justifiably tired of all forms of war, and then peaked around 1960 with considerable help from the Soviet agents in the book and movie industries. Since then it's evolved into Gaia-worship, with a different emphasis but the same goal of reducing Western Civilization to ashes.
In the 1950 Klaatu edition, the aliens get tired of watching Earthlings kill each other, so they invade the planet and kill all Earthlings except the Enlightened Few who think like Goodspaceguy.
In the 1975-2010 Gaia edition, the Planet herself gets tired of watching Earthlings breathe, so she turns up her thermostat and bakes all Earthlings. No Chosen Few in this story, but the Enlightened Ones semiconsciously believe they will be spared anyway.
The writers and developers of these new apocalyptic cults really should be paying royalties to Moses and Calvin, who wrote the original texts.
Still, it's pleasantly nostalgic to read Goodspaceguy's fairy tale; his utopian vision is gentler than Klaatu or Gaia, closer to 1890ish writers like Edward Bellamy and G.B. Shaw.
(Mike the Mover is the absolute opposite of Goodspaceguy, but considerably less literary and, I suspect, less serious.) ¶ 6:38 PM
