Sunday, 15 April 2012

The Therapy Zone

   There are two kinds of citizens, those who are brought to the village from the outside world, and those who are born of the village. In other words those who have known nothing but the village, having been born here.
   So what of those who have been brought to the village? They have knowledge of the outside world, and surely they must speak of that outside world. Did not No.6 ask Roland Walter Dutton how London is? And that's fine between two old friends such as they. And its fine between those like the new No.2 and Cobb who was leaving the village at the end of Arrival. It would also be okay for the likes of Nadia, the Colonel, Fotheringay and No.2 during The Chimes of Big Ben perhaps to speak together of the outside world.
   But what if someone who was born of the village, who knew nothing of the outside world met with say a new arrival who spoke of the outside world, of the fads and trends. The political position of governments and countries alike. Of swinging sixties, The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Elvis Presley. Protests against the Vietman war, fashions, man preparing to set foot on the Moon. The Irish troubles.Student riots in Paris.The marriage of Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton.
    What effect might such talk have upon the born citizen of the village? They might think that it was one of No.2's little games designed to catch citizens out. They might not believe it at first. Yet on the other hand, if such village born citizens learned more about the outside world from other new arrivals, simply through everyday conversation, then they would grow to learn more and more of the outside world, and then demand to see it for themselves. Such knowledge known to many of the village born, just might provoke a riot in the village. In fact turning against "it" and the hand that feeds.
   But then what if those born of the village were to encounter the outside world... what then? Don't forget that in Fall Out the village was evacuated. So what would become of those village born citizens then. What would they do in the outside world? This after having known only their life in the village?

BCNU

No comments:

Post a Comment