Cynthianna's Blog, page 14

Elysium: Denying Healthcare as Crowd Control

 

Elysium: Denying Healthcare as Crowd Control


My husband and I are huge science fiction fans. We couldn’t wait to see Neill Blomkamp’s Elysiumthis summer. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elysium) Sure, there were other sci-fi action-thriller movies to be seen, but the enticing trailer for Elysium itself, and the fact of how much we enjoyed Blomkamp’s District 9, promised more for our always-stretched movie dollar.


Elysium as a film didn’t disappoint, but its premise posed many more questions—disturbing ones—than it attempted to answer. And, several weeks later, it keeps me awake at night.

First off, why would the near-future world posited in Elysium, filled with advanced technology that can cure disease and injury almost instantaneously, co-exist alongside a planet filled with such crippling poverty? It just doesn’t make sense. Or does it?  

In my opinion, a near-future scenario of an Earth on the brink of collapse was last successfully realized on screen in the 1973 classic Soylent Green. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green)  The Millennial Generation may laugh at the idea of a heavily overpopulated planet, degraded and polluted by trying to feed too many mouths and ruled by a small, secretive elite of the mega-wealthy, but they’ll have to realize that the Pill and abortion on demand weren’t freely available in the first half of the twentieth century. The assumption that we’d have way too many humans on the planet by the turn of the twenty-first century wasn’t so hard to put out of mind in 1966 when the Harry Harrison award-winning novel Make Room! Make Room! (which the film was based upon) was published. The thought of overpopulation and a dying planet posed a very real threat in the minds of the powers-that-be.
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In Soylent Green, it is food—the very essence of how a living, growing organism stays alive—that is manipulated and managed to keep the masses in check. No food source—no living. Furthermore, the masses are indoctrinated by the elite that it is both noble and proper for them to commit suicide in order to thin out the ranks. There is no need for a heavily armed-presence or too much overt violence (although there are some telling riot scenes where police brutality is evident) to control the masses if the masses do the killing and self-killing themselves as they are slowly starved to death and talked into suicide.


After all, the elite classes only need a handful of human workers at any one time (who are much cheaper to “create” than androids or robots) to serve, manufacture things, run machinery, have sex with, etc. The poor, starving billions are as easily used, abused, and disposed of as paper cups—and self-destructing paper cups at that.


How convenient for the one percent! Give the poor a few guns, feed their prejudices against other groups who look or act differently, and they’ll take care of the problem for themselves. Brilliant.


Once the idea of crowd control, of implementing an efficient way for those at the top of the food chain to keep the masses in check, is discerned in Elysium, then more of the unanswered questions present and explain themselves. Although it is set only a mere one-hundred-forty-one years into the future, Elysium hints that the advancement of technology in the fields of space travel, medicine, manufacturing, and computers has been able to solve many of the more pressing problems we experience currently in the world of 2013. With the advanced technology evident in the massive space-habitat ring of Elysium itself and the Med-Pod that cures all disease, obviously human beings in the future are capable of great things.



So, why would there be a need for slums and for little girls to die of leukemia? Why would there be a need for millions of workers working at slave wages and under extremely unsafe conditions, as Matt Damon’s character Max does? Why motivate these slave laborers with a carrot-and-stick promise that if they prove themselves “good workers” they might just be able to afford a ticket to go to Elysium one day just as Max has wished for since he was a boy?


Ah… could it be? It’s that control thing, yeah?



Once the motives of pure greed and a naked desire to execute absolute power are eliminated from Elysiumwhat else is there to explain the plot? Jodie Foster’s character, Secretary of Defense Delacourt, is painted as a military-dictator wannabe, a fascist-in-training, but there’s more to her—and her fellow citizens of Elysium—than pure greed and hidden-fascist dogma. After all, they all dress well, speak well and drink the right wines. In spite of their sanitized, movie-star-glamorous lives, their motives to keep Elysium to themselves are much more base. They want—no, it’s more likely need—to possess total control over the billions who dwell below them on the one planet where they receive the raw materials needed to maintain and grow their utopian world in space.


They, the elite, the one-percenters, secretly acknowledge that they cannot live without the input of the ninety-nine percent, but they dare not let on how dependent they are upon the unwashed and self-unaware masses. To do so could mean that the masses would demand equal access to all the blessings of technology and healthcare… and once the masses have access to healthcare and a decent lifestyle, would they consent to work for next to nothing?


Can it be that simple? How could the Elysium elite motivate their slave laborers without threatening them with the stick of no healthcare access? They do possess advanced military technology, and Delacourt demonstrates she isn’t afraid to use it. But like most fascists, Delacourt and the wealthy citizens of Elysium realize how difficult it is to maintain crowd control through the use of weaponry alone. Even well-paid mercenaries, such as Sharlto Copley’s sociopathic character Kruger, can’t be trusted to serve their masters all the time.



To maintain crowd control, the elite of Elysium have only one option: denying healthcare in order to convince the slave workers of Earth to keep themselves in line. The elite only has to indoctrinate the masses with the idea that if they become soldiers in the elite’s cause then they are dying for a greater good—not for increasing the profit margins of the one-percent. (Overtones of Soylent Green and suicide centers, but something else there rings a bell. Hmm.) 


[image error] The elite can dangle carrot-like promises in front of the masses, “You’ll only suffer for a little while if you go along with our plans,” and expect most to believe the lie because it is as attractive as the beautiful green wheel in space rising above their dust-brown slum cities. “Some day soon you’ll become one of us and have access to the miracle of healthcare for you and your families if you keep your fellow slaves from agitating for equal access to it now.”


Wow. And here I thought I was reviewing a movie. No wonder I can’t sleep at night.


My British husband calls it the “I’m all right, Jack” syndrome. As long as you keep your head down, allow your one-percent masters to call all the shots, encourage your fellow slave laborers to off themselves in desperation to survive, you’ve made it. You’ve survived long enough to gain a chance at joining the well dressed citizens of Elysium. (But there’s no real guarantee they’ll let you into their exclusive country club, is there?)  You’ve made it…but at what price?


I hope only the price of a movie ticket. Go see Elysium. Discuss it with others. And please leave your comments below.

Doctor Who Middle-Age Madness

At last the BBC announced the next actor to portray the Doctor on science fiction television's longest running series, Doctor Who. It's Peter Capaldi. Yeah!


 I'm thrilled because I think Peter will be excellent in the role. He starred in the David Tennant/Catherine Tate 2008 episode "The Fires of Pompeii". He also played quite a spine-chilling baddie in the spin-off series Torchwood in its "Children of Earth" episodes. I've loved him from the first time I saw him on screen in the wonderfully warm and witty movie comedy Local Hero. What's not to love about an actor who can play heroic, comical and pure evil characters with equal ease?

 

I think the persona of the Doctor needs a good balance of heroic and not-so-heroic traits. After all, he is an alien--he's not human (according to canon). What we puny humans may see as "evil" may not seem that way to him and vice versa. It makes for a very dynamic character, one that is at times unpredictable and at others dependable. It makes for a character that has been extremely popular for a half century now and shows no signs of diminishing in popularity.  
This brings me to the reason behind my blog post title. I really enjoy the idea of watching another "middle-age" Doctor (who, of course, is much older than he looks).  While the current producers may have thought that young people would only watch the show in record numbers with "one of their own" in twenty-something Matt Smith playing the title role, I do believe they've come to realize that it's not the age of the actor that matters but his energy level. I think Peter will have the right energy level in addition to the handsome, distinguished looks that women in  my particular age group will relate to well.
As the old saying goes, "Snow on the roof doesn't mean there isn't a fire in the hearth." ;-)



What does this mean for my ongoing Doctor Who-inspired series Loving Who (and its sequel Leaving Who)? The next title in the series that I'm working on is Losing Who. In a way Peter Capaldi becoming the new Doctor works into the plot outline quite well. Things change. My character Cici Connors experienced an abrupt change in the last installment, so a new face to confront and get to know is just par for the course at this point in her life journey. 

And who knows... Cici might find a good-looking man of a certain age worth getting to know better. ;-)



I'm looking forward to the fiftieth anniversary special coming in November and the Christmas special when Peter's Doctor will make his debut. How about you? Are you excited? Has Doctor Who "middle-age madness" taken hold of you? Or are you still crying about Matt Smith (or David Tennant or Christopher Eccleston or...) leaving the show? What sort of storylines or characters do you envision in the new season episodes? Are there any mortal enemies of the Doctor you'd rather not see?

Let me know your feelings in the comments below. You never know-I might just use one of your ideas in the plot of Losing Who!

Welcome to Nerdvana!

  Doctor Who, Star Trek, MST3K, Babylon 5...So many fandoms, so little time!

It's like...Nerdvana.

A place where only a science fiction/fantasy fan would dare to tread...A room full of photos and original artworks and figurines and statuettes and autographed books, cards, pictures and even comic books. Yes, it's my new office. And I love it.


It's Cyberman vs. Dalek in a War of the Worlds!
I am a card-carrying nerd. I even have the fan club card to prove it! I actually belonged to the original Findlay College Sci-Fi Club. I'm not sure if the club is still in existence, but the school is now called "University of..." and has a lot more students, so perhaps they have an anime club at the very least? It would be nice to find out if they're any Whovians attending currently.



And I have proof of being a nerd since...forever! Notice my 8th grade card. All A's and nice comments in English and Social Studies. Okay, I got a B in P.E. Yeah, I showed up to gym class, but I was probably bored out of my gourd most of the time and sat in the corner reading a book--a classic sci-fi novel probably. (I was big into H.G. Wells and Robert Heinlein about that time.) That's a nerd for you!


Some of my original cross-stitch work. Do you remember Avon's quote from  
Blake's 7?
It's been fun traveling down Memory Lane while we unpack and move into our new digs. In the bottom of long-ago packed boxes I've found my autographed photos of Colin Baker (The Sixth Doctor), Anthony Ainley (The Master) and George Takei (Sulu). My hubby and I have had a great time trying to find places to show off our favorite SF artists' creations, too. We have three Tempest at Hazard prints from Paul Daly hanging in the office and two Jon Kaufman's hanging in the living room. Nerdvana just keeps growing and going... and even in the more "mundane" rooms of our home there's usually a nod or two to our passion for SF fandom. Because once a nerd--always a nerd!


A "Pair-of-Docs" by Jon Sies and "Little Horsie Who #6" by Michelle Rondeau. Some original art I haven't been able to hang on the wall for years. Now I have a whole room (and more) to hang all my favorite SF inspired artworks!

Where and how do you display your fan memorabilia? Do you have your own Nerdvana? Tell us all about it in the comments section so we can drool over your SF/fantasy collections! C'mon! You know you wanna... you have to... because you're a NERD, baby, and proud of it!

The Fixer Uppers--73% off on the Deal of the Day

For today only (July 6) you can purchase my romantic-comedy novel The Fixer Uppers from Devine Destinies Books for only $1.59. That's 73% off the list price!

It's a full length contemporary romance novel, so you're getting a lot for your money. Here's the link and the details:

 http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers/



The Fixer Uppers
by Cynthianna
http://www.devinedestinies.com/the-fixer-uppers/
ISBN #:978-1-77111-326-7Word Count:75094Page Count: 275
 Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date—or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they’re in like, not in love. But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him in. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to her sons’ broken hearts. Will Cassie let Mike fix hers?

Read the first chapter excerpt at Goodreads:  http://www.goodreads.com/story/show/327212?chapter=1

Purchase your copy soon, because the Deal of the Day doesn't last long! 

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and Nothing But the Truth

  Handsome hubby putting up the new number plaque.

We're slowly settling into our new home, and we have tons of home improvement projects to do. Of course life goes on in the publishing world as well, and things aren't getting any prettier there, either.

As a freelance editor (see link above or click here for my editorial services), I come across a lot of  manuscripts which remind me of pesky home improvement projects. It's possible that a "house" might be able to come about utilizing the material involved, but it's going to take a lot of  "sweat equity" as they say on PBS TV's This Old House. The "home" isn't going to be complete and livable (readable) without some blood, sweat and tears. You might even have to listen very closely to your "architect" (editor), who is trying hard to help you build a sturdy "home" and not a ramshackle shed that blows apart in a strong wind (or critic's harsh review), or else all your hard work might be for naught.

Dropping the extended home improvement analogy, what I'm trying to say is this: The truth of why your manuscript isn't working may hurt. It can hurt a lot. In my opinion,  it's far better for an author to know the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth upfront. How else can an author make intelligent decisions and receive the guidance he/she needs to craft a strong story without knowing the truth?

This doesn't seem to be the going thing in the electronically published world right now. You can't get an agent or editor to take on your book--it's not your book's problem! You just need to pay Amazon or whoever to self-publish your work and ta da! Instant millionaire! The tragic thing is that many of these self-published works aren't quite ready for prime time, even if the self-published author paid someone (or didn't) to proofread for typos, misspellings, and other grammatical gaffes. The ideas behind these works aren't ready, or they've been done before a billion times. Yes, the truth hurts. Your idea might just suck.

Worse yet, your idea might be highly offensive--or libelous. What good is it if you ignore an editor's advice when he/she warns you of possible litigation if you don't back off grinding your ax into your ex-girlfriend, employer, brother-in-law? You publish a book that offends people and makes you look like a grudge-carrying, mean-spirited bully. What is the purpose in doing something so childish and cruel?

Writing is a private act, but publishing is a public act. Never forget that once your words are in print (electronic or on paper) you can't take them back. Always keep your target audience in mind. Who are your readers? What are their expectations? And, more importantly, do you have more readers in mind that just you and your mom?

In all your writings practice objectivity and balance--and listen to your freelance editor when he/she tells you the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. You pay a professional to give you professional advice. Listen to it. Learn from it. Live with it. Grow.


For more information on how to become successfully published, check out my funny how-NOT-to writer's guide, available in print from Smiling Assassin Productions. Or drop me an email. I don't bite. Really, I don't. Promise. But I warn you, I'll tell you the truth. Unvarnished. It's how I roll.

Be it ever so humble...

...There's no place like home.


I'm feeling a bit stressed this week due to our recent move, so please forgive my absence on this blog. To see other photos of what I'm talking about, check out my handsome hubby's AJ's Table blog. 

If one more appliance (dryer) doesn't fit in its intended space (i.e. laundry closet) I swear I'll go postal and take a sledgehammer to a wall. Preferably the ill-located wall in said laundry closet. ;)

Please share any helpful moving in tips you may have in the comments section below. Any kind of joke or entertaining comment... I could use all the funny distractions I can get!

LEAVING WHO has finally arrived...

LOVING WHO has finally arrived and is ready for sale at Mojocastle Press. Once again, here are the short synopsis and link:




LEAVING WHO
by Cynthianna
Mojocastle Press
http://www.mojocastle.com/authors/cynthianna/leaving-who.html

After touring the universe with time traveler John Smith, Cici Connors wants one more thing--to go home. Will the imminent destruction of Earth throw a kink into her plans?

You can read excerpts from LEAVING WHO at Mojocastle's web site and at this blog, in the posting right before this one.

Also, you can read a very nice interview I did at Wanton Reads this week. Find out why I write what I write (if you dare). ;)

http://wantonreads.com/author-cynthianna-shares-their-story/

Enjoy your week! (I sincerely hope your spring weather is as nice as ours was today, too.)

A Sneak Peek at LEAVING WHO

Welcome to another "Sneak Peek Sunday" excerpt! Since tomorrow is Earth Day, and the release date of my long-awaited sequel to Loving Who, Leaving Who, I thought I'd share a few paragraphs from it to whet your appetite. (Get it? Earth Day--Doctor Who is always saving the Earth from disaster so we chose Earth Day as the release day? Okay... keep reading and possibly you'll catch on.) :)



Leaving Who is available from Mojocastle Press  
After touring the universe with the sometimes inept time traveler John Smith, Cici Connors wants one more thing—to go home. Will the imminent destruction of Earth throw a kink into her plans? 
 
Excerpt:

“You want…more than…me?”
 
His wide eyes and quivering lip betrayed how stunned John Smith was by my revelation, but somehow he still sounded indignant. The depth of his self-love knew no bounds. I could see the first Doctor booming such an arrogant statement to his companions who, of course, would reply apologetically, “Right you are. You know what’s best, Doctor.”
 
But he didn’t always. And neither did my traveling companion. Sure, watching the embers of the universe flicker until they were no brighter than a dying campfire did bring a tear to my eye—but so did a good chick flick and PMS. After so many wondrous sights, I’d become jaded and bored. My Doctor substitute didn’t seem to get it. I took another stab.
 
“Yes, I need more than just endless travels, endless fascinating sights. I need structure and routine occasionally.” I spun around on him and gestured wildly. “I need to be with people who love me for who I am—and don’t try to pawn me off on an interstellar slave trader in payment for a rickety transmat booth.”

He glared down his nose at me. “I explained that to
you thoroughly, Cici. It was an attempt to get him to lower the price. No one should have to pay that much for such substandard transport.”

“You’re damn right!” My voice rose an octave, echoing off the transparent dome above us. “It was worse than substandard. I’m still picking the splinters of wood bark out of my hair. As much as I love to hug trees, rematerializing inside a trunk isn’t something I ever want to attempt again.”

 (To find out if Cici makes it home without splinters, you'll have to purchase the book!) ;)

By way of explanation about this fantasy romantic-comedy series: I'm a big Doctor Who fan and have always wondered what would it be like if a time traveler did visit Earth and ask me to come along with him on an adventure. Things wouldn't work quite as smoothly as they do on TV, of course, and my romantic alien time traveler might have a few foibles and habits that are hard to get use to... This is what Cici discovers in the first book of the series, Loving Who. In Leaving Who, Cici makes a decision--she wants to go home. Somehow, with her alien friend John Smith and his colleagues Captain Mac and Babbling Brook, you know it's just not going to be easy, but it will be funny.


Enjoy the rest of the fun reads on Sneak Peek Sunday!
http://sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.com/

Movie Review: Modern Times

  Read more about the film at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modern_Times_%28film%29


It always amazes me how the more things change, the more things remain the same. Usually for the worse, too. Catching a showing of Charlie Chaplin's classic film Modern Times this past week on AMC doubly emphasized this point to me. 

I had seen the film many years before in a film studies class and remembered the great slapstick moments in the factory gear wheels and the hysterical miming antics of Chaplin's Little Tramp character working as a singing waiter and playing "football" with a roast duck. What really struck me this time about the narrative was how "modern" Modern Times still is. Eighty years on and the US still has large numbers of unemployed workers, union busting, street violence, and children and adults going hungry and homeless... Chaplin wrote this story during the Great Depression, yet it easily could have been written within the past year. Modern Times is both timeless and touching.

Watching Modern Times made me pause and wonder: Have I "time warped" back to the 1930s? Or did Chaplin time travel to the early twenty-first century and back again before he penned his masterpiece? Either way, the film stands the test of time and continues to point out how little the heart of American society has changed since the film's 1936 premiere. The rich demand more and more and will throw a starving street urchin in jail for stealing a loaf of bread. Workers are to be manipulated and exploited and then cast aside all in the name of profits. The authorities exact heavy violence against striking workers who only want to call attention to their plight. I think we can all see the parallels between Chaplin's story and today's headlines.

History repeats itself if we do not learn from it. Modern Times really should become required viewing for all. Perhaps only then will we stop the cycle of poverty, income disparity, hunger and frustration felt by those struggling to survive day-to-day. The Little Tramp will do us all a good deed if we will only watch and learn from his antics.

Enjoy a little romance on Sneak Peek Sunday!

This is a first, and hopefully not last, experience with Sneak Peek Sunday (http://sneak-peek-sunday.blogspot.com/). On Sneak Peek Sundays readers can enjoy six paragraphs from currently published books or works-in-progress from a variety of authors. So, get your TBR list pencils sharpened and start reading!



The Fixer-Uppers

Now available from Devine Destinies Books!


"An exceptional writer with a flair for humor." --Romance Reviews Today


Can a single mom find happiness on a blind date--or at least dinner with a male who can cut up his own food? Cassie and Mike believe they're "in like" not "in love." But when down-on-his-luck Mike is evicted, Cassie takes him in. Mike starts fixing everything from window screens to broken hearts. Will Cassie let him fix hers?

Cassie groaned.  It was the same old story. She abandoned her work and turned around to confront her friendly torturer.
            “You’re not going to try to fix me up again, are you, Angel?  I’ve told you how I enjoy being single. I’ve only been divorced for five years.  I’ve got a lot of living of my own to do, thank you very much.”
             Angelina rolled her eyes and stuck out her tongue. “Yes, yes, I know. I’ve heard the ‘I am woman, hear me roar’ speech before. But you deserve to be loved by a good man and loved well, Cassie Stubinski. Why don’t you think so?”
            Cassie breathed a long sigh then retreated into her work once more, carefully placing the final rosette onto the waxed paper-lined tray. “Sorry for being so bitchy, Angel. Must be the PMS as my ex was always reminding me.”
            “Oh, no, it’s okay. I know why you act bitchy. You’re lonely. Please, won’t you consider dating again? It’s been what—a year since you last went out? Remember that I told you all about this really terrific guy named Mike—”
            “Who works with Paco at the airport and would be just perfect for me. I know, I know.” Cassie smiled and nodded at her impractical matchmaker. What did a twenty-two year old girl know about perfection? And Paco, Angelina’s dream man, the self-proclaimed stud of the tarmac, wasn’t noted for his expert advice, either.  
            The hurt expression in Angelina’s big brown eyes really got to her, however.
            “Mike sounds like a really nice guy,” Cassie said gently, “but I just don’t think I’m the type of woman he wants to date, if you know what I mean.”
            “No, I don’t know what you mean,” Angelina snapped, banging her sponge down on the counter. “You’re a great looking chick with a wonderful sense of humor. What else would a man want?”
            Someone who  possesses a positive checking account balance? Cassie was about to quip but changed her mind and said instead, “Well, for starters he might want to date someone his own age.”
            “So he’s three or four years younger than you. No big deal.”
            Cassie defiantly crossed her arms across her ample bosom and leaned back against the metal counter top, conceding Angelina was probably right on that point.  
“Okay then. You told me this guy has never been married or had a family before. Some men don’t like dating divorcees with young kids.”
            Angelina bit her lip in thought then smiled. “But he and his girlfriend lived together for five years before they broke up so it’s like he’s been through a divorce himself.”
            “Possibly. I—I just don’t know.” Cassie looked away. “Let’s be reasonable, Angel. Why in the world would a young, good-looking guy want to date a fat has-been like me?”
            “You’re not fat!” Angelina shouted. She blushed upon noticing the elderly woman waiting at the counter. “Oh, excuse me, ma’am.  May I help you?”
            As Angelina packaged doughnuts for her customer, Cassie gathered her thoughts while she collected her utensils. 
Maybe she was lonely. It would explain her short temper lately when dealing with her co-workers and her sons. The boys were growing up so fast—maybe too fast—without a father figure in their lives. Maybe she should go out on one of those D word type of things.
            “Oh, what’s the use,” Cassie muttered, filling the sink with soapy water. She had to be realistic. No one wanted to date a thirty-four year old divorcee who had exploded from a size ten to a size sixteen over the past five years even if she did possess a good sense of humor, uncommonly green eyes and a rather attractive shade of auburn hair.  Jack had stolen the best years of her life—and her figure. And all she really had to show for it was the dilapidated house she had received in the divorce settlement and the fatiguing, day-to-day struggle to make ends meet for herself and the boys. 
            She jumped as she scalded her hand while rinsing out the frosting nozzle “Ow! I’m an complete idiot today.”
 Stepping back from the sink, Cassie felt a blister forming in the red patch glistening on her palm. Somehow, though, the pain of her flesh was minimal compared to the pain she felt in her heart. She was growing older, heavier, and lonelier by the second, and she had to face facts. At least on a date she could have a nice dinner with a male who didn’t need his mother to cut up his food for him… She dried her hands and threw down her dish towel as Angelina returned from the counter to their work area.  
            “All right, all right,” she said, surrendering. “You win, Angel. Fix me up with this Mike person.”

Yeah, I know--I posted more than six paragraphs. But the excerpt flowed so nicely. Forgive me. ;)
The Fixer Uppers is available in all e-formats--including Kindle--from Devine Destinies Books.