A Future Chaotic

I’ve never been on Second Life. Online virtual reality simulators don’t interest me much, most likely because I find my own life to be thrilling/challenging/stressful/ glamorous enough. Well, ok, maybe not glamorous. The point is that I have enough going on without taking on an avatar, even if her (a while ago, I decided if I ever had an avatar, it would be female) life was more interesting than mine.

 

I must say, the katana is a nice touch. Hiro really knows how to roll. For some strange reason, I find the idea of a sword-wielding, motorcycle riding, multi-ethnic, new wave hacker intriguing. What have I done with my life?

 

The difference between our reality and this fiction, between the present and Stephenson’s future, is that Stephenson anticipates dramatic shifts in economic policy and a high propensity for radical changes within the social framework of America. My attention is first drawn to the privatization of the entities in Stephenson’s novel. With even the US government being a private corporation, the power of non-state actors becomes dominant to the point that people fail to recognize the President of the nation.

 

Stephenson is also quick to draw on the extremes. He envisions a society in which people are either illiterate and uneducated or wired and information-rich. The correlation has little to do with fiscal standing-neither Hiro nor YT would be considered wealthy. Elitism therefore is tied to the ease of access one has to the metaverse, as well as his or her level of technological savvy.

 

The bureaucracy of Stephenson’s government was a nightmare. Speaking as one who believes in the abilities of a strong, central authority, the idea of such conformity, rigidity, and senselessness made me yearn for the unconventional, say, a skateboarding kourier wrecking havoc, equipped with an attitude to boot.

 

Hiro’s society is based on extremes. It is one colossal hyperbole of the worst aspects of American society combined to form one giant mess of conglomerates. L Bob Rife, power hungry to the core, is very much the product of William Randolph Hearst combined with the reincarnation of L Ron Hubbard. Viewing a society in which such characters are among the most powerful individuals was terrifying, but also fascinating.

 

I highly doubt that Stephenson’s portrayal of society will be realized. America has already made a substantial amount of progress in upholding the central authority, and privatization is almost a foreign concept as banking giants are nationalized to keep the market afloat. In a way, I’m almost sad. I sort of wonder what it would be like to meet the greatest sword fighter in the world.