Reading Journal #9: Mouton, Hawkins, Dick, Ehrlich, McIntyre, Soylent Green

For the week of “Come the Apocalypse” there were five readings and one film concerning ideas of a possible future apocalypse. Eugéne Mouton writes perhaps the first detailed theory of global warming. William E. Hawkins uses fictional diaries of characters to describe the possible demise of the Earth in the future through the exploitation of plastoscene. Philip K. Dick writes a story about the human return to Mars. Paul Ehrlich composes a fictional narrative about the eco-catastrophe caused by both American and Soviet meddling. Vonda N. McIntyre writes a short poem emphasizing the human dominance of nature. Soylent Green explores the possible future city life of New York City after global heat waves and food shortages rock the nation.

Mouton theories about the heat up of the world starkly bring forth images of massive global warming. Yet to a degree his apocalypse appears unreasonable considering our current circumstances. For one his ideas have a type of Malthusian edge to them. The world population has expanded far beyond what Malthus believed to possible of sustaining. Further believers of his ideals have been proved repeatedly wrong. Ehrlich also falls into this category through his narrative of a failed Green Revolution. Unfortunately for Ehrlich, but fortunately for us, the Green Revolution succeeded in bringing forth a new level of agricultural production. Thus, the Russians and Americans did not destroy the world through their extensive use of fertilizer, pesticide, DDTs and CFCs. The use of these chemicals was later limited to avoid damaging the environmental ecosystem thanks in part of nature activists. Despite the success of the Green Revolution, Ehrlich’s story is hilarious for its ability to predict possible political dialogue that would take place if the Green Revolution did fail. I could visualize the hammering of American consumption and finger pointing galore taking place in the United Nations.

Dick’s Survey Team was memorable because of its ending. The escape from Earth, because of devastating wars, to Mars is something pulled straight out of fantasy. Unfortunately unlike the utopian stories of a better future, this Mars landing reveals the cyclic nature of human behavior. It turns out that the Martians had already exhausted the planet’s resources and escaped to Earth instead. Thus, Earthlings were actually descendants of Martians. The sudden discovery is reminiscent of a Planet of the Apes ending. Foreign and new land is actually revealed at the end to be old land from a past era.

For a similar reason Soylent Green remains memorable because of its famous last quote, “Soylent Green is people!” The sudden discovery at the end reveals itself in its terrible true form. Food of the future has not only become tasteless, but also abhorrent. The borderline coping of humanity has been sustained by devouring its own kind. Corporate and state approved cannibalism is the new status quo. In this new future of New York City, millions of homeless sleep everywhere and women are viewed as furniture. The only way they managed to eke out a living is through the familiar state approved phase, “Tuesday is Soylent Green day.”