Without Computers

Written as a persuasive essay for my AP English class

“Each day, computers are becoming more advanced. This progress used to be only every year or so, but as you must realize, it has become a technological avalanche. We must not let this continue.

“Already, this technology has begun to think; make rational decisions; and express emotion. We cannot let them become sentient beings. Our emphasis on robots has been to use them to make our work easier. This purpose can be subverted with a single keystroke that would program hatred and rebellion into their minds.

“In an effort to cut down on the abundance of negative aspects of computers, we are getting rid of them all together. The risks and harms far outweigh the benefits, and as such, they shall be destroyed. When the enemy comes, we shall already be conquered, and we will suffer no humiliation.

“You have one month before the destruction begins, and from now until it is over, we ask but one thing: do not panic.”

 

-         Transcript of a speech given in May 2542 to the world,

presented by the President of the United States,

on behalf of all world leaders

 

In an uprising of fear, computers were destroyed. Every cache was systematically detected, uncovered, and eliminated. No one truly understands the terror that provoked such a technological Holocaust. We do understand this: we are no longer thriving. I do not believe our ancestors truly realized the impacts computers had in their lives.

The few people that had basic landlines were lucky�"for the most part. Over time, instead of attempting to produce more, people have destroyed phone systems. They claim equality, but all that rests under their guise is jealousy. The once efficient way of contact has been decimated. I’ve heard that messages could be sent with the thumbs; an instant connection our world has never experienced. The idea of talking without speaking is a novel one, and it’s sad to remember that people once believed it would destroy the world. Contacting someone hundreds of miles away in minutes, or even seconds, would bring our world closer together.

The mortality rate rose sharply after the Technolocaust, and it hasn’t fallen much. No longer do we have the advantage of the Internet to aid doctors in the sharing of research and vital information. No longer do we have machines to keep people�"babies, children, adolescents, octogenarians, cancer patients�"alive until they can survive on their own. Did they really know what they were doing, destroying all of the computers? My sixth great-grandmother was nearly seventy-five when they made the announcement. She depended completely on a little computer inside her body to keep her alive. At the time, there were hundreds that required such a device to live. Instead of waiting for them all to die natural deaths, the Humanity United Against Computers (HUAC) enforcement ordered them to morgues�"saving time and money, they claimed. Once gathered in like the ancient Jews in the gas chambers of the Second World War, HUAC stopped the computers, initiating a fatal self-destruct sequence. They may have intended to save lives, but instead, many were killed, and many more have been unable to receive what would have helped them to survive.

The airplanes of today resemble those of the ancient Wright brothers, and this once incredibly efficient mode of travel is no longer used. A limited number of trains have survived, but only those intended to carry goods. Cars have disappeared off the roads, and the only car left is a vintage 1968 Camaro in a museum. Metropolitan transit systems are at a standstill, unable to run without computers. Everything has backtracked: nearly everyone uses a horse and cart.

The number of criminals caught has decreased significantly, due mostly to the fact that enforcement lacks a database of criminals. Some forensics are possible, but it is all done by hand, making it a slow and laborious process. Overall crime since the Technolocaust has decreased, as there is not much left to steal.

Books are now virtually non-existent, having existed almost solely on computers and e-readers before. There are a few still around, but like the car, they are timeworn and kept in museums or at universities, reminders of what our world used to be. No one seems to care that we’ve lost such a vital part of our society. No one seems to realize that writing, that reading, that learning is a part of understanding who one is, and what one’s past has been. The time-tested adage “Those who forget their history are condemned to repeat it,” will hang true if we are unable to document what happened. What will happen if we forget the consequences of the Technolocaust? Will we remember next time we fear something that it doesn’t need to be dealt with irrationally? Stories are a part of who we are. History is a part of who we become.

It seems that our world is in a constant state of depression and withdrawal, even a century later. My fellow colleagues, we must bring back the technology that was thrust away. Time will not heal this scab society continually picks at. What I speak of is treason, but must be said. Our society can survive, but will not thrive, without computers.

 

- Lecture given at Hillsdale College

by Professor Keen, April 2642,

one month before her murder

Reviews

[Tegon Maus]

I would hate to think such a thing possible. I lean the other way... robots to care for the elderly and those who can not do for themselves. Good writing... scaried me!!

[Chirpy!]

Very doomsday-ish! I like it!