TRUST THE SCIENCE & BUILD BACK BETTER

De: Jason Glunk

Narrado por: Virtual Voice

This satirical novel/script explores human memory, both in terms of its fallibility and infallibility, through the fields of psychological manipulation and scientific tampering.

When Gary and Una Ryan's foster child Zara is noted by a teacher as spending a lot of time in class daydreaming, the wheels are immediately set in motion by social services. For one so-called specialist, it will be her chance to cash in on yet another child by searching for possible trauma based on abuse received as a baby from her biological parents. Whether there is a deep-seated trauma or not matters little, as memories can be created in order to fit the agenda. A cured patient after all is a lost customer.

The powers-that-be have recently announced a scientific cure for all of society. They have discovered that bad memories are what stop people from treating each other humanely and from ringing in a slice of heaven here on earth. And so, by use of artificial memories (Art-mems), which allegedly wipe clean the bad memory and replace it with a good one, a world without hate and bigotry and racism and crime is expected to be soon a distinct possibility.

Although a former prime minister called Sir Charlie Briar is loath to admit that Art-mem treatment is mandatory for all citizens, in numerous interviews he wastes no time in offering huge incentives to those who do opt in, amongst which are lottery tickets, a year's supply of doughnuts, and video games consoles.

But what about those who don't opt for Art-mem treatment? Well, according to Sir Charlie, they are a dangerous faction of parasites whose bad memories could infect those who have nothing but good memories courtesy of Art-mem treatment. And furthermore, according to Sir Charlie, it is only fair, for starters anyway, that those who turn their noses up at Art-mem treatment should not be able to move freely, or be able to work, or to be able to enter supermarkets etc.

Will the child psychologist be able to milk Zara's mind and profit thereby? Will Sir Charlie and his ilk be able to change society so that it takes on their real vision? The answers are here to be discovered.