Re: Not always joking, it seems

On Feb 15, 7:00=A0pm, Edward McArdle <mcar...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> In article
> <d039bc79-e45e-4e34-b564-74d55eb5a...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
>,
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> =A0Willie.Moo...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
 wrote:
> > On Feb 15, 12:12=A0pm, Jette <bossl...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote:
> > > Wim Lewis wrote:
>
> > > > On-topic, how have SF stories dealt with random murderous
outbusrsts=
?
>
> > > Judge Dredd - people who suffered from something called "future
shock"=

> > > would break out in spontaneous random violent attacks on those
around
> > > them.
>
> > > --
> > > Jette Goldie
> > >
je...@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> > > livejournal.com/
> > > ("reply to" is spamblocked - use the email addy in sig)
>
> > I was in Australia recently. =A0They have poker machines at every bar
it=

> > seems. Pokies they're called affectionately. =A0They are Skinner
> > machines designed to just give enough reward during play to bleed you
> > dry. =A0You win on occasion. =A0But only so much, and in the end you
> > lose. =A0Its called a reinforcement schedule to maximize revenue..
>
> > I was reflecting on what Skinner said about society being like a big
> > Skinner machine you cannot escape. The whole of society becomes a
> > large reinforcement schedule that promises rich rewards throughout but
> > in reality, takes everything from you that you've got and play ends
> > when you are broke.
>
> > The more efficient we become along this path, the bleaker things will
> > be - and in the end, large populations of lucky and unlucky folk alike
> > will have become desensitized to the messages used to fleece them - by
> > and large those messages are the fabric that holds society together.
> > At that point all hell will break loose.
>
> > We haven't seen nothing yet.
>
> > There are many new crimes and criminals waiting to happen.
>
> > I wonder what might have happened if the fellow had had the presence
> > of mind to plan his escape, and then do it again? =A0 The guy and his
> > kid who outfitted his car with a sniper's nest and drove around the
> > country killing people stopped the nation. =A0A handful of people like
> > that would be the end of freedom and free movement. =A0Not only would
we=

> > have guns removed from our possession, but we'd also find moving from
> > one sector of a city to another would be like boarding a plane these
> > days.
>
> > The standing armeis of police would themselves become a threat. =A0In
> > Rio - there are off-duty police officers that cruise through the
> > barrios killing kids that are homeless - sometimes after taunting them
> > or robbing them or worse. =A0Them being police and all not much is
> > done. =A0Their targets are chosen too - they are defenseless and have
no=

> > one looking out for them. =A0Burdens on society.
>
> > I recall the streets of Beruit after the US embassy bombing during the
> > Reagan administration. =A0People who travelled through the middle east
> > wondered if this was a sea change for America? =A0I looked at the
burned=

> > out skyscrapers and rubble strewn streets of Beruit - and saw that ALL
> > cities some day would become equally uninhabitable.
>
> > This was well before 9/11.
>
> > The delicious thrill and joy of walking through the streets of
> > Manhattan on a lovely spring day - or a relaxed Sunday brunch at a
> > cafe in Paris in the summer - are things that my grand children will
> > likely not enjoy - and its too bad.
>
> > Telerobotics may be favored over air-travel at some point - or even
> > travel outside one's home - as a security measure.
>
> Fairly basic to this letter is the concept that everyone has a gun.
> This does apply in some countries besides America, but not many
> civilised ones.
>
> --
> my URL,http://members.ozemail.com.au/~mcardle-
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>
> - Show quoted text -

I was imagining what might have happened in a Heinlein version of
events - where all the kids packed side arms.  A guy rushes the stage
with a shotgun, and 100 students take aim at him before he gets off a
round.  He either stands down, or is turned into hamburger.  Either
zero or one person dies - and that's the shooter's only choice.

Of course in Heinlein's universe, they'd be arresting and hanging in
the public square dope fiends.