In The Safe Lands series, Omar falls prey to the lures of sex and especially drugs, so much that he would do anything for his drug or "stim" of choice, "brown sugar."
That's not to say that I don't have any addictions. Later on in the story, I noticed that Strikers (those who had gotten in trouble prior to Liberation) were prohibited from having electronic devices like Wyndos. So basically, if you fought to take down a corrupt system, they'd take away your Internet.
Wait. What???
The Internet has become such a part of daily life that a lot of people--myself included--are horrified by the idea of living without it. And in fairness, it would be quite an adjustment to live without Internet access...it would be harder to buy things, harder to communicate with people, and in our world, perhaps harder to get your ideas noticed. I guess if you had a good friend who lived nearby who could use their Internet/Wyndo, you could probably manage, in this world and the Safe Lands both. (Or if you had a Zane. I need to befriend a Zane.)
So I wonder, what if Omar had been addicted to social media or Simcasts instead of drugs? Such addictions would probably be less visible, maybe less destructive...but his addiction would have hit a lot closer to home for me, and maybe made me think even more deeply about what I might be loath to risk, should there be a pressing need to rebel against authority.
(And even though Mason is quite focused, I could totally imagine him getting caught up in the equivalent of Internet rabbit holes, reading and learning about so many different things. Maybe that's why he has to focus on fixing the thin plague--if he didn't have that sense of purpose, or if a cure were found, he could perhaps get caught up in unfocused pursuits himself. Though knowing him, it very well might circle back to trying to fix some other problem in the world.)
So...what's your stim?
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I found out that the 'vape' thing actually exists in the real world and delivers drugs--- nicotine, and in Colorado, marijuana. I just hope someone doesn't end up getting too curious about the real-world version.
ReplyDeleteRight, e-cigarettes are EVERYWHERE. I guess maybe teens do need to be reminded not to get started down that road after all, even if my own "stim" has nothing to do with vaping.
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ReplyDeleteHmm... I think Mason would get hooked on the Internet, for sure. I think the computer in general is my personal stim.
ReplyDeleteStrikers were technically felons of a sort. I never looked to see if felons get access to the internet. My guess is no. But I think they get paper books to read.
Good point. Though at least in most countries today, a "striker" who didn't do anything too bad can eventually be free again. Though the strikers have so much freedom, I wouldn't be surprised if there would be some underground Wyndos nonetheless. Just the fact that those thoughts come to mind show how deep and engaging this world is...nicely done. Thank you for stopping by!
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