Awake sleeper, rise from the dead
Narrator: I want to introduce you someone known as ‘Brave New World’ robot trooper WALL-E 2:
(enter robot, wearing a robot mask, who bleeps and squeaks at appropriate times throughout the drama. He enters and fixes his eyes straight ahead at an ‘invisible’ screen)
He looks alive and very real to me, but I haven’t seen him eat anything, which makes me wonder if he is indeed human?
He does love 24 hour non-stop TV. and he is often spoilt for choice at what’s on offer; indeed he seems hypnotized by the endless, scrolling of channel listings and broadcasts. (his head goes up and down)
He never misses his favourite soaps. He is highly intelligent and can tell you the names of every character in all of them; and every plot for the last forty years. (nods his heads)
He is sadly desensitized as far as emotions go, because he has viewed so much violence in the war films he loves so much, and by playing power games on his 3D computer, not forgetting the violence in the soaps.
Now he never ever flinches at the sight of blood and gore.
In fact it is extremely difficult for him to distinguish what is good and what is bad; what is right and what is wrong.
He believes anything goes!
He understands perfectly what kind of shape he needs to be to be acceptable in this world. He realizes his need for super-model slimness! (poses and shows off his slim figure)The media has forced its ideals of beauty down his throat so that now he has been ultimately “brainwashed” into accepting unreasonable standards as reasonable.
He is utterly fascinated by reality viewing, high prize talent competitions and red carpet events.
He happily tunes into everyone’s else’s, utterly absorbs celebrity magazines, relishes everyone else’s lives . . . but his own.
He never shops at all; it is all done for him on the net and posted to his home, his special occasion cards all travel faster and more conveniently by email.
He laps up all mesmerizing jingles which top advertising affords him. He totally believes by now he is worth it! But worth what, we don’t know! (lifts robot mask, peels back a Cadbury’s chocolate flake, and eats it longingly)
He is constantly flooded with information which tells him of the justification in paying the highest sums for the transfer of top football players, when there are so many poor people in the world.
The 24 hour news channels have informed him as to who his enemies are and how it may be necessary to exterminate them.
This constant flood of visual and audio information about things he loves, blurs the line between cognition (i.e. knowledge and understanding) and hypnosis; between morality and immorality. What he loves will ruin him. By inflicting too much pleasure He will self-destruct.
In fact he does have a self destruct button, (he looks around behind him, trying to see it) but will never get to use it, because he is right on course and heading that way right now.
Is he just a machine or is he human? How can we tell?
Is he breathing? (robotic breathing movement)
Can he move? Only just. He’s been sat in the chair for so long! (He slumps tiredly)
Can he dance? (he dances feebly)
Can he sing? (he sings feebly)
Can he think for himself? Well there’s a question! (looks at the Narrator briefly, then back to his invisible screen)
Sadly I don’t think we will ever find out.
So is he awake or is he asleep?
And how will he ever cope if the mighty power fails,
or if he is called to account by the Great Controller of all time?
(Exit robot in a daze)
This drama was inspired by reading a comment on our ‘Brave New World’ by Bishop Tom Wright.