EP098: Just Do It

[therese]

Ditto to [almost] all of the above.

The ending was kinda abrupt. I was expecting at least a little exposition on the early stages of their married life. Did she [try to] fight it like she did the fries craving? Did she ever try to escape? Did they have to struggle or did he have to chase/hunt her to administer the drug? If a dose was missed, would she have withdrawal symptoms? Were her memories affected in any way? Didn't her friend worry of about her absence and resulting change in behavior?

Very tempting to write a "Deleted Scenes"-like companion.

And the parent gun was unexpected. But, considering the situation/circumstances that led to that scene, I'm wondering if we should have seen it coming. And geez, the poor kid getting all those doses at such a young age!  One word: JUNKIE.

Junior doesn't want to go to school, so he outdraws Mom and hits her with a shot of "Indifference" (by Calvin Klein) before she gives him his morning shot of "Overachiever".

LOL! If only the technology was available to me 15yrs ago, I don't think I would've ever felt the least bit burnt out in college.

[random mental image] Moderate to liberal use of b-mods in the household. Dart guns scattered around the house. Junior accidentally fires a prototype at Daddy. Hilarity ensues. [/random mental image]

As for tWW doing the reading, she did a great job. A thought keeps pestering me though; was inebriation part of the preparation? Not like she sounded like it, but, yeah.

[Jonathan C. Gillespie]

Slot me firmly in the "mixed feelings" category.

On one hand, everything jived real wel...the narration, the quality of the prose, and the story itself.  Could it have gone on Pseudopod?  Sure, and that's the beautiful thing about dark science fiction.  When it works, a la "Oranges, Lemons, and Thou beside Me", you stand to satisfy two groups of readers, as opposed to one.  The trade off is that it can be harder to make it work, but I think the author pulled it off.  I say, keep the dark sci-fi coming on Pseudopod.

On the downside, as others have said, this story does rely somewhat on having a fear of corporations, much like a recent Pseudopod tale relied on a fear of snakes.  I'm reminded of the great line in Team America wherein puppet Tim Robbins is interviewed on the red carpet about Team America's (that film's allegoric team of terrorist fighters) operations:

Well the corporations, they get all together and get corporationey, then they make money, see?

The same phenomenon runs rampant in this story.  I don't see casual acceptance of mind-controlling advertisement.  I see blood in the streets.  I don't buy that such an advertising infrastructure would be allowed to exist, and I don't think we're moving towards it.  Will we see advertisements everywhere?  You can bet your replicant on it.  But people won't take chemically-induced b-mods.

And yes, the ending went on a while after it should have stopped.

[Thaurismunths]

The same phenomenon runs rampant in this story.  I don't see casual acceptance of mind-controlling advertisement.  I see blood in the streets.  I don't buy that such an advertising infrastructure would be allowed to exist, and I don't think we're moving towards it.  Will we see advertisements everywhere?  You can bet your replicant on it.  But people won't take chemically-induced b-mods.

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? But it's too late: It's in the water.
You think that you wouldn't tolerate it, but you only think that because they want you to think that. They want you to think that it's all free will that you choose to drive a car, or go to work, or pay bills. But it's all a trick.
You want proof? Ok, stop drinking water. I dare you.

[Rachel Swirsky]

I would say that simply because a story criticizes unchecked free market capitalism does not mean that it is anti-capitalist -- unless, perhaps, one accepts that we are currently an anti-capitalist society because we haven't yet allowed things to descend to 1890s robber baron levels.

[Jonathan C. Gillespie]

You'd like to think that, wouldn't you? But it's too late: It's in the water.
You think that you wouldn't tolerate it, but you only think that because they want you to think that. They want you to think that it's all free will that you choose to drive a car, or go to work, or pay bills. But it's all a trick.
You want proof? Ok, stop drinking water. I dare you.

I don't follow your rationale.  Prove me to me you don't have a fear of heights, and fly.

[Swamp]

This is a very fun story.  I don't think the author meant for the ethics of the corporation to be taken seriously as a reflection of where we are headed.  It was just fun.  No Pseudopod story here.  Just the fun science fictiony goodness we have come to expect from Ecsape Pod with a slightly dark twist.  And sure the story could have done without the fast forward at the end, but I think the images that it brings to the imagination were worth it.

[FNH]

This story had it all.  Mystery ( who shooting and why ), Violence ( shooting people and machine abuse ), Love ( main character ), Conflict ( underground vs Corporate ) and Humour ( parental gun ) with a twist in the tail.

This story hit all of the buttons, excellent writing, and an absolutely fantastic reading. 

Put me in mind of the reading I heard of "Breakaway, Backdown" on James Patrick Kelly's podcast. 

Thumbs up.

[Biscuit]

This is a very fun story.  I don't think the author meant for the ethics of the corporation to be taken seriously as a reflection of where we are headed.  It was just fun. 

Agreement. As much as we like to analyse/take seriously our SF, we do tend to lose sight that in the end, it is entertainment. This - like the Clones story of a couple weeks back - is pure SF pop. Fun, with a neat twist ending.

I'm in the Me Too catagory - I loved the story and the telling. The different voices, pace and slightly sarcastic tone was a great read from the VA.

[DKT]

*snip*
No Pseudopod story here.  Just the fun science fictiony goodness we have come to expect from Ecsape Pod with a slightly dark twist.

Yeah, I gotta say I hear what JC and others are saying, but I woulda been bummed if this one had been on Pseudopod.  It's got a totally different feeling than "Oranges, Lemons, and Thou Beside Me."  And I'm not saying this because of the dark comedy -- "What Dead People are Supposed to Do" is easily one of my favorite stories on Pseudopod.  I guess there's some frightening possibilities in this story but I'm glad it was run on Escape Pod and not Pseudopod.

[fiveyearwinter]

Loved it. Not much to say. Made me laugh, although the ending with the "you're gonna marry me" stuff was kind of expected.

[wakela]

I love this stuff.  Without these forums I would have just listened to the story, said "meh," and gone on with life.  But now I really have to think about what I feel and why I feel that way.  Awesome.

I would say that simply because a story criticizes unchecked free market capitalism does not mean that it is anti-capitalist -- unless, perhaps, one accepts that we are currently an anti-capitalist society because we haven't yet allowed things to descend to 1890s robber baron levels.

Yes, you're right.  I've been struggling with this.  I don't think McDonald's is evil, but I would if they started shooting darts into people.  I think there are two things going on with me and this story.

1) I didn't find it believable.  There is a lot that doesn't work in our society, but there is a lot that does.  If companies were using mind control in the way this story describes then the market and/or the government would correct it.  People would boycott McDonalds, and the government would make this activity criminal.  Ironically, one of the things that could defeat the free market is a mind control drug.   But you can't dart everyone all the time.  And the more I thought of it, the more I realized that print and TV advertising would still be more cost effective than hiring a team of sharp shooters. 

2) I didn't find the attitude towards big corporations interesting.  The snide references to conglomerations, corporate life being devoid of interesting conversation.  It's well-worn territory.  As soon as it was revealed that the darts were used for advertising I knew I was looking at story about an idealist vs. an evil corporation.   The road went straight where I thought it would without any interesting twists and turns. 

But in the end I'm left with the same feeling I get when I watch the Daily Show.  The left bias of the show annoys me, but then I remind myself that it's on COMEDY CENTRAL and that I'm not supposed to take it that seriously.   So I could be overthinking this here.

[mummifiedstalin]

Lots of me toos for this one.

Great story. Great reading - I was impressed that Sandra and the main character had different voices without the reader using funny accents.  My cynical mind jumped to the Love Me dart as soon as he mentioned the behaviour mod research.  I wouldn't say the story telegraphed it - I'm just a devious bastard - and the parent gun was unexpected.

No, I think it did get telegraphed. Remember the bit about not being able to locate any B-mod research labs? That just screamed, "He knows, he's hiding it, he's preparing something." Besides, the CEO was described as an innocent, lovable geek the whole time. So, of course he's not.

But the premise was excellent. I love the idea that all of this corporate manipulation is just out in the open and it works by, well...telegraphing what it's doing and getting everyone to start playing a devious game.

The only real improbability, as I saw it, was getting the darts "legalized" in the first place. Past that, and it all seemed perfectly logical. Frighteningly so.

Though I did find myself wondering, what happens if he misses a "Love Me" dose with his new wife?  Would all the prior doses have enough residual effect for it to not matter, or would he suddenly be sharing his bed with an enraged former guerrilla activist?

Ditto, or even if her body developed a tolerance - so she gradually stopped loving him.  It would make a great sequel or perhaps from the POV of someone else.  I would guess the gov't would be misting the every street corner with the "Behave yourself" spray (a la Miranda planet in the Serenity movie).  What if the spray broke down - would people rebel or would the behaviour be so ingrained...

Didn't they mention aerosols? Just pump the stuff in the AC/heater.

[Talia]

As others said, I found it scarily believable, personally. Perhaps thats a symptom of my massive cynicism in regards to all things governmental: i certainly wouldnt put it past them to permit such vileness provided their pockets were lined well enough..

At the very least though, it's pretty clear that as a whole we're moving towards a society where advertising will be significantly more pervasive and/or invasive. Although, I think, were this sort of thing to occur, it would start with the air-carried advertising first rather than the more sensational dart guns.

One thought did occur to me, though.. how awful would ti be to to have food allergies in THOSE circumstances..

I wonder how the legal department would try making a lawsuit related to a food allergy/dart related death go away.

[Rachel Swirsky]

As soon as it was revealed that the darts were used for advertising I knew I was looking at story about an idealist vs. an evil corporation.   The road went straight where I thought it would without any interesting twists and turns. 

I disagree. The idealist is... not truly an idealist. She has idealist tendencies, yes. But she greatly admires the man for his entrepeneureal spirit, and is relatively happy in knuckling under to the order. There's a tongue-in-cheek presentation of the whole thing, yes. But it's not presenting a straight-forward adventure; there's a suggestion that all the characters have to navigate their particular situations in ways that are morally ambiguous.

I believe the main character is supposed to be read (or at least can be read) as a contrast to her friend, who is much more straight-and-narrow, determined, and uncompromisingly idealistic, in the pattern that we would often expect the hero to be. The contrast between these two characters suggests that this won't be a straight-forward "man against society" fight, which in turn permits the dystopic ending.

[slic]

1) I didn't find it believable.  There is a lot that doesn't work in our society, but there is a lot that does.  If companies were using mind control in the way this story describes then the market and/or the government would correct it.

If we went directly to darts, I would agree, but imagine for a moment the little steps it might have taken to get there:

Today, right now, we have stores that add subtle scents to their AC.  Now add an advance in chemistry along the lines of the story - the ability to instill stuble cravings for the product.
[We actually are closer to that than you might think - many foods add "flavour enhancers" to their product  - I'm not saying that they are addictive, but I wouldn't be surprised that they had some compelling properties - worst case scenario, think nicotine.  And we already have perfume sprayers in some department stores who spray passers-by. ]
 
Remember that all advertising pushes boundaries to get noticed.  Giant billboards did not immediately pop up once print advertising was invented. The first push is "Greeters" soaked in the stuff to get you to smell it.

Then surfaces (counters, clothing hangers, etc.) are coated with it - as direct absorbtion is more potent.

All we need now is some slick attorney to make makes the arguement that billboards and giant tv screens (think Times Square, etc) already invade personal space, that the precedents above show that customers are accepting of the practice, and show that the darts themselves are harmless.  First the darters "hunt" in the malls only, then in the parking lots outside, and pretty sure they are all over public places.

[wakela]

I disagree. The idealist is... not truly an idealist. She has idealist tendencies, yes. But she greatly admires the man for his entrepeneureal spirit, and is relatively happy in knuckling under to the order. There's a tongue-in-cheek presentation of the whole thing, yes. But it's not presenting a straight-forward adventure; there's a suggestion that all the characters have to navigate their particular situations in ways that are morally ambiguous.

You're right that the main character is between her college friend and her corporate boyfriend. She comes to learn something about herself and her relationship with these people.   I know we were told that she actually liked Mr. Corporate, but I never really felt it.  I didn't think she was all that conflicted when she sent that email, and her objection to it was based on fear of getting caught, not that it was a lie (as I recall.  I've listened to a few stories since this one).  But it's the same ol' same ol' anti-corporate tone of the story that I found uninteresting.   If her friend had given her a dart to shoot Mr. Corporate, or started a campaign of darting people with an antidote, or a charity started using the darts for good I think it would have been more interesting.

If we went directly to darts, I would agree, but imagine for a moment the little steps it might have taken to get there:

I would believe a gas or addictive additives before darts.  I don't think anyone would go to a mall is there was a risk of getting shot with anything.   Note that I'm not arguing that corporations have the public good at heart, I'm arguing that the public is not powerless.   The mind control gas, like tobacco additives, would only work if it was secret. 

There is also the government.  It doesn't have the public good at heart either, but it pretends to and probably thinks it really does.   Alcohol advertising on TV is heavily restricted (In the US.  It's been a while, but as I recall you can't show someone actually drinking alcohol in an ad).  Tobacco advertising on TV is forbidden, and they can't even put a billboard in a stadium in case it might appear on TV.

At this point I know I'm overthinking this story.   For me the conversation has shifted from discussing the story to discussing the actual possibility of these darts.  We are continuing the discussion of that the story started, which in a sense makes the story a success!

[VBurn]

Or think of all the handbills that are handed out on the strip in Los Vegas, LA, New York, etc.  I think this is even closer to invasive advertisement.  It is easier to just grab one and throw it away then to decline the offer with most of these guys.  I doubt there will ever be darts per se, but I think the author was just using an extreme to point out what is starting to become common practice.

[Thaurismunths]

I doubt there will ever be darts per se, but I think the author was just using an extreme to point out what is starting to become common practice.

On the other hand, they use to have people in the mall who would spray you with perfume when you walked by.

[Brian Reilly]

I loved the story, but agree that the intro was too long. And I'm used to it being Steve. I think a guest comment would go better after the story. But I'm not so much into non-story content anyway. I don't think I've listened to a single voicemail on EP all the way through, and they are kept short here (Scott Sigler, on the other hand, has whole shows full of calls).

[Josh]

I really enjoyed this one, and maybe it's just me, but the reading seemed a little dry. I know, I know, first I complain about the excess of emotion in Job Qualifications, and now I'm complaining about the lack of emotion, but there is a very delicate balance that can make or break a story. When this balance is made, though, it really brings out the full potential of a story. For the story itself, at the rate things are going today, this future does not seem far off.

[RichGarner]

Excellent story. I can honestly image corporations taking up this technology the nanoseconds it's available... which is why it's so scary.

The story moved along at a good pace and the introduction of the technology through the hit in the forehead served as both a hook for the reader AND as a reminder for the character.

The ending, while poetic and amusing, lacked something. I'm not sure what. But I was taken from a confrontation of the main character, where she faced not only her enemy and lover but also her morals, to an average morning years away in which I can only assume there was no further conflict. I would loved to have seen a little more fight... the way she tried to fight the french fry cravings.

But otherwise, excellent work.

PS. I want to hear more stories read by the Whore. Beautiful voice.

[sayeth]

I really loved this story. Excellent satire, great reading.

As for believability, here's how the neuroendocrine research stands today:

There's quite a few chemical messengers that the gastrointestinal nervous system uses to communicate to the central nervous system: orexin, cholecystokinin (CCK), pentagastrin, and some others. If these hormones could be combined with a few biochemical tricks, you could come up with a chemical that would cause the recipient to feel hungry for, say, a food with high fat content and high sodium. Making it specific for McDonald's french fries as opposed to your grandma's potato latkes isn't possible with normal foods.

One way it could be done, however, is by incorporating some antidote into the McD's food that would neutralize a modified non-degrading and super-active form of one of the above hormones. An affected consumer would then eat all salty-fatty food she could get her hand on until she hit on the McDonald's french fries. Presumably, the next time, she would know just to head straight to the McDonald's to get the antidote.

As for behavior modification darts, you could use a synthetic form of oxytocin. Oxytocin increases following mating in a monogamous vole species and is needed in these for the formation of a pair bond (i.e. after injecting oxytocin into the brain of a female vole, she will tend to prefer the company of the male she was with when she received the infusion). A similar effect in males is seen with vasopressin. Problems are

1) This hasn't been replicated in humans, so it may not apply to love

2) Oxytocin and vasopressin are released during orgasm in both voles and humans. Since people don't always fall irrevocably in love after one sexual encounter, whatever chemical was in the love-dart would have had to cause a much greater effect than what normal oxytocin would induce (And no, I don't think it's just a question of upping the binding to the oxytocin receptor. Just like pushing a button really hard doesn't make the elevator arrive any faster, increasing the binding of a synthetic form of oxytocin wouldn't always make the effect greater.)

3) Oxytocin and vasopressin have different effects outside the brain compared to inside the brain and the two are seperated by the blood-brain-barrier (BBB). To make a centrally active form of oxytocin, you'd have to figure out some trick to cross the BBB, which is not easily done with such large peptides.

I'm not sure how you'd cause someone to desire something as hideous as a SUV, but the wake-up dart is easy: caffine.

[hotrod]

i'm a relatively new Escape Pod listener and a very new forum member.  i just wanted to say that i absuloutely loved this story.  i think it would have worked for Pseudopod, too.

[waiting4oct]

Hey, FiveYearWinter... Nice avatar 

[Rollerbabe]

New to Escape Pod, so just discovered this story.
Absolutely loved it!
Interested in your comments, but think that some of you are just 'overthinking' it as you commented. We just have to accept that crave darts exist to get on with the story. You could rewrite the whole thing with explanations aplenty which would IMO spoil this lovely short 'pop' tounge in cheek story.
The Word Whore was a brilliant choice for narator.
Looking forward to catching up with the rest now, as well as more by Heather Lindsley.