{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/6294", "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "urth", "thread": { "id": 6294, "subject": "Short Story 46: Going to the Beach", "messages": 2, "voices": 2, "first": "2012-10-01T11:18:54+00:00", "last": "2012-10-01T11:32:36+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "<1349090334.41717.YahooMailClassic@web160701.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>", "from": { "name": "Marc Aramini", "address": "marcaramini at yahoo.com" }, "date": "2012-10-01T11:18:54+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Short Story 46: Going to the Beach", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Going to the Beach\nThis was first published in Showcase in 1973, and has not been recollected.\nSUMMARY:\nThe story begins “Seventeen years ago, Miss Hiteecher his high school teacher, everyone’s high school teacher- had explained that those who did worst on the test would be given jobs.” This is contrary to our protagonist’s parents? teachings; he doesn’t believe her at first, but “the habit of belief, had shaken his faith in what a moment earlier he believed he knew.” The children whisper that her assertions are not accurate — it is those who do best, or show aptitude for “the stuff they want”, who will be given jobs while the others will receive “the Honorable Income” to live as they best see fit for the rest of their lives.\nThose with jobs must wait for the industry to be fully automated “so that the workers may be set free”. \nThe story then proceeds to his current life — the sneer of Miss Raile, the monorail booth, at his dirty dollar while a panhandling android girl accosts him on his way home. \nThe leisure classes who receive honorable income are returning from their day “going to the beach”, but he must return home to work. The android girl rubs against him and asseverates that, despite his protestations of poverty, he has coins in his pockets to share with her; she wants to go home with him. He tries to push her off the train, but she gets on with him and they discuss the validity of android emotions. \nIn the dim light the android girl believes that an older couple cannot see them for what they are, a working class man and an android panhandler, and she wants to be perceived as the girlfriend of someone on the Honorable Income. She reveals that she must plug in for energy at his house. \nHe allows her to plug in from a cord in her purse. While she is plugged in, he rifles through her purse, to find nothing beyond the ordinary. He goes out to eat, and when he returns the engineer he was waiting for is sitting there. The engineer has brought a package that represents “going to the beach” for the protagonist: the possibility that if his work is automated, he can have a life of leisure and a family. \n“Once, people resisted automation.” Engineers developed designed and built wonder-new devices for them to make their work less onerous, and they sabotaged them because there economic well-being depended upon their work — to enlist their cooperation? ?[the Honorable Income was established]\nThe main character looks over the package and says that it is good, but the engineer knows that it is a lie. He asks for particular improvements, but the man must get to work. As the engineer leaves, our hero begins typing: ?Seventeen years ago, Miss Hiteecher his high school teacher — everyone’s high school teacher — It was a beginning.\n\nCOMMENTARY: This is one of the last 70s stories that has never seen republication in a larger Wolfe collection, and like most other ones, it deals with a society where a robotic and human working underclass is largely segregated from those who receive a government income. This parallels the set up in many of these early stories: “Slaves of Silver”, “The Rubber Bend”, “Sonya, Crane Wessleman, and Kittee”, and several others. Here, a writer (whether of journalism, autobiography, or fiction remains unclear) displays an aptitude on his test for a certain thing which prevents him from the honorable income, because, even in this almost utopian future where work is done by machines, there are still things that they can’t quite get right.\n\nThe life of leisure that is paralleled with “going to the beach” is pretty ambiguous in value. Interesting to note that engineering has been completely automated and is one of the first things to go, but writing and creative endeavors, or perhaps the valid life experience our writer is starting with, are still for all intents and purposes beyond being copied.\n\nOur protagonist is a bit cruel to the android girl, thinking of her as the lowest of the low if she must accost the working class for money. Once again, the problem of a social system such as this is the creation of an underclass that is scorned for little reason. Our writer thinks about the beach, but seems more willing to work than to offer the suggestions necessary to escape his “lifelong” work.\n\nThe discussion of stars is interesting: our protagonist claims that he sees the stars always, even when he isn’t looking at them. This inner vision is of course the theme — perhaps he can share it.\n\nIt is interesting that no one is named except for generic artificial “intelligences” like Miss Raile and Miss Hiteecher, who are named after their functions.\n\nWolfe’s engineer turned writer background is perhaps relevant here: the engineer is just another android, as it has been automated, but the writer’s role has not yet, and may never be, suborned by artificial attempts.\n\nNAMES: All the computer generated artificial authorities, like Miss Hiteecher and Miss Raille, are eponymous to some degree. However, they use the phonetic spelling of the Voisriit system found in “The Blue Mouse” and “Silhouette”, which really does posit a connection between these short pieces. No other “real” characters get names, which is interesting. It seems as though ALL individual names have been lost. The engineer is an engineer, the android girl is an android, and our hero is simply “he”.\n\nAMBIGUITIES: Only the nature of the test is ambiguous, but it is pretty clear that it is an aptitude test, and that passing and failing are meaningless, because those with aptitude for certain things which cannot be fully automated are performing a necessary function, even though they must scrounge by with dirty “labor” money.\n\nCONNECTION WITH OTHER WORKS: This is firmly entrenched in Wolfe’s alternative wealth redistribution cycle, and these are the stories that have tended to be pushed to the side in reprints and collections, perhaps because the threat of actually incorporating socialism and intentionally redistributing wealth waned ideologically for a time. \n\nNext up is Hour of Trust, collected in “The Island of Doctor Death and Other Stories and Other Stories”." } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Daniel Petersen", "address": "danielottojackpetersen at gmail.com" }, "date": "2012-10-01T11:32:36+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Short Story 46: Going to the Beach", "in_reply_to": "<1349090334.41717.YahooMailClassic@web160701.mail.bf1.yahoo.com>", "reply_link": "header", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I didn't realise this one hadn't been collected elsewhere. I can't believe\nit. It's one of my favourite short stories. His interaction with the\nandroid girl reminds me just a tad of something like Flannery O'Connor in\nan s.f. scenario. It also strikes me as being in vivid counterpoise with\nSilk's compassionate interaction with Marble and Olivine.\n\n-DOJP" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Mon, Oct 1, 2012 at 12:18 PM, Marc Aramini wrote:\n Going to the Beach******\n\nThis was first published in Showcase in 1973, and has not been recollected.\n****\n\nSUMMARY:****\n\nThe story begins “Seventeen years ago, Miss Hiteecher his high school\nteacher, everyone’s high school teacher- had explained that those who did\nworst on the test would be given jobs.” This is contrary to our\nprotagonist’s parents? teachings; he doesn’t believe her at first, but “the\nhabit of belief, had shaken his faith in what a moment earlier he believed\nhe knew.” The children whisper that her assertions are not accurate — it\nis those who do best, or show aptitude for “the stuff they want”, who will\nbe given jobs while the others will receive “the Honorable Income” to live\nas they best see fit for the rest of their lives.****\n\nThose with jobs must wait for the industry to be fully automated “so that\nthe workers may be set free”. ****\n\nThe story then proceeds to his current life — the sneer of Miss Raile, the\nmonorail booth, at his dirty dollar while a panhandling android girl\naccosts him on his way home. ****\n\nThe leisure classes who receive honorable income are returning from their\nday “going to the beach”, but he must return home to work. The android\ngirl rubs against him and asseverates that, despite his protestations of\npoverty, he has coins in his pockets to share with her; she wants to go\nhome with him. He tries to push her off the train, but she gets on with\nhim and they discuss the validity of android emotions. ****\n\nIn the dim light the android girl believes that an older couple cannot see\nthem for what they are, a working class man and an android panhandler, and\nshe wants to be perceived as the girlfriend of someone on the Honorable\nIncome. She reveals that she must plug in for energy at his house. ****\n\nHe allows her to plug in from a cord in her purse. While she is plugged\nin, he rifles through her purse, to find nothing beyond the ordinary. He\ngoes out to eat, and when he returns the engineer he was waiting for is\nsitting there. The engineer has brought a package that represents “going\nto the beach” for the protagonist: the possibility that if his work is\nautomated, he can have a life of leisure and a family. ****\n\n“Once, people resisted automation. Engineers developed designed and\nbuilt wonder-new devices for them to make their work less onerous, and they\nsabotaged them because there economic well-being depended upon their work ?\nto enlist their cooperation” ?[the Honorable Income was established]****\n\nThe main character looks over the package and says that it is good, but\nthe engineer knows that it is a lie. He asks for particular\nimprovements, but the man must get to work. As the engineer leaves, our\nhero begins typing: ?*Seventeen years ago, Miss Hiteecher his high school\nteacher — everyone’s high school teacher* — It was a beginning.****\n\n\n\nCOMMENTARY: This is one of the last 70s stories that has never seen\nrepublication in a larger Wolfe collection, and like most other ones, it\ndeals with a society where a robotic and human working underclass is\nlargely segregated from those who receive a government income. This\nparallels the set up in many of these early stories: “Slaves of Silver”,\n“The Rubber Bend”, “Sonya, Crane Wessleman, and Kittee”, and several others.\nHere, a writer (whether of journalism, autobiography, or fiction remains\nunclear) displays an aptitude on his test for a certain thing which\nprevents him from the honorable income, because, even in this almost\nutopian future where work is done by machines, there are still things that\nthey can’t quite get right.****\n\n\n\nThe life of leisure that is paralleled with “going to the beach” is pretty\nambiguous in value. Interesting to note that engineering has been\ncompletely automated and is one of the first things to go, but writing and\ncreative endeavors, or perhaps the valid life experience our writer is\nstarting with, are still for all intents and purposes beyond being copied.\n****\n\n\n\nOur protagonist is a bit cruel to the android girl, thinking of her as the\nlowest of the low if she must accost the working class for money. Once\nagain, the problem of a social system such as this is the creation of an\nunderclass that is scorned for little reason. Our writer thinks about\nthe beach, but seems more willing to work than to offer the suggestions\nnecessary to escape his “lifelong” work.****\n\n\n\nThe discussion of stars is interesting: our protagonist claims that he\nsees the stars always, even when he isn’t looking at them. This inner\nvision is of course the theme — perhaps he can share it.****\n\n\n\nIt is interesting that no one is named except for generic artificial\n“intelligences” like Miss Raile and Miss Hiteecher, who are named after\ntheir functions.****\n\n\n\nWolfe’s engineer turned writer background is perhaps relevant here: the\nengineer is just another android, as it has been automated, but the\nwriter’s role has not yet, and may never be, suborned by artificial\nattempts.****\n\n\n\nNAMES: All the computer generated artificial authorities, like Miss\nHiteecher and Miss Raille, are eponymous to some degree. However, they\nuse the phonetic spelling of the Voisriit system found in “The Blue Mouse”\nand “Silhouette”, which really does posit a connection between these short\npieces. No other “real” characters get names, which is interesting. It\nseems as though ALL individual names have been lost. The engineer is an\nengineer, the android girl is an android, and our hero is simply “he”.****\n\n\n\nAMBIGUITIES: Only the nature of the test is ambiguous, but it is pretty\nclear that it is an aptitude test, and that passing and failing are\nmeaningless, because those with aptitude for certain things which cannot be\nfully automated are performing a necessary function, even though they must\nscrounge by with dirty “labor” money.****\n\n\n\nCONNECTION WITH OTHER WORKS: This is firmly entrenched in Wolfe’s\nalternative wealth redistribution cycle, and these are the stories that\nhave tended to be pushed to the side in reprints and collections, perhaps\nbecause the threat of actually incorporating socialism and intentionally\nredistributing wealth waned ideologically for a time.\n\n****\n\nNext up is Hour of Trust, collected in “The Island of Doctor Death and\nOther Stories and Other Stories”.****\n\n\n_______________________________________________" } ] } ] }