AEG clones

Roy C. Lackey · 21 Dec 2008, 22:29 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: rclackey at stic.net (Roy C. Lackey)
Date: Sun, 21 Dec 2008 16:29:39 -0600
Subject: (urth) AEG clones
References: <797FEFBC5B9A41EF806452907A621060@GATEWAY>
	<494E3642.9060104 at gmail.com>
Message-ID: <002101c963bb$a0bf5e20$34ce4a0c@rclackey>

Dave Tallman wrote:
> Statements by Reis:
> 1) "...I saw 'The Red Spot' tonight..." (p. 67).
> 2) "You were wearing green the first time I saw you." (p. 119)
> 3) "I was thinking of the party." (p. 119)
> 4) "I didn't [see the play]. I know I said I did, but that was..." (p.
119)
>
> The hard one to explain is #4. He chose to contradict himself, when he
> could have kept consistent by sticking to the idea that he was just
> thinking about the party, that her brown dress in the play didn't count
> because she in a role, etc.
>
> Clone theory: 1) F, 2) T, 3) T, 4) T. More trues than falses this way,
> but why not keep it simple and take the actions of his clone for his own?
>
> Loden dress theory: 1) T, 2) T, 3) F, 4) F. In this one, he had been
> caught in an admission he didn't want to make (#2). He covered for it
> clumsily, perhaps because he was flustered.

The only point you have marked true for both these scenarios is that Cassie
was wearing a green dress when Reis first saw her.

> The Rusterman conversation is full of lies and half-truths on both
> sides. Part of the fun is figuring them out. His explanation of the
> reason he took the bracelet back from Margaret is at least full of lies
> by omission. "I had hoped that you would love it..." (and get radiation
> poisoning).

One of the problems with this clone theory is that there should be some sort
of coordination among clones in order to avoid tripping each other up and
exposing themselves. That in turn necessitates one individual as the prime
individual who benefits from the coordinated actions of the others.
Otherwise, each individual will have his own agenda, which will lead to
conflicts. Reis was a megalomaniac. As such, he could never tolerate rivals
of equal knowledge, powers and resources. Part of his stated ego trip was
that he and he alone would possess the most desirable woman in the world. If
only one guy gets the girl . . . things are bound to get ugly.

-Roy

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