Week 14: Satire & Science Fiction

For out last blog post I chose to revisit the infamous Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams by listening to the first installation of the Radio Show. This format, with its amazing voice actors and thourghly immersive sounds design, certainly adds a new dimensions to the experience last with just the text. Even though the Hitchhickers Guide Radio Show #1 was only 28 minutes and some change long it still manages to very obviously explore and criticize present day issues in this fictional context. One of the most relevant problems highlighted was corporate greed and corruption as witnessed by the obsessive need to build a bypass. When questioned even the workers didn't know why the bypass was so necessary but corporate had made it clear that it must be done (most like for efficiency and money) at any cost to the small town. The threat of being bulldozed over very clearly illustrates the prioritization of money and material expansion over human life. this can be witnessed in our society today in just about every industry. Examples include, but are not limited to, our extortive medical and pharmaceutical industries. Most notably in recent times the inflation of the Epi-pens to save people suffering from anaphylaxis. Our oil industry sabotaging the green energy movement and perpetuating global warming at an alarming rate for money despite having the green energy technology since the early 2000s. Even our fast food industry using meat fillers, addictive additives, and relying too heavily on processed corns to preying upon the lower socioeconomic circles, who can't afford better and healthier food causing obesity and other health problems that then shovel money back into big pharma.