In the lobby the interview proceeded. Samantha continued to question and probe the view Mark was portraying with a growing concern at the cold rationalism of this person. She couldn’t verify some of the things he was saying, nor could she make an informed criticism of them.
She hadn’t expected anything like this from these lowly protestors. It was supposed to be a chance to appease the situation, provide a bit of entertainment value, and for her to come out looking cool, composed and in control. Instead she found herself passively listening while Mark explained how the genetic selection of partners would allow a fairer opportunity for people to enter the gene pool. Based on the biological factors that mattered rather than based on irrelevant socio-economic factors of prestige, popularity and wealth.
Samantha was sure there must be something wrong about this callous approach to a sensitive, emotionally-charged subject, but was currently too shocked to ask the most pressing questions. She did not like where the interview was heading. So she had to gather herself in the whirlwind.
She addressed Mr Brunt. "Now this is well and good if it is as you claim. But do you really think that the scientists and other experts have not already fully explored and rejected this avenue of enquiry? It sounds like something you have strong views about, but if it is such a sound idea, why have you not put it through the proper channels?"
"We both know scientists have become insulated from the ground level, from the grass roots of our society. In favour of personal glory and a status symbol that they pursue with great vigour, certainly, but unfortunately with little compassion and understanding of human needs..."
At that point Mark turned to his other side to see Jim was seating himself next to him, hurriedly putting on a microphone. They exchanged a quick glance. Mark wore a slightly surprised look at first, but then it changed to satisfaction as he realised he now had an opportunity to confront his true target.
Jim smiled slightly dismissively, trying to hold in his anger for now, waiting for the right moment to release it. Jim also was quite nervous and slightly flustered at causing this interuption, since it came from an impulsive act he rarely indulged in.
He looked at Samantha and she smiled to try and put him at ease, as if to say she expected him to come down and do this and was ready to act accordingly.
"Well it looks as if Jim Mercier has decided to join us. For those of you not aware, Jim Mercier is a leading scientist of the natural-social science Synergy. He presented a speech last night at the emergency conference held in this building, putting forward publicly to a live audience for the first time his proposals for social reform including his much touted happiness equation. Good morning Mr Mercier, what do you make of the protest tonight?"
"Good morning Samantha, or is it a late night...It has been a long night that is for sure... My thoughts on these protestors is that it is a typical attempt of desperate people trying to gain influence by use of force and violence."
Mark responded, "let me remind you that no violence has been used, it has been a peaceful protest..."
"Now let me explain something to you Mr Brunt. We scientists are peaceful people. We rely on controlled environments. It is where debate can thrive and truth can take seed. Setting fires outside this building, standing and shouting your slogans, has left a lot of people in fear in here. It is a needless act, and if condoned on this occasion will only breed future protests of a similar kind. Making ever more spurious demands and claims. Undermining the scientific discussion of the issue at hand, and turning the debate into a mere shouting match between opposing camps. We did away with that approach some time ago when we dismantled the two-party system. You surely don’t want us to regress to that state of affairs?"
"Mr Mercier. This is a one-off protest to address an atypical concern. You think we would make a habit of this kind of protest? You know as well as I do the crisis we are currently facing. We are cold, hungry and tired. Only this pressing issue and the importance of what we have to bear on it has brought us together and given us the will to make this stand. So please can we stop dwelling on labels and reputations. These things are not important right now."
Jim shrugged his shoulders, "that is fine by me, addressing the issue at hand is what this conference is all about."
Samantha took her chance to ask a question, "So then Mr Mercier, I assume you have been watching this interview progress keenly. What do you make of Mr Brunt’s theory of genetically selecting matches? Would it improve our society as he suggests, whilst also appeasing the feeling of unfairness and exclusion currently suffered by the low income sector of the population, giving them a more reasonable route to get in the gene pool for the next generation?"
"It is quite a complex subject as you can appreciate, but I will try my best to explain it as succinctly as I can. The reason the happiness equation I am proposing can work is based on a key factor. It regulates and taps into the human spirit, bringing it in to harmony with the social organism. But it does no more than this. It does not control it from above with commands, or from below with needs. For we cannot control the human spirit. Without true freedom on the individual level society always crumbles and falls apart. You can create the most perfect genetic beings you like. But no matter what you do here, no matter how perfect they are, individuals cannot carry society. They still rely on, and feed off, societal order. A thing tantamount to our happiness as my equation shows. But this order will degenerate under Marks proposals by attempting to control a process that already works harmoniously. Loving relationships is one of the few areas where the human spirit has always prevailed. It is crucial in any free and happy society. What we need to be doing right now is extending this harmonious approach to other aspects of society, not undermining it in one of its strongholds for the sake of a dubious scientific experiment."
"Do you have a response to this Mr Brunt?"
"Thankyou Miss Swanson, yes I do. History is littered with cultural practices we thought could not be overcome, such as religious rituals, abstinence, chastity. But with time we have come to see them as merely superstitions. The same can apply to the cultural practice of long-term family relationships of exclusive love and affection once we begin to appreciate the more rational alternatives. The genetically chosen matches may well choose to have a relationship anyway."
"And if they don’t Mr Brunt?" Asked Samantha.
"Then communitarian projects will be set up to look after them and watch over them to ensure they achieve optimum development."
Jim interjected, "are you seriously suggesting that control through science of the most basic human drives of affection and to procreate can be compared to the overcoming of religious superstitions?"
"Why not? Those superstitions were also once taken to be basic human drives..."
"We all know now Mark that this Enlightenment process of spreading natural science influence reached its peak some time ago and began to decline at the turn of the 21st century. It has declined these past hundred years or so for a good reason. It tried to put the human spirit in too tight a box and the human spirit broke out in defiance: Finding new ways to make science work for our benefit, rather than us working for its benefit. This is an old debate, settled a long time back..."
"I am saying the debate needs to be reopened. If other countries make use of this technology with success where will that leave us?"
"Other countries may or may not follow that route, but if they do it will be their mistake and their loss. The rational mind has its limits Mark. At times it must give way to the much more powerful unconscious forces gathered in our psyche. This is not irrational in a detrimental sense, because it is for our own benefit. It allows love to grow. Trust, freedom and happiness result from it. It may not give us a precisely tuned world of our own making, but it gives us the best world we can hope to inhabit."
Mark felt alone in the spotlight. The usual approach of the powerful of making a person feel excluded was being used against him. He was well aware of this though. He was used to this feeling and did not intend to let it put him off the course of his argument.
"I am sorry Jim, I have to disagree with you. These options need to be considered, tried and tested. It is the way of scientific endeavour to make the best use of new technological discoveries. Surely you can appreciate this?"
"I respect your determination. You make a good case. The problem is we have already considered that option and decided it to be inadequate, if not positively harmful to our social order. All actions have their unintended consequences. The old approach of natural science never took stock of these consequences until it was too late. We now in the Synergy preempt some acts whose unintended consequences are viewed to be unfavourable. The aim is to form a harmonic relationship with our world, not to control or dominate or exploit it. It was this misguided approach that bequeathed to our generation an over-populated world, under-resourced and unhappy. We intend to change this state of affairs."
"It is all very high-minded ideals you have in mind here. I just don’t buy it. It is too convenient in its conservatism to the current powers that be within society. You are effectively putting blocks to a full rational enquiry and denying our society valuable technology. And for what? The sake of our happiness? It sounds very paternalistic to me."
"These are intended as very provocative terms I’m sure Mark, but nevertheless there simply isn’t any solid support for your alternate proposals in the scientific community. We are doing our best to use our knowledge to get us through these troubling times with our long-term well-being in mind."
A pause in the increasingly heated debate allowed Samantha to get a word in to wrap up the interview. It was clear not much was going to be agreed upon. Both were firmly entrenched in their views. But it had been informative and entertaining. So best to end it now, Samantha thought. She was a prudent person when it came to her job. She knew her audience and how best to influence them.
"This has been a very interesting interview. It is clear there is some division in society regarding the fairness of our institutions. Maybe the debate around genetic selection needs to be brought back into the public domain. Providing we can distance it from the baby culling of the extremists. We have done our bit today for that cause on the Daily Toll. But I have little doubt that love will remain strong in our society. And whatever is implemented based on this extraordinary night at the emergency government conference will leave space for the human spirit to thrive. For without this hope all our struggling through this world crisis will be for nothing. My name is Samantha Swanson reporting for the Daily Toll. Goodnight."
Neither Mark nor Jim were satisfied with this hasty summation. They would have preferred to have a few more shots at each other. Both men stood up and continued arguing while the cameras switched off. George came up to take Mark aside before hie fiery temper got the better of him. Jim watched them move off then walked over to talk to Bobby. Bobby was quite eager to have a stern word with Jim for going against his wishes.
"You have got some nerve. You took a big risk coming down here like that. You gave him an opportunity to bring you down that he hadn’t earned a right to, and on the network no less. You didnt need to do it."
"I can handle myself. You worry too much Bobby. What did you think of it then? I did alright I hope?"
"Yeah you did just fine, you ruffled that guy up a bit I think. But I don’t think thats the end of this. You really think we can afford to ignore all these people. They must have some legitimate complaint to come together like that. It concerns me."
"This has really got you shook up a bit Bobby, you’re normally so cool."
"Yeah well, protests are pretty rare these days, and they look determined, not just desperate. Plus you went against my wishes of course, lets not forget that."
"You’re not going to let that go are you!"
"Lets just say you owe me one."
Jim smiled and patted Bobby on the back then turned towards Samantha. Jim felt so alive and invigorated at the moment. What a night it had been. That girl Samantha had opened up Jim’s mind to the possibilities in life that can come your way. She had her own interests of course and Jim would have to tread carefully. But he felt things were all coming together right now.
Maybe the media were not as bad as he had come to believe. Maybe he could speak up more for his views now in public, and not hide behind the insulation of scientific procedure and decency. Maybe, just maybe, his ideas could come to fruition and become more than just a theory. A reality. It is what he had aspired to his whole career but never dared to proclaim it, even to himself. Looking into Samantha’s eyes they shared a smile and a warm feeling pervaded Jim’s body
...
Samantha was happy with how the debate had gone in the end. She did feel for Mark. He was trying to do a good thing, and his heart seemed to be in the right place. But he was trapped in a one-dimensional view of things. The world was not as simple as that.
On one thing she agreed with him. People need to have hope for the future. And society, as it is, was taking away this hope from a significant portion of the population. Disguising this with a stigmatisation of them, the use of terms such as surplus population to keep them in fear, and the provision of twenty-four hour entertainment to keep them pacified.
Samantha saw this, but felt that what needed to be done was to reach out to people and let them tell their story. It was not to make hasty, radical changes to government policy, based on little scientific research and just to appease a passing desire.
But why had little research been done into this genetic technology? This was something she intended to bring up with Jim.
It had been a night of great incident, things were finally easing down. In Samantha’s eyes some barriers had been broken through tonight in the divided society. In a way that sidestepped political maneovering and got straight to the heart of the issue.
Could this allow them to root out the truly evil extremists within the surplus population? And the very need for the formation of such twisted impulses in the first place? Impulses counter to everything that made life such a wonderful thing? Samantha hoped and dreamed for this better world. She glanced at Jim. Their eyes met. She smiled.
...
Mark saw the shared smile between Jim and Samantha. It didn't make him angry, it just confirmed him in the anger he already had. For Mark this was just the beginning. A testing of the water. He knew now what he was up against. He would come back stronger. Protesting was not the solution. More significant action was called upon. He made his way out of the building. Refusing to answer any questions from the swarm of media people. All he said was one short sentence as he walked off: "This is not over my friends, watch this space!" With that he walked off. Disappearing into the fog of the night.