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12Conclusion Replicants are condemned to a life composed only of a present tense; they have neither past nor memory. There is for them no conceivable future . They are denied a personal identity , since the y cannot nam e thei r T a s an existence over time.1 In th e quotatio n above , Giulian o Brun o refer s specificall y t o th e replicants of Blade Runner, bu t the truth of the matter is, of course, that th e android s ar e stand-ins fo r us, for the human race . Power , meaning th e Ne w Worl d Orde r grounde d i n a capitalis t ideolog y that make s profi t an d consumptio n th e ultimat e freedom , ha s forced al l o f u s t o follo w suit , t o becom e extension s o f machines , docile bodie s turne d t o technology . W e hav e allowe d th e too l t o become ou r master instea d o f our servant. Tha t i s th e big irony — that ou r ow n elaborat e fortification s agains t los s o f sel f an d sou l may on e da y tur n th e table s o n us : th e metal , glass , an d cemen t structures tha t ju t ou t o f th e expanse s o f concret e w e cal l cities , the machine s an d factor y hall s tha t constitut e ou r environmen t might finally becom e th e source of our loss of self. The little flicker of light insid e eac h on e o f us tha t w e cal l sou l o r consciousness i s being squashe d unde r th e edific e o f techno-culture . W e ar e deliv ering ourselve s u p t o th e executione r a s w e bu y int o expandin g corporate capitalism , expandin g technology , expandin g an d ever expanding desir e fo r growth , wealth , machine s wit h whic h t o 241 242 Conclusio n adorn ou r home s an d ourselves , machine s t o liv e b y an d in , ma chines tha t invad e ou r bodie s an d imaginations , machine s tha t are becomin g invisibl e becaus e the y ar e everywhere , because the y are us . W e ar e perhap s alread y machine s whos e memorie s ar e technological implants . It i s ofte n argue d tha t sf , becaus e i t i s a genr e tha t exist s i n relative obscurity , ha s bee n allowe d t o produc e message s tha t g o against th e dominant ideology . That i s probably tru e and a reaso n that s o muc h s f i s comparativel y subversive . Bu t th e subversio n never goe s ver y far . Ver y seldo m doe s a n s f film d o anything mor e revolutionary tha n t o whispe r tha t somethin g i s wrong . S f doe s not analyz e problem s an d indicat e route s t o dea l wit h them ; s f names problems: i t has been suggested tha t The Fly (1986) is abou t AIDS, an d tha t seem s reasonabl e enough . Bu t th e movi e doe s no t have anythin g muc h t o sa y abou t it ; al l i t doe s i s recor d th e physical an d menta l disintegratio n o f a huma n being . If you wan t to see a film tha t deal s wit h AIDS , with th e psychological , histori cal , an d politica l implications , yo u ar e bette r of f seein g Longtime Companion. Sf i s folklore an d a s suc h i t pitche s littl e peopl e agains t th e bi g issues. In classical fair y tales , the barons and overseers that owne d the worl d wer e represente d a s monster s an d ogre s t o...

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