The same with how an all Alpha society would completely fail to function, neither would any other society. In civilization today, people are split up into different social castes based on their race, income, and looks. The rich, the middle-class, and the poor. Even zooming into the smaller perspective of high school, the traditional high school caste system ranks from thethe highest caste which includes cheerleaders, jocks, honor students, preps, non-conformists; the middle class of drama people, choir, punks; the second-middle class of geeks and nerds; and the lowest caste of special students and foreign students who don't speak English as their first language. (I looked up the 'high school caste system' from yahoo) The modern high school caste system exists because people need others to admire, as well as others to push down and make fun of because they're lower or less-privileged than they are.
Bernard, as an Alpha, never fit in with the other Alphas because of his physical condition as well as his wandering mind. Then after he was connected with the Savage, he became popular and well-liked by everyone. All the rumors about him disappeared and everyone was buddying up to him, "... Bernard had only to hint at the possibility of an invitation, and he could have whichever of them he liked. "
With all the similarities between Huxley's Brave New World and the connections Postman makes between them, we really are already a Brave New World, just like everyone said.
Civilizations having a hierarchy has been around since the year 1 A.D. It allows people to figure out where they belong and who they should be around. Huxley's utopia is different because the people of higher class don't criticize those of the lower class and realize they are important to the society as well. This does not stop them from using them to do their own jobs,but as far as I can see this means there is no constant put down on others.
ReplyDeleteI agree, there isn't any criticism between the castes of Huxley's society because they are kept separate as much as possible. Alphas and Epsilons do not get much contact between the Alphas ordering the Epsilons around, which gives them little opportunity for negative interaction. They've also been conditioned so that criticizing isn't really part of their judgment.
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