Sci-Fi Was Right: Young People Will Save The World
Photo by Judeus Samson on Unsplash
By the genre's nature, science fiction has always foreshadowed the future — the combination of real-world technology and the author’s imagination molds and stretches technological possibilities. It allows us, the readers and the public, to envision something we couldn’t imagine before. As a result, more and more individuals strive towards those technological advancements. With time, they become part of real-life.
But, I think there’s another common thread that’s often overlooked in the genre that’s now becoming a reality — young people as leaders.
Young protagonists have been the core of the genre — the Luke Skywalkers, Andrew “Ender” Wiggins, and the Katniss Everdeen’s of the world. And it makes sense, young people have more skin in the game, particularly in certain plot points where the universe and human existence is on the line.
But with financial and political power consolidated among older generations, we haven’t seen it become a reality; until now. With technological advancements and the dispersing of media coverage and political power via social media, we’re seeing more young people become movement and thought leaders, sparking ideas and helping solve complex problems like climate change, conflict and violence, mortality, etc.
Technology in our world has caught up to where science-fictional characters can now exist. And, we see it with our young people playing a larger role to advance and better the human race.
The Imagination Behind Science-Fiction
We’re continually on the brink of seeing technology in fiction become a reality.
The Jetsons showed us flying cars and robot maids (and as I re-watched clips for this article, the 3-day workweek). Altered Carbon explores the idea of mortality being a fluid concept, where a person’s memories and consciousness can be stored in a cortical stack. Now, there are robot vacuums and Aeromobils. There are even experiments testing how we can upload our consciousness into a computer; Peter Thiel and Elon Musk are investing in research.
Sci-fi can also show us the dystopian and disastrous what-if’s of future science. The Nosedive episode of British television show, Black Mirror depicts how social media will heighten our obsession with status and social hierarchy. And, director and writer, Alex Garland explores determinism (a system where there’s no randomness in actions or behaviors, essentially meaning, we no free will) in his show DEVS, and if we are in a deterministic state, what would happen if a Google-like company had our information and we’re able to predict our actions — I’ll give you hint: it would be catastrophic to our freedom and liberty.
Ready Player One is Our Reality
And in the case of the coronavirus crisis, there is no science-fiction scenario that is becoming more like our own reality than Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (there’s a movie, but trust me, it’s not as good as the book. Note sure if there ever has been a movie that’s better than the book, but that’s for another article).
In Ready Player One, it’s 2045, and the world is crippled by overpopulation, unemployment, and energy shortages. There’s a huge economic disparity gap, and the majority of people live on top of each other in stacks (trailers stacked on top of one another). Most people, including the teenage main character, Wade Watts, spend their time (in school, private lounges, and generally escaping from their day-to-day) in a virtual utopia called, OASIS.
In this case, it seems that the coronavirus isn’t creating a “new normal” but rather, fast-tracking what was already going to happen — massive unemployment, planet-warming, densely-populated cities being hit the hardest, and almost all our time spent in a virtual world.
Young People “Saving the World”
Many science fiction tv shows, books, and films feature young people, like Wade Watts as the protagonist.
I think the genre has this tradition of using young protagonists because young people tend to be more creative than adults. Their out-of-the-box perspective allows them to solve the problems in the story.
They aren’t as jaded and worn down by the institutional failure. And young people are at least assumed to have more innocent and pure intentions, which makes their effort and fight to defeat the protagonist more believable to side characters who rally behind them and to us as readers.
There’s also something interesting about how young people consciously or unconsciously recognize that they’re closer to the future — they will know their children and their children’s children who will inherit the world, which means they have more skin in the game. And possibly, why they become more passionate about wanting to solve the problems and “save the world.”
Science-fiction v. Reality
In reality, however, young people saving the world is rarely the case. Lack of experience, intelligence, and power — in justice, financial, political, military, almost all institutions contribute to young people not becoming leaders. But for better or worse, that’s no longer the case.
With social media, for example, young people can have a massive influence, attracting millions of followers and leveraging their platform to crowdfund, start movements and businesses, or promote public policy changes. In Silicon Valley, it’s even looked upon highly to have a young, forward-thinker as the CEO, leading a potential billion-dollar technology start-up.
And I think it’s difficult to deny that more young people are at the forefront, with Greta Thumburg shaping the dialogue around climate change. With, Boyan Slat, the now 23-year-old (he was 16 years old when he started on the project) Dutch inventor who has designed the world’s first ocean plastic cleanup system. Malala Yousafzai spearheading girls’ education in the Middle East and around the world. Etc.
I think the real world has finally caught up with the background of science fiction, where the technology landscape has evolved so more young people can have a say and take action.
Solving Problems That Span Generations
I’ve been reading a book called The Dark Forest by Liu Cixin. It’s the 2nd book of Cixin’s Remembrance of Earth’s Past sci-fi trilogy (the first book, The Three-Body Problem was an international best-seller and was one of the most beautiful books I’ve read). The book begins with the Trisolarans — an alien species inhabiting a doomed planet on the stellar system, Alpha Centaur — launching an invasion fleet that will arrive at Earth in 400 years. Humans currently inhabiting Earth must build the foundation of a space fleet to defend the planet for a war they won’t live to see.
Comrades, I’m sure you all understand what that means. None of us sitting here will make it to space, much less have the chance to see our space fleet, and we may not even see a credible model of a space warship. The first generation of officers and crew won’t be born until two centuries from now, and two and a half centuries from that, Earth’s fleet will meet the alien invaders. Aboard those ships will be the fifteenth generation of our grandchildren.
-Cixin, pg. 37.
While young people are leading, it brings up a more critical point: to solve the world’s most challenging problems (like in this case, building a space fleet and saving Earth), we need everyone; all generations.
In our most popular science fiction, young people are the protagonists. And now that there are more young leaders, all generations must come together to solve the world’s most pressing issues, to improve humanity with science and technology while avoiding its pitfalls.
