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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
148
"A
little
angry
at
the
time.
But
I
soon
realized
that
the
models
we
have
are
plenty
good
enough.
There's
no
need
for
more
efficient
or
more
ingenious
inventions.
Folks
today
are
satisfied
with
what
they've
got.
Besides,
new
inventions
would
be
of
no
service
to
mankind.
Earth's
birth
and
death
rate
are
stable,
and
there's
enough
for
everyone.
To
produce
a
new
invention,
you'd
have
to
retool
an
entire
factory.
That
would
be
almost
impossible,
since
all
the
factories
today
are
automatic
and
self-repairing.
That's
why
there's
a
moratorium
on
invention,
except
in
the
novelty
game
field."
"How
do
you
feel
about
it?"
"What's
there
to
feel?
That's
how
things
are."
"Would
you
like
to
have
things
different?"
"Maybe.
But
being
an
inventor,
I'm
classified
as
a
potentially
unstable
character
anyhow."
(Citizen
Barn
Threnten,
age
41,
occupation
atomics
engineer
specializing
in
spacecraft
design.
A
nervous,
intelligent-looking
man
with
sad
brown
eyes.)
"You
want
to
know
what
I
do
in
my
job?
I'm
sorry
you
asked
that,
Citizen,
because
I
don't
do
a
thing
except
walk
around
the
factory.
Union
rules
require
one
stand-by
human
for
every
robot
or
robotized
operation.
That's
what
I
do.
I
just
stand
by."
"You
sound
dissatisfied,
Citizen
Threnten."
"I
am.
I
wanted
to
be
an
atomics
engineer.
I
trained
for
it.
Then
when
I
graduated,
I
found
out
my
knowledge
was
fifty
years
out
of
date.
Even
if
I
learned
what
was
going
on
now,
I'd
have
no
place
to
use
it."
"Why
not?"
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