Lab
Library
Journal
Shop
Sign in
to keep
Share image
1
167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
154
"Yes.
And?"
"Well--I'm
no
judge."
"You
must
judge,"
Dravivian
said.
"In
this
room
you
can
see
Earth's
civilization
in
miniature.
Tell
me
what
you
think
of
it."
"It
feels
lifeless,"
Barrent
said.
Dravivian
turned
to
Barrent
and
smiled.
"Yes,
that's
a
good
word
for
it.
Self-involved
might
perhaps
be
better.
This
is
a
high-status
room,
Barrent.
A
great
deal
of
creativity
has
gone
into
the
artistic
improvement
of
ancient
archetypes.
My
family
has
re-created
a
bit
of
the
Spanish
past,
as
others
have
re-created
bits
of
the
Mayan,
Early
American,
or
Oceanic
past.
And
yet,
the
essential
hollowness
is
obvious.
Our
automatized
factories
produce
the
same
goods
for
us
year
in
and
year
out.
Since
everyone
has
these
same
goods,
it
is
necessary
for
us
to
change
the
factory
product,
to
improve
and
embroider
it,
to
express
ourselves
through
it,
to
rank
ourselves
by
it.
That's
how
Earth
is,
Barrent.
Our
energy
and
skills
are
channeled
into
essentially
decadent
pursuits.
We
re-carve
old
furniture,
worry
about
rank
and
status,
and
in
the
meantime
the
frontier
of
the
distant
planets
remains
unexplored
and
unconquered.
We
ceased
long
ago
to
expand.
Stability
brought
the
danger
of
stagnation,
to
which
we
succumbed.
We
became
so
highly
socialized
that
individuality
had
to
be
diverted
to
the
most
harmless
of
pursuits,
turned
inward,
kept
from
any
meaningful
expression.
I
think
you
have
seen
a
fair
amount
of
that
in
your
time
on
Earth?"
"I
have.
But
I
never
expected
to
hear
the
Chief
of
the
Secret
Police
say
it."
Marker
Marker
Fine marker
White-out
Fine white-out
Circle
Paint
Unmarker
Hand
Scalpel
Dice
Sieve
Purify
Undo
Redo
Start over
