Logan’s Run is about a future society where people live perfectly, with all the pleasures available, enough food & toys & fun for everyone until age 30 when they’re “renewed”. Although they believe renewal means transference to a newborn body, it’s actually just plain death. But aside from that, everyone is blissfully happy.
I first saw the movie when I was a kid, loved it, but I didn’t understand any of the social statements being made. Now that I’m past my “renewal” date, I totally get it.
All the world’s problems are caused by people over the age of 30. To be specific, all our politicians, lawmakers, judges and dictators, not to mention all the billionaires, are old men with their outdated and usually corrupt, self-serving agendas. There isn’t enough food & fun for everyone because the rich (old men) are hoarding it. I do see hope in the younger generation, the generation that asks questions and isn’t content with the old system, but the young don’t stand a chance against an establishment that’s been cemented into place by old people. By the time the young have earned any power or voice of their own, they’re already the old ones themselves, most likely with views as outdated as the generation before. In short, welcome to the world kid, your life is run by rich old people.
Logan’s Run presents a society that has no old people and doesn’t seem to have any government, no one telling anyone what to do except for that deadline at age 30. Population is controlled so there’s plenty of resources and food for everyone, harvested from the sea by machines. Nobody has to work, and there is no division of classes, since work (money) is what divides people. Sure it’s implied that people are kinda on the stupid side, or at least clueless, but maybe stupid is a prerequisite to happiness and peace (another subtle theme of the film).
Well, one way or another, sign me up for that renewal machine. I’ve long overstayed my use in this world.
6 comments
I doubt that’s likely to happen. Some people will want more at the expense of others, others will be jealous at others, and eventually everyone becomes a “shittier” person. The premise is that productivity can come exclusively from growing the collective pie larger and larger and smooth over inequality and social issues, but this is nowhere guaranteed.
Not familiar with this movie but if everyone dies at age 30, there’s still be assholes at 20 controlling the lives of the younger and less powerful. As long as there are humans, and as long as SOME humans are greedy and don’t care about others (of which there will ALWAYS be) there will never be an equal society.
I would love there to be a world where everyone is equal and everyone is happy and everyone has enough resources. But that is just not reality. It has never ever happened in the history of Homo sapiens. Nor in any other species of plant/animal life on Earth.
Your premise is that all our ills is bc of old ppl who don’t relinquish power. But no. It’s all the assholes who won’t relinquish power. Yes, the boomer generation is uniquely a horrible selfish entitled generation who have, and continue to, screw over everyone else, especially the younger generation. But that’s not to say there aren’t shitty selfish power hungry young assholes either.
Eliminating the old won’t get rid of all the problems.
And who’s to say that someone won’t come along and change the system so they and their families get more of the pie than everyone else? That is almost guaranteed to happen. Many of us are happy to have everything disputed equally. But we all know that that there’s also a large percentage of ppl who want way more and will take everything and leave crumbs for everyone else.
There has NEVER been any government in any continent in any time period where “everyone was equal.”
As long as there are greedy humans, no matter the age, life will be unfair and the poor will sheets be screwed.
To your point, age DOES have an impact. Limiting age limits how much greed and control a single person can amass. But it by no means eliminates the problem at all.
Remember jhs? Imagine a society of only jhs’ers? That’s be a pretty shit society too. No adults but there’s always a pecking order and some ppl get bullied while others take ppls lunch money. Figuratively and literally.
Humans are the problem. We are hard encoded with selfish greedy and ruthless genes. Get rid of the old, and we’ll just have younger monsters.
There is no way to ensure that someone won’t come along and reprogram things to their benefit. Given humans, that’s ? going to occur.
Who controls the algorithm/technology? Whoever controls that controls life.
I say just obliterate Earth :p
There was also this anime (forget title) where all the adults suddenly disappeared one day and only children remained.
I forget the story line, but there has been stories of the old just poof* gone.