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Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 01 Dec 2022, 17:15
by Jennifer Coxon
If people are connected to society in their homes for entertainment and virtual reality to attend a ball game with friends, why would they not be working from home too? And if they are working from home, which supports the limitation of physical interactions between people, does the story fall apart because there is nothing for an individual to see that awakens them to the sense that something is wrong?
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 12 Dec 2022, 13:19
by Emily Meadows
This is an interesting question! For a job like Kim's I can easily see it being done from home in VR. I was going to say that jobs like train driving, bus driving, working in the local park, etc., would probably need to be done F2F... BUT! All of those jobs were done by robots. I don't know if it's a flaw, but I do think it shows that the author could have taken his book even farther. He could have made it ALL VR, including the nightclubs, etc. And people still behave badly in VR, haha!
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 12 Dec 2022, 19:31
by Olga Markova
I personally believe that it is not a flaw that makes a story fall apart. In my view, the compulsory commute to work has a major economic drive - the transportation company would not be able to have the revenues and the degree of control over humans it has when the commute is compulsory and with "zero tolerance to tardiness". The clothes company that exploits the "unity and equality" concepts, prospers by imposing weekly fashions - no one would care to conform to the latest fashion when working from home. More arguments can be advanced such as, controversially, the paradox control freak of the AIs as employers fearing that they will lose control over employees working from home- arguably the AIs are also vulnerable to this trait discovered among some human employers during and post-COVID pandemic.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 12 Dec 2022, 19:42
by Kelsey Roy
Olga Markova wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 19:31
I personally believe that it is not a flaw that makes a story fall apart. In my view, the compulsory commute to work has a major economic drive - the transportation company would not be able to have the revenues and the degree of control over humans it has when the commute is compulsory and with "zero tolerance to tardiness". The clothes company that exploits the "unity and equality" concepts, prospers by imposing weekly fashions - no one would care to conform to the latest fashion when working from home. More arguments can be advanced such as, controversially, the paradox control freak of the AIs as employers fearing that they will lose control over employees working from home- arguably the AIs are also vulnerable to this trait discovered among some human employers during and post-COVID pandemic.
I like this take on the question. It seems like it’s more about control and revenue (as you suggested) than about need for face to face employees!
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 14 Dec 2022, 13:23
by readingswithsoso
It is mentioned that certain things still exist only to keep humans feeling that they have a purpose in life. I believe this was one of them.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 15 Dec 2022, 07:14
by John Ikenwanze
The storyline was a bit botched. I mean why did the AI select areas of control? The people in the society should all work from home, not just having their meals and moods controlled.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 15 Dec 2022, 07:29
by Julie Gebrosky
Olga Markova wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 19:31
I personally believe that it is not a flaw that makes a story fall apart. In my view, the compulsory commute to work has a major economic drive - the transportation company would not be able to have the revenues and the degree of control over humans it has when the commute is compulsory and with "zero tolerance to tardiness". The clothes company that exploits the "unity and equality" concepts, prospers by imposing weekly fashions - no one would care to conform to the latest fashion when working from home. More arguments can be advanced such as, controversially, the paradox control freak of the AIs as employers fearing that they will lose control over employees working from home- arguably the AIs are also vulnerable to this trait discovered among some human employers during and post-COVID pandemic.
I think you nailed it. It's not about the practicality of working from home; it's about control. It would be easier to control people in person. That being said, I'm surprised it wasn't addressed or mentioned in the book as to why they aren't working from home. I'm assuming the author considered this possibility and decided against it.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 15 Dec 2022, 11:43
by Olga Markova
Julie Gebrosky wrote: ↑15 Dec 2022, 07:29
Olga Markova wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 19:31
I think you nailed it. It's not about the practicality of working from home; it's about control. It would be easier to control people in person. That being said, I'm surprised it wasn't addressed or mentioned in the book as to why they aren't working from home. I'm assuming the author considered this possibility and decided against it.
I am increasingly thinking that control, if not the only, is at least one of the primary drives behind the office commute. It transpires later in the book that they have much dreaded face-to-face meetings with the Director quite often - when they are required to spot the family that kept their children, when they fail, and then when it is called off. And those meetings are always badly intimidating. And later when Kim and others are selected and do the orientation course to train higher-order AIs. They also use special office facilities for the life-threatening AI awarening - not that those special couches and VR could not be fitted at home next to the disagreeable fridge!
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Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 15 Dec 2022, 14:05
by Maryam Newman
This is a very interesting question. I think Olga is spot-on. This story made me think of "Brave New World" by Aldous Huxley, who specifically explains that people are raised to want to explore the natural world while being simultaneously reviled by it, to encourage them to consume transport (revenue) while ensuring that they would always return home (control). We mustn't forget that the AIs were created by humans, to function in a human world that operates according to human dictates, both logical and illogical. The need to feel physically present amongst other physically present people is a fundamental need for most humans. Another aspect would be the arranged hook-ups, where drug and alcohol consumption is basically a given, the overarching purpose of which is a kind of forced de-stressor which I don't think would be achievable in VR.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 19 Dec 2022, 07:24
by Rocky Ellery James Tumbelaka
I believe that the reason the people go to work is so that both the AI and the corporations can keep a closer watch on the people. So that they could be control much more.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 20 Dec 2022, 04:24
by Hubre De Klerk
That is definitely a thought-provoking question. Maybe they realized that although they were trying to control everyone, they still needed a bit of real human interaction, even if it is just during the transport to work and back.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 04 Jan 2023, 22:59
by Chris Alex Powell
Olga Markova wrote: ↑12 Dec 2022, 19:31
I personally believe that it is not a flaw that makes a story fall apart. In my view, the compulsory commute to work has a major economic drive - the transportation company would not be able to have the revenues and the degree of control over humans it has when the commute is compulsory and with "zero tolerance to tardiness". The clothes company that exploits the "unity and equality" concepts, prospers by imposing weekly fashions - no one would care to conform to the latest fashion when working from home. More arguments can be advanced such as, controversially, the paradox control freak of the AIs as employers fearing that they will lose control over employees working from home- arguably the AIs are also vulnerable to this trait discovered among some human employers during and post-COVID pandemic.
I would agree with you. The employers had a need or they would basically lose control if everyone worked from home.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 06 Jan 2023, 09:14
by Wilkister Inzai Avagalwa
I have a 50-50 stand on the flaw in the storyline. Based on the title, I expected Kim, Shan, and the rest to be working from home. Other than that, there were no other noticeable flaws on the storyline.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 06 Feb 2023, 10:04
by Grace Lee Rose
From my perspective, I didn't note any flaws in the storyline. The author carried out an amazing job on the writing of the book.
Re: Is there a flaw in the storyline?
Posted: 09 Feb 2023, 09:45
by Hunter Tester
I don’t think this is a flaw. I think the author made the character actually go and do things in real life to make it more relatable. It makes us think that maybe this could actually happen. If everything in the book was in VR, I think we would be more likely to write it all off as just a video game.