Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Narrative Essay
January 27th, 2338
Ernie Brooks sat on plush seat in the foyer of a four-story Tribeca mansion his head
leaning back into the soft warming leather. After an unusually strenuous day of working he was
glad to finally catch a break. Unfortunately, as with all manservants of the world, Ernie did not
know how long this break would last. The tablet embedded in his forearm could ring him at any
time and signal to him the next task required of him by his master, Sterling Elwood. Ernies eyes
began to slide close when he heard a high-pitched squeal emanating from his forearm. Christ,
already? Thought Ernie. Elwood was being unusually needy this afternoon. Ernie walked up the
marble flight of stairs and up to the 2nd floor where he found Elwood in his study reclining in a
fur coated arm chair which sat in front of a grandiose, gold trimmed fireplace. The man was a
spectacle to look at. From out of the chair protruded a giant portly belly belonging to a bald
headed and bearded man, draped in a purple cashmere bath robe. As a man who obviously held
an inordinate amount of wealth it seemed strange why he would not undergo liposuction therapy
or take supplements to give himself a lush head of hair to compliment his gaudy lifestyle. Ernie
could already sense what was about to be commanded of him, and took the first few steps
towards the switch just out of arms reach of Elwoods armchair which would turn on the gas to
ignite the fireplace. Hello there, old friend! said Elwood to Ernie. Ernie did not even turn to
look at the man as he continued toward the switch. Stop right there, Commanded Elwood.
Ernie obeyed. Elwood stood up from his seat with noticeable difficulty and flicked the switch to
which Ernie was advancing. Instantly the fire place roared to life with a furry and the room was
instantly flooded with light from the many spires of flames that now danced before the two men.
I have a question for you Mr. Brooks, what excitement do you have in your life? The question
confused Ernie.
I mean excitement! Danger! Thrill! Please tell me that still exists. Ive seen so many of you
come and go and every time you get duller and duller. He smiled briefly; a smile not shared by
Ernie. Listen, Elwood continued. Im going to tell you a little secret Ernie. Im a bit older than
you might imagine. About two-hundred and fifty years older than you might imagine. You see,
Ive been around for a long time and I want to tell you something that the media is not allowed to
tell you. I want to tell you about the death of a once beautiful world.
Elwood continued as Ernie stood in silence, listening to the first history lesson he had ever
received. Elwood began with the sudden advancement of technology in the middle of the 21st
century.
Brilliant engineers, computer scientists, and medical scientists were tasked with creating
more and more advanced technology to keep up with an ever-expanding economy as more and
more nations industrialized around the world. A single robot could replace tens of factory
workers. Politicians raved about the massive success of this new technology and prioritized
funding research for this advancing technology. As time went on more technology was invented
to carry out more jobs and by the end of the 21st century almost every medial job was replaced by
some type of mechanical automation or artificial intelligence. Robots now made up the entire
workforce of cashiers, factory workers, fast food employees, drivers, train conductors, airplane
pilots, and many other professions. At the same time the world population continued to rise and
by the year 2089, 12 billion people lived on Earth, and the amount of jobs available had been cut
in half. Unemployment in some of the most economically thriving nations reached 70% and
everyone agreed that something needed to be done. At this point the United Nations, which now
included nearly every single country on the face of the planet, decided to revive the workforce
which had mainly been phased out in the early 20th century: Servitude.
Robots could now carry out every minimum wage job and many more jobs beyond that,
so the people who lost their jobs in light of these advancements now turned to the only job they
could do without being highly skilled or educated; They became servants to the richest 1% of the
world. A robot can serve you food in a drive-through or take money from your account when you
buy groceries, but the very rich always wanted a human around to serve them. They were much
more relatable than robots and they could understand the extremely specific or unusual requests
that the current AI could not comprehend. This solution helped bring jobs to millions of the
unemployed and soon the unemployment rates plummeted as more and more of the people on
Earth turned to servitude. All the while the automation and artificial technology of the world
continued to expand at an ever-increasing rate. Now robots were taking the jobs of accountants,
economists, bankers, and financial advisors. The entire middle class was now entering the market
of servitude, and a very new economic era was dawning on the world. By the year 2278
everything had changed. It was election year in America, but just like the rest of the nations in
the world, no one ran for the highest office. No one campaigned. No one voted. The entire
electoral system had vanished. Instead, inside the oval office sat a one-hundred-and-fifty-billion-
dollar computer which ran thousands of simulations to predict the twenty-year outcome of every
single decision that is made. And the jobs kept disappearing. Lawyers, politicians, and doctors
tore up their worthless degrees and begged the wealthy for the opportunity to be servants. At the
dawn of the 23rd century over 99% of the workforce was occupied by servants to the wealthiest
You are a servant Mr. Brooks, concluded Elwood. And sadly, you are nothing more. I
do not think I can place the label of human on such a thing that is so fine tuned to do nothing but
serve me. Tell me Mr. Brooks, do you remember ever crying once in your life?
Youre not human. Hell, Im no human either. Im a three-hundred and seventeen-year-old man
kept alive by the greatest technology and medicine known to man. I have survived cancer
Elwood pulled up his robe to reveal a small polyurethane tube protruding from his navel that ran
into a small silvery metal box adhered to his sternum. Ernie stared in awe at the man who he had
served since he was six years old. In his 30 years of service to Elwood, the most he had ever
heard spoken by the man at one time was a rather complicated request of the dinner he wanted
that night. Elwood released the purple robe from his grasp which floated back down to once
Theres one last thing I need you to know, continued Elwood. There is currently a complete
digital profile of you which may be bought, sold, or stolen at any time. The dolls that you buy
your children analyze their play patterns and send the data to marketers, your home security
system gives every government a window into your private life, you could have been denied
your government subsidized health insurance based on your daily life habits, and your
predetermined risk of violence based on brain patterns could have been enough to sentence you
to life in solitary confinement before you have ever committed a crime. The technology we now
Elwood motioned for Ernie to come closer to him. Ernie obeyed. Elwood pulled out from his
Im afraid I can no longer employ you Mr. Brooks, and I hope you will find a much more
fulfilling career with this organization. With that Elwood reached under his robe and yanked at
the tube embedded into his stomach. Ernie watched in horror as the tomato red color drained out
of Elwoods rotund face while he started to lose all moister crack as if his skin was being
weathered down into sand. The man looked as though he wanted to let out a guttural scream of
agony, but no sound came out of his gapping mouth. Elwoods robe began to expand and tear
from what Ernie realized were cancerous tumors growing out of him at such a rate unchecked by
the constant medication pumped into his system by the small robotic doctor he had now been cut
off from. Ernie had to look away. There was no point in doing anything to help or intervene. Like
Elwood had said, his body was not meant to last this long. Ernie looked down at the card that
Elwood had given to him and instantly knew what Elwood wanted him to do next. He had heard
stories of these people. Slipping the card back into his pocket, Ernie walked towards the entrance
to the house and out of the front door. He had no reason to contact that people on that business
card and it would not be in his best interest of safety. But some feeling, maybe just curiosity was
compelling him to follow through with this. As he walked out of the mansion the words on the
HACKERS GUILD
freeing the world from the grasp of Big Brother