09/19/2017
Charlottesville, Virginia
-“Third Canto”-
August/September
-2317-
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The Fate of the Ford, Mustang
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Preamble
According to Internet sources, the use of the “canto” was described in the 1911 edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica as "a convenient division when poetry was more usually sung by the minstrel to his own accompaniment than read". Though “Charlottesville, Virginia” is not a poem. With free employment of the wonders of literary license, this three-part series has been brought to the reader in a canto form, notwithstanding.
This is the third “canto” in the “Charlottesville, Virginia” series. Though the prior two proposals were fact-based and consisted of considerable analysis. What follows, is a fanciful conception of a very, remotely possible, very far-in-the-future view of some socio-political aftermath of the (current-to-2017) events of Charlottesville, Virginia. This, third and final part of “Charlottesville, Virginia”, is intended as neither a guide to nor a foretelling of actual, American history.
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‘What Is Past Isn’t Always Prologue’
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“In time all things change. For all time, nothing changes.”
-Julius D. Thomas
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It seemed never to be a tangible problem of society. Until the, natural, conservative sense of proportion and restraint in personal life, was slowly abandoned by the successive American generations that began life in the wake of the end of World War Two.
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What would later, become proven as a marginally false sense of security and abundance. Which affected nearly every United States citizen who lived in that world war aftermath.
Eventually translated into, a sometimes, rampant use and over-use and even abuse, of every thing that seemed to be in such abundance in the country. In the extravagant heyday that was mid and latter-day 20th Century America. It was believed that…
There were limitless natural resources. So the free use of all things seeming abundant in nature was encouraged. The concept of a closure to what the wide expanse that was America could provide its citizens seemed foreign to all.
There was limitless space. So a giant country deserved giant buildings and roomy houses and enormous motorcars and the constant entertainment of greater and grander spectacle.
There seemed limitless governmental coffers. So, the more and more frequent reliance upon government to subsidize more and more of greater society’s increasing needs was consistently met.
The United States was larger than life. The United States was a paradise of plenty. The United States was without limits. Until…
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‘Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it.’
Genesis 1:28
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With the enormous expansion of technological advancement, the traditional need for large American families was lessened. Whereas, especially, large, farm-based families were a necessity in the agrarian ‘salad days’ of American prosperity during the late 19th and early-to-mid, 20th centuries.
As the 20th Century eventually progressed and drew to its close, such things as a large family, being once a staple and necessity and requirement for societal prosperity in days gone-by. Presented a more and more burdensome form of social existence rather than a necessary and desirable means to free and ample labor.
Burdensome: both to the functionality of family as well as to its greater society. America the free, America the brave, America, the cornucopia would begin to strain under the burden of families that were large in number, overwrought for gainful employment and sustenance, more and more dependant upon bigger government as well as wider society for direction and succor. Finally, the stress began to cause harmful, untoward effects to the integrity of the fabric of family, neighborhood and state.
Eventually the implosion of the family unit encouraged the emergence of a quickly overburdened ‘nanny-state’. A government was saddled in its very existence with a constant and looming threat posed by a growing sub-society that struggled with the individual and communal, harmful affects that result from a surfeit of, often unwanted and uncontrollable and, sometimes, recalcitrant youth.
Who, in turn, often became a burden to society as troubled adults. Who themselves then, invariably became inattentive parents. An: ever expanding and vicious circle in the meanest sense bound, and eventually hobbled American society.
Moreover, a dwindling cadre of those careful citizens in society who, were wont to circumspection in all things, including: intelligent employment of the delicate and difficult sciences of living within one’s means and exercising responsibility in the context of family planning. Were quickly relegated to a distinct, more and more ineffective minority within the ever growing, numerically greater, more socially cavalier mass of, large-“familied”, American, citizenry.
During the many successive post-WWII generations, what had been considered traditional American tendencies of a once solid, prevalent and now remote segment of long ago, 20th Century American life had transformed. Into something that amounted to a pervasive: ‘alternative’ style of life.
A new and different lifestyle took root. Consisting of rampant family growth and the distinct encouragement of detached, multiple, free wheeling, unrestrained procreation. Eventually this ‘alternative’ became: not some distant, detached, way of life but rather an overwhelming and unsustainable norm in the late and post 21st Century American landscape.
Thus, society was overwhelmed. For a giant land with seeming limitless resources, physical space and massive government, it had, within but a handful of generations, effectively limited the social progress possibilities for what was still a vast but no longer inestimably wealthy, relatively peaceful place.
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The Example of the ‘American Buffalo’
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Specifically. Not unlike the fate of what appeared to be vast North American herds of unlimited head of wild bison. In what amounted to careless, perfectly unregulated, and gross, freewheeling target-practice, back in the far-off 19th Century, resulted in the decimation of the American “buffalo” at the hand of insensitive, ignorant men.
Generally. When circumspection is abandoned in human endeavor and overwhelmingly indiscriminate men tend to take the balance out of nature, one of two things eventually will happen.
Either. Complete defeat and annihilation will consume and destroy all from within. Or adjustment to a new norm and a new mode of existence will result.
Fortunately. Perhaps, in America, a new existence eventually came to pass. This is what happened…
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A
Tawny America
August/September
-2317-
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Post Charlottesville “Cleanse”
By the year 2300, America had come a long way. Towards the end of that century would come the celebration of its, sexicentenary. During its nearly 600-year existence, however, much had transpired. For instance, it had been hundreds of years since the, “race riots” of the far-off 1960’s.
The now-quaint sounding protest songs and the scratchy, black-and-white archival (film) images had long-since faded from the psyche of the average 24th Century American. Notwithstanding, ready access to all information via the technology of the day: microscopic silicon dotlets. Interest in such remote-in-time events was weak.
Moreover, any kind of regular review of such ancient history was always relegated to dotlets. Dotlets could be described as a much-removed, highly advanced, tech-evolutionary, iteration of the ancient “chips”. Which were prevalent going back to the 21st Century dominance of the ancient computer technology industries. Dotlets being a form of technology, remotely similar but vastly distant in all other manner from that, which was once provided by the now moribund, so-called “Silicon Valley” of long-ago, 21st Century, Northern California.
Dotlets consist of a form of information retention: easily assembled and readily retrievable for instantaneous, individual, direct-corneal access for all humans. Libraries long ago had become a thing of the distant past.
Replacing physical repositories of public information were individual, personal, “conceptual-computers”, corporeally integrated into everyone’s physiology. Thus, unlimited, single-source data was provided as an instantaneous, world information staple for all.
Yet, even with such technology and perfect information retrieval at anyone’s avail. Attention to an obscure, far off in the past, 21st Century event like something called ‘Charlottesville’ was of little interest to the bulk of the 24th Century modern American society. Only the true, dedicated scholars of ancient American history could be excited by even a passing reference to such distant, irrelevant-to-the-24th Century, information.
To, a new generation that was blessed with untold longevity, universal access to perfect technology and little fear of inter-personal or, for that matter, inter-national conflict, a personal knowledge of such ancient events was either non-essential or non-existent. 24th Century Americans moved very differently, thought very differently, interacted very differently, invented very differently, conducted business very differently and, physically looked …differently.
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In, short. America and Americans had changed markedly since the Charlottesville “incident” of the far off, early 21st Century. The whole world had changed markedly for that matter.
The year, 2317, started in an uneventful fashion. Though it had been about 300 years since that Charlottesville, Virginia “incident”. The now so-called, “United States, Charlottesville Cleanse” was a far-off, micro-memory. Few celebrations of the event’s aftermath took place, except for that one. It was eventually recorded in history as the great American ‘auto-erasure’.
Moreover, 300 years had slowly whiled away. Since that racially charged Charlottesville confrontation had taken place and, effectively caused all indicia of the Civil War Confederate Forces military loss to the Union armies: to be dissolved and cleansed from history.
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America: ‘slave to fashion’
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By the dawn of the 24th Century, it had been roughly 2/3 of a millennium since the practice of human bo***ge had first visited the shores of America. That was a far-off and ancient time when some enterprising, West African conspirators had deviously partnered in the invention of their own form of involuntary “black” servitude.
A ruination of humanity was quietly foisted upon so many largely unaware, forcibly bound for export, painfully manacled brothers and sisters of the various, now long-gone, countries of the Dark Continent. The profit to those craven, African entrepreneurs was ample... Their partners in profit, American and worldwide farm and plantation owners: shared not only in the lucre but also in the sordid industry, its history and divisive aftermath.
By the dawn of new and still sparkling, 24th Century, however, the pain and horror of that African betrayal and, at least, its harsh and despicable three-century American dialogue was long gone. So too was the stigma that energized the ancient, long-forgotten Charlottesville, Virginia “incident” and subsequent “cleanse”.
By the year 2317, freedom had long-since “rung’ loud and clear for dozens of American generations. By then “Charlottesville, Virginia” was an obscure historical topic. If it were considered at all, it was likely rarely reviewed as an alternate subject: stumbled upon only, by some compulsive doctorial candidate or other.
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“Renacimiento americano ”
Of course everything had come to change in the United States since 2017. By 2317 the country had long rested in the quiet aftermath of what was a tumultuous, national, re-reawakening known to wider History as the American Re-Birth Period or: “Renacimiento americano ”.
The Renacimiento Era, as it came to be colloquially known. Began sometime around the year, 2052. It was then that America first, as a country, officially became acknowledged as a “minority majority”.
The so-called American “whites” had flagged in ethnic prominence. The so-called “blacks” had faded in both presence and pigment, and a great olio of skin tone and ethnic culture was finalized.
“Tawny”. It was in a time long before the dawn of the 24th Century.
By 2152, the American racial mix that was the eventual result of the Renacimiento americano had taken a commanding place in the pantheon of recognized ‘peoples of the world’ as well. By 2252 a “Tawny America” was the norm.
The existence of a so-called “black” America and “white” America had become a little-referenced, obscure footnote to American History. America was tawny.
Most everyone spoke the same Renacimiento americano English-language. Most everyone had similar physical features. Most everyone considered himself or herself and was considered by the rest of the world. As: Renacimiento americano.
Essentially by the arrival of the 24th Century the United States had been Renacimiento americano for many generations. Over the course of those generations, the face of America had changed. Really changed. Literally. Changed.
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History Undone
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Charlottesville Redux
(2317)
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“[T]here is no new experience in life. [S]omething may happen to you that you think has never happened before, that you think is brand new, but you are mistaken. [Y]ou have only to see or smell or hear or feel a certain something and you will discover that this experience you thought was new has happened before.”
― Horace McCoy,
They Shoot Horses, Don’t They?
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Nearly One Million Had Died
The “Mustang” automobile ushered in another halcyon era for the American automotive industry. At around the time of the arrival of the much, anticipated new Ford product, came the first real, national focus, on the beneficial effects of automobile safety technology. The year was 1965.
Though it wasn’t mandated at the time. Seatbelt installation in passenger automobiles would become a common practice from a time, not long after the Mustang automobile debut.
The use of seatbelts was heralded as being the first real step forward in adjusting the mindset of ordinary motorists to the benefit of engaging passive safety technology in everyday driving. Eventually, not only did drivers embrace the seatbelt culture. The automobile industry itself became the foremost advocate in the future progress of passenger car safety.
Moreover, refining the mindset of consumers to the point where car crash anticipation should be part of the list of desirable selling points of any new vehicle offered to all Americans, was eventually accomplished. The watershed period of this activity arguably began around 1965.
Not long in anticipation of that year. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration had begun making modest recommendations encouraging law changes to individual state administrations regarding safety devices that would eventually be required for use in all passenger automobiles sold in the United States. The first change that became noticeable to the ordinary diver would be the widespread installation of seatbelts in new model cars.
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[Between] (1900-1966) 925,899 highway deaths (were) due to automobile traffic crashes…
(From Internet sources)
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By the 1970’s, via Federal mandates, nearly every state had passed laws requiring the use of safety devices such as seatbelts in passenger cars. Eventually, seatbelts became
mandatory equipment for all automobiles sold in the United States.
Naturally, the progress of technology and the heightened awareness on the part of the driving public to passenger, safety, had ushered in a completely new world of automobile efficiency when it came to public health. In fact, by the dawn of the 21st Century, the average citizen of the United States could not have even considered the devices employed in order to ensure the wellness of American drivers as a fantasy: just a few generations before.
Of course, as we all know. It wasn’t long after that time, that autonomous vehicular transportation became the norm. Moreover, long before the beginning of the 24th Century.
In those few places where still there was a need. There would be nothing but self-driving vehicles throughout each advanced society in the modern world.
For the years in the past, while people were still obliged to drive cars, however, saving lives and passenger wellness became a priority for all auto manufacturers. Moreover, the consuming public came to expect much less injury and markedly less mortality and an overall near completely safe, driving experience.
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‘Dead man tells no tales…’
Hindi Proverb
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Notwithstanding, there were those even as late as the 2300’s who were adamant that artifacts of the carnage of the hazardous, early-age driving experience be relegated to obscure museums of automotive history or destroyed altogether. In any event, keeping the reminders of such carnage away from public view was a priority to these revisionist automotive historians.
Though the use of the ‘killing machines’ was legal way back in the time of their use. It was the strong opinion of these latter-day, socially restive folks that the vehicles represented a physical depiction of a very sad, unfortunate and gory chapter in the history of transportation and everyday life in the America.
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The National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act (Pub. L. 89-563) was enacted in the United States in 1966. The Act created the National Highway Safety Bureau (now the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration). The Act was one of a few initiatives by the government in response to a increasing number of cars and associated fatalities and injuries on the road following a period when the number of people killed on the road had increased 6-fold and the number of vehicles was up 11-fold since 1925.
(From Internet Sources)
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It was through their concerted 24th Century movement. That included avid protests and diligent lobbying efforts by the likes of MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) and SADD (Students Against Drunk Driving) as well as much later and powerful iterations of newer organizations such as: AERO (Automotive Engineers Research Organization) and others. That these ancient but sad facts were brought to the fore in modern 24th Century times:
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Systematic motor vehicle safety efforts began during the 1960’s. In, 1960, unintentional injuries caused 93,803 deaths; 41% were associated with motor-vehicle crashes. In 1966, the enactment of the Highway Safety Act created the National Highway Safety Bureau (NHSB), which later became the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).
(From Internet Sources)
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That there was a signal neglected historical issue: nearly a million senseless highway deaths (until 1965) had occurred. Though not due to commission of any illegal act by auto manufacturers at the time, it was something of a citizen consensus that these lives lost were due to a faulty or even negligent approach to the serious business of driving on American highways in the long-ago past: on the part of someone.
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In 1966, passage of the Highway Safety Act and the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act authorized the federal government to set and regulate standards for motor vehicles and highways. The Highway Safety Act resulted in the national adoption of the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices, while the National Traffic and Motor Vehicle Safety Act led to the national adoption of the Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards.
(From Internet Sources)
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Moreover, the historical fact that during the years following or roughly from 1970 on, mandatory incorporation of ever improving, lifesaving automobile technology was strictly enforced by Federal mandates. Further bolstered their rising 24th Century argument.
Eventually, even the hallowed Ford, Mustang, the fair-haired brainchild of a prosperous Detroit, an invention on the very cusp of new and revolutionary safety technology in the field of automotive advancement. Became a victim.
Being so close to the time of the beginning of mandatory life-saving technology incorporation into the design and manufacture of automobiles, the ‘Mustang’ had to go. It’s essence represented a time when automobile safety wasn’t taken seriously enough.
It was decided. That all vehicles manufactured until 1966 and including the 1965 model ‘Mustang’ would be taken from the public sphere and destroyed. In special circumstances certain examples of the pre-1966 automobile models could be relegated to a museum after careful consideration by an authorized body.
It as determined that the image of such a shiny and effusive representation of a sad chapter of the past, which was associated with such carnage. Outweighed its intrinsic value as either a valid testament to design or as an enduring statement of the simple fact that it did…exist.
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Posted 12 minutes ago by DILULIUS, King of Troy
