Soylent Green. Just a movie or a prediction of the future?

This movie was made in 1973 and took place in 2022. It makes the future look bleak. In 73 it seemed like a futuristic fable, water rations, meat unobtainable, fruit available if stolen, etc. That hasn't happened yet BUT there's 16 years left in that prediction. Parts of what was pointed out ARE happening, the rise in Earth temperatures for one. The synopsis from that movie can be found here.

I saw this movie 30 years ago and found it to be entertaining. I saw it this past weekend and now I find it quite disturbing. You kinda have to be in your 40, at least, to remember this movie but my question is, was this movie a prediction of things to come? I'm beginning to think so.

I've watched this a few times over the years and find it more prophetic each time I see it.

The wealthy are moving into gated communities, global warming is becoming a reality, and many people are dependent on charity for food. Though I don't think we'll start eating people any time soon, we factory farm almost every bit of protein humans consume.


The thing that gave me nightmares about the movie was the crowd control.



I've attended many marches and demonstrations over the years and that part of the movie always came to mind.

I'm with you as I have often thought that this movie had a prophetic bent.

With all climactic changes, disease, starvation and the research being done to give foodstuffs a longer life and make it more plentiful I would not be in the least surprised when, sometime in the near future, I am witness to a type of 'soylent green' food being distributed to the masses. Not just in third world countries but all over the planet.

IMO this will be away to assist in keeping the population in check through social control with the use of chemicals in the foods to make us more docile.

I also think that ADD & ADHD, obesity and asthma among other medical conditions are a result of chemical intereference with our foods. Governments do not care because if people get sick and eventually die due to the chemicals, then that is one less person as a drain on the economy.

Governments lie, cheat and steal peoples rights...they are capable of poisoning and brainwashing us...been happening for years.

Those of us who have the means really should try to grow our own fruits and veges (but even the seeds would be tampered with I reckon).


In Peace Always
res

The original title of the story was "Make Room, Make Room" by Harry Harison. The FIlm was also Edward G. Robinsons last film.

Personally I'm all for it. What a waste of good protein. As we continue to overpopulate and wreak havoc upon the environment, it is time we began to pay the piper. "Long Pork" is considered a delicacy and there is a long history of cannibalism in our past.
Eat the Rich!!!!!

If it is a prediction or prophecy, it sure is a grim one.

Definitely not a movie to watch, while eating.

Loved that movie. But alas, it was just a movie.

Meat unatainable? Fruit only if stolen? Water rationed?

Under a severe economic crash - no import of oil what so ever, electricity cut completely and the nation thrown into chaos, 300 million people fending for number one. Yeah, I could see that happening. Evidence of it? Well, if you are on a city water line, it could happen to you. Unless you hunt for your own food, no oil - no transportation - no meat in the stores, then it could happen to you. Same way for fruit. Earth temperature? Over the past 100 years it's average rise is 1 degree, some estimate lower, so that does not get me.

Iv never seen the movie, so tell me how did it come about, these problems? The only way I could see that happening is our economy grinding to a hault.

Originally posted by Rockpuck
Iv never seen the movie, so tell me how did it come about, these problems? The only way I could see that happening is our economy grinding to a hault.

I recommend that you rent the movie, then you will see what it proposed. It's from '73 so it's probably available on VHS and DVD. 30 years ago it seemed far fetched, it doesn't anymore. Time will do that.

WEllll

The Jet-sons also seemed far fetched with things like flat tv's, and moving floors. All of which are common. I wouldn't put it past that an age that you describe will come to past, America has been on top for a while no uncontested.. all good things come to an end, only this end will be deadly because our people cannot fend for them selves. When empires fell in the past the people could at least feed themselves as they lived off the land.. but when our food and water come from the safety of the economy.. the fall of our empire will be.. catastrophic.

Catastrophic, indeed.

The only way I foresee anything of that scale happening, is from an all out failure of the infrastructure, due to some huge event. Be it the next World War, or something by the way of Mother Nature herself.

Now that I think about it, it does seem plausible.

Ah...I think I remember now!

The soylent green biscuits or whatever they were, were made from the people that had died. They had recycled bodies as food for the great unwashed. That is how remember it, is that right ?



Res

Originally posted by resistancia
The soylent green biscuits or whatever ...

I had those images from a while back, don't remember their exact origins.





[edit on 12/11/2006 by Mechanic 32]

Originally posted by Mechanic 32
Catastrophic, indeed.

The only way I foresee anything of that scale happening, is from an all out failure of the infrastructure, due to some huge event. Be it the next World War, or something by the way of Mother Nature herself.

Now that I think about it, it does seem plausible.

And it's got 16 years to work with.

In north korea and china they are harvesting organs from living political prisoners. (living as in: they are alive and awake when they harvest them). And north korea is notoriously poor. Its not much of a leap for them to realize they can feed the poor with the left overs from their organ business.

I bet monsanto's cooking them up as we type.

They're not above a little agri-necromancy with that terminator seed.

Apologies for the short post, but I believe that Omega Man has a better chance of happening than Soylent Green.

a true dichotomy...from the last person standing to too damn many people!!

I never saw that movie, but it is said that water will become a precious commodity in the very near future.
A guest of Art Bell said it would be due to lack of management.

Yeah, I saw S.G on Foxtel last weekend, and at first I laughed.

They still had all the 70's hairdo's and such, but the main story still had some truth in it.

Granted, there IS ONLY ENOUGH ROOM ON PLANET EARTH FOR A CERTAIN NUMBER OF PEOPLE, but have we reached it?

What happens when we reach that number and beyond?

Does Ethiopia ring any bells? I don't hear much about them any more.

We either gave them AIDS or we killed them off by assisting in political wars against the people.

Well, you've all eaten McDonalds haven't you?

"I'll have a Mc African with extra fries thanks, and hold the G.I?"

I stand correct.... in my mind.

Speaking of water,

Our total population in Oz is only about just under 21 million and our most precious resource, water is now very scarce.

We are experiencng the worst drought on record and farmers are moving off the land (akin to the Louisiana Dustbowl that I have read about during the the Great Depression). Many of our politicians are under fire for the mismanagement of the water in all Australian states. They are all in panic mode now trying to effect solutions like desalination (I have heard that is very expensive and not a good long term solution). Recycled sewerage is another option but most towns won't have a bar of it (Toowoomba QLD a case in point).

Agriculture has also been mismanaged. I mean planting the wrong crops like rice which uses a lot of water...we grow it and then export it back to Asia. Stupidity.

We are also experiencing bad bushfires in three states (Victoria, Western Australia and Tasmania). Our dams are dry and our lakes are not much better. We do not even have enough water to fight these fires that are out of control in very rough terrain. They could link up and create a massive fire front.

It makes me wonder if this is the beginnng of something really bad...

Me thinks Soylent Green is our future and yes I have read about Monsanto and a couple of other companies that have (would like to have?) the monopoly on genetically modified foods.

Peace to All
res

I think everybodies forgetting the fact that the idea of global warming has been around since the early 70's, and that famine, and civil unrest have been around for alot longer than that. Global warming really started to get attention around the time of this movie, so they ran with the idea. I don't see how this movie is prophetic in anyway but it is a good flick.

Another of the major points the movie used as the main government cover-up,[besides what the bisquits were made of,] was the fact that the oceans were dead. They had no life at all. Our Oceanographers are saying we'll be in that position in forty years at our current rate of pollution, and our harvesting of anything that can be ground into fertilizer. Keep in mind it takes two pounds of ground sea life to produce one pound of farmed salmon.