Everything is Computer Above the Clouds

Would you rather live in the fictional world of The Jetsons, or in present-day USA? I created a poll and asked Reddit users this question. An overwhelming majority (76%) choose the fictional world of The Jetsons. So, I thought I’d imagine what it would take to turn present-day USA into the imagined future of The Jetsons.

If you don’t know, or need a refresher, The Jetsons is a cartoon that was originally broadcast from 1962-1963, and then from 1985-1987. It imagines a future 100 years from when it was created. The retrofuturistic animated series portrays a suburban, middle-class family who live in Orbit City, which is built above the clouds on adjustable stilts. George, the father, works a handful of hours per week, as “digital index operator” (aka button-pusher). Jane, the mother, is a homemaker who loves her family, gadgets and shopping. 16-year-old, Judy, enjoys stereotypical teenage girl activities like talking on the phone, going to the beach and shopping with friends, and writing in her diary, which is a robot named Didi, that she talks to. The youngest Jetson, Elroy, is a 6-year-old whiz kid who loves science and inventing things.

In the Jetsons’ home everything is automated. They have a humanoid robot, Rosie, who does all of the domestic labor, as well as machines that clean and dress them, make their food, and walk the dog, Astro. They travel via space cars, jetpacks, and spaceships. There are also in-home shopping devices, instant make-up and hair-styling devices and robots for tutoring and doing homework. The kids are able to travel the world during schooltime. The family lives a life of very little labor and a lot of leisure, and enough money to buy an endless amount of gadgets.

But everything isn’t perfect in their lives. Despite having a work schedule most people would kill to have, George is pretty unhappy with his meaningless button-pushing job. His boss regularly threatens to, or does, fire him, intrusively surveils him, criticizes, manipulates and demeans him, while complaining about him being paid too much. He spends his free time stressing about work. There is very little existence of nature, and a lot of consumerism. Outdated gender norms and stereotypes are plentiful, and there is not a single person of color. Disappointing, but not surprising, given when the show was created. By the 1980’s, more TV shows were adding non-white characters, but they were often represented as stereotypes.

So what would it take to get from here to The Jetsons future?

First of all, we don’t need to imagine what it would take to make our culture more sexist, misogynistic, or ethnically homogenous, since we are seeing in real time how that is done. Plus, we are not going back, at least not on my watch. So let’s get to the good stuff. 

Transportation

They primarily travel by flying space car, which expels the children in automated pods that take them to school. This type of technology would require massive infrastructure, and require significant investment in research and development. As citizens, we can lobby our government to invest in the FAA and new transportation infrastructure, as well as academic research. This technology will require new jobs and skills, so making sure our education infrastructure is well-funded and at the forefront of innovation. Corporate interests will likely rely on some government funding as well as the research provided by institutions to develop products. Nonprofit organizations will campaign to ensure equity and accessibility, while limiting the environmental impact which will be regulated. Okay, it does seem complicated but, let’s remember we can do complicated things: Like the Interstate Highway System.

Automated Labor and Lives of Leisure

Even though his boss is an absolute menace, George is able to work as little as two hours a week, while supporting his whole family and taking vacations and additional comp time. Good thing labor unions are on the rise because they are going to be busy. Corporate interests will be eager to develop automation technology, but will likely fight back on labor rights. With massive automation, the markets may not be able to ensure all citizens employment with fair pay so a universal basic income may be proposed. I’ll admit this seems quite out-of-reach, but we do have a template for something like this.

Gadgets

It seems like we’re already on the right track with this smart technology. The tech giants will be taking care of business on this front, but we’ll need to make sure things are well regulated, and that we’re investing in workers and infrastructure. We’ll have to ensure equity like we did with the Rural Electrification Act.

The FDA of Tech

With all of this new technology, I’d like to reiterate my previous recommendation that we have an FDA for technology. It will be charged with ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all its citizens and residents in the realm of cybersecurity, privacy, artificial intelligence, algorithms and anything else that comes up, god help us. It will need a better name, but we can do this! This will ensure we’re not taken advantage of by corporate interests, or left vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. After all, we literally made the FDA.

Clean Living but make it the Environment

In The Jetsons, the environment is squeaky clean, and there’s no pollution. In present-day USA, Clean beauty, skincare and food is trending, but clean earth and air hasn’t been trending as much as it should. The amount of current action we are taking on climate change in relation to the potential devastation of climate change is definitely giving extinction vibes, but don’t give up yet. We created the New Deal. We can pass a Green New Deal.

What Does The Jetsons Miss?

The Jetsons missed out on an incredible opportunity to imagine gadgets that could help assist people with limited mobility, or other disabilities. While acknowledging the Curb-Cut Effect–the idea that designing for marginalized groups has benefits for everyone–I think it’s worth considering not automating and robotizing everything. One good reason is demonstrated in the show: the gadgets are constantly breaking down. Why have a 2-hour-workweek if you’re going to waste your time repairing things? But since I mentioned it, let’s be sure we have Right to Repair laws in place for all those gadgets. 

The Jetsons presents us with the idea that a future with less work and physical labor and more free time might not make us happy. Which of course is true, but at the same time, we are so far away from having the Jetsons’ life. George works a very part-time schedule, but in present-day USA, workers report working 47 hours per week, on average. 

It’s unclear how much influence corporations wield in the Jetsons’ world, since George has an extremely light schedule, but his boss creates a very toxic work environment, firing and rehiring him frequently and using unnecessary surveillance. In our future, let’s get money out of politics, and ensure that corporations don’t have more power than labor organizations. This is completely doable since multiple efforts to strengthen labor unions, and decrease corporate influence in our government are already underway in Congress, some with bipartisan support.

Lastly, there is no explanation given in the TV show for why people live above the clouds in The Jetsons, but in the 1990 movie, it is revealed that pollution has made the surface of the Earth uninhabitable, prompting the relocation. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to suggest we find a solution to climate change before things are so bad we have to evacuate to the sky. Creating a new civilization above the clouds would run into some significant environmental and engineering challenges. Let’s put our efforts into prevention rather than cure.

The Jetsons, a product of the 1960s and 1990s, reminds us that we’ve come a long way in terms of gender roles and diversity (despite recent backslides), but we’ve also regressed in some ways. Income inequality has increased, public education has been weakened, and the expense of higher education has made it inaccessible for many people and left others with crippling debt. Labor unions’ power has decreased, corporate interests have unprecedented power and influence, and there is very little trust in government. So here is my proposal: Let’s take what we’ve done right in the past, add in and expand upon the progressive values most Americans share, and steal some good ideas from The Jetsons too. Let’s make America great again and then better than ever before, for everyone.▪

---

Very Unscientific Poll Results

---

Notes

Featured Picture: “Berlin to New York in less than One Hour!” written by Hugo Gernsback and illustrated by Frank R. Paul in the November 1931 issue of Everyday Science and Mechanics. (Volume 2, Number 12.) Original public domain image from Wikimedia Commons.

Title Reference: “Everything is Computer.” Trump’s Tesla Commercial at the White House.