Foster Needs Help

Desperately

An entire country driven by fear of a third world war. A legion of citizens that blindly follow whatever they’re fed. One man who dares defy it. And between all, a little boy, confused and snared by the tension between his father and the rest of society. Philip K. Dick offers a view of a society that we say we’re better than… but are we really?

“Foster, You’re Dead” follows the story of Mike Foster, a young schoolboy who happens to be growing up in a society dominated by fear of war with the Soviet Union. His father, Bob, happens to be an “Anti-P,” someone who defies societal norms, but not in the way one might expect. Society expects everyone to contribute to the defense efforts against the inevitable war by possessing their own underground shelters, registering in the Civic Defense and contributing to the NATS, among other things. Is Bob wrong for going against the grain?

Summary in Brief

Having grown up in a society dominated by “Pro-P” people, Mike doesn’t see things the same way his father does. In fact, Mike seems to have constructed an identity that is obsessive over the one thing his family lacks: shelter. So much so that his identity at General Electronics, the salesplace of shelters, is “that damn kid who’s always pestering us.” But Mike is persistent, both towards the salespeople and his father.

Eventually, Bob acquiesces and decides to get the newest model of shelter and contributing to NATS. Consequently, Mike is no longer an outsider — in the words of his teacher, Mrs. Cummings, “You’re now a pro-P, except there’s no such term. You’re just — like everyone else.” Mike has the newfound confidence to match, and it seems that things are finally going his way. He spends countless hours in the shelter after school, where he could be “surrounded by everything he needed.”

Unfortunately for Mike, his family’s store just can’t keep up with bigger business, and his father is forced to sell the shelter to make ends meet. Mike doesn’t take this too well, though. The loss of the place he had found so dear in the past few months shatters him, and he runs off towards General Electronics in search of the shelter, his sanctuary, once more. It isn’t long until he is found there and thrown out by the employees, who see the business as just money.

With nowhere left to go, Mike Foster wanders the streets aimlessly. Mental breakdown . A truly terrible fate.

Wait WHAT’S WRONG WITH THIS SOCIETY

I don’t have real estate to cover certain very prominent issues such as planned obsolescence, the media driving a constant fear into the public, or even Bob’s accusation that society was slipping back into the middle ages. These would all deserve their own posts.

Let’s just see how capitalism and money triumphs so cleanly over ethics, common sense, and doing the right thing. Mike doesn’t have a permit for the school shelter, and his nightmares consist of him not having the 50 cents admission cost to the public shelter.

Let’s just stop and think about that for a second.

Soviet bombs and whatever are inbound, ready to completely destroy the United States as we know it. There’s a little boy in the street, alone and without anywhere else to go. If he doesn’t get inside, he’ll be vaporized by the incoming ordinance. But society will just let that happen, because he doesn’t have a permit or two quarters in pocket.

What would the gate attendant say? “Sorry kid, see you in another life?”

Here, PKD seems to be taking a very cynical stance towards capitalism, given how this society would rather see its youth perish than see a single (in the economics terminology) free-rider. Not to bash economists, but I must agree here: I don’t believe solving or preventing the free-rider problem has any merit in this situation. It shouldn’t be too difficult to find the basic human decency to allow a young child into a public shelter, especially since they would otherwise die. And if that 50 cents is really that important, just ask him to repay you later, or ask whether there are any good samaritans willing to part with a paltry two quarters.

That’s not to say that capitalism and the free-rider problem are literally the devil. I’m not here to rewrite the Communist Manifesto. There’s merit behind the theory, but as someone who’s done a fair bit of scientific experimentation, it seems quite obvious that theory and practice rarely mix. (Sidenote, has anyone written down this law? If not, I want to claim it)

Even more so, strictly adhering to such Draconian rules and regulations leaves no room for thought or empathy: the very things that makes us human and distinguish our species from all others. So as ridiculous as PKD made this society at first glance, I cannot disagree with what I’ve taken away from the story.

An Interesting Look into what Could have Been

To me, “Foster, You’re Dead” was a window into a different world, one that we wouldn’t hesitate to call out for its absurdity. But there are certain elements that frighten me, and others that have made me think twice about my preconceptions.

Hopefully I can cover some of the other prominent issues some other time, after finals are completely done.