Player Piano- Passage Analysis

I'll go with the play. Just because it's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. Just a little peculiar. The whole thing is obvious propaganda, and to me it was so blatantly pointless and false at first I had to read it again before I could even comprehend how the others could accept it and believe that the managers were saviors. Quite frankly, I'm not so sure I'd use it or something like it to a crowd unless it was significantly tweaked.

My complaints have to do with the fact that the focus of the prosecution was less focused on how the civilians felt rather than the physical numbers. Now, if there was no need to really buy anything then a drop in pay would seem a little less outrageous. However, if the prosecution focused more on the fact that there was a large drop in public image, that most of Americans were dissatisfied, that most people were not happy in the least, then it might have been a little more apparent that there was a bit of a problem at hand. There isn't any point in progress if the progress doesn't make the people happy. Unlike computers, humans have feelings. This is probably why the Star Manager forbid any emotional evidence, because everything looked better in numbers. God forbid the managers have to suffer from emotional dissent (or rather, a soul). Of course, the prosecution only whines that managers are paid more than workers. Weak.

On the other hand, the defense states a whole lot of numbers. Numbers, that's all. More fridges, TV's, cars, and automatic toilets, I'm sure, than the rest of the world. The only flaw with referencing Caesar in the defense's speech is that even the poorest feller in today's world is infinitely better than he would be hundreds of years ago. Public advancements are beneficial to everyone, and I sure would hope that we've improved technology since Caesar's time. The only real qualifier with an ancient ruler comparison is luxury, really. The ability to have these extra items, though, is nothing if the people don't really enjoy them. If progression was strictly numerical, in terms of what should make someone happy, then the Benefactor and Beatty ought to be celebrated as wonderful heroes. Moreover, Caesar had plenty of fun bossing his people around, throwing them to the lions and such, being a real leader. Quite frankly, he was probably happier than most of the people in that automated world of technological America. (Of course, the assassins put a minor damper on his leadership, but aside from that, he's probably laughing at Ilium.) This seems to stress that the only factor important in progress is if the numbers are bigger at the end of the process than at the beginning.

I also laugh at the statement that the boss of the managers is really John Averageman. That one was the biggest laugh in the entire comedy routine. I highly doubt that the consumer really concerns himself with dictating to the managers what should be made. The managers call for construction and then it is sold to us by hitting us over the head with a hammer until we buy buy buy buy buy. McDonald's sells us burgers; we did not ask for meat, cheese and veggies between bread to the response of a fast food chain scampering up, begging to grant them the privilege of feeding us. They sell burgers to us. End of fairy tale. When they think of something new, they tell us it's better and just buy the thing. Most of them try to show up other restaurants by adding their own spin on a classic, which sometimes is the spin that makes it trash. Furthermore, if the managers can brag that they're getting a bigger paycheck solely to produce more for the Averageman, I'll assume that these engineers pay for company projects out of pocket. If they are, that's reason #592 to get rid of the system because workers shouldn't be paying to work for someone. If they don't, then I'd love to find out where those rich engineers spend their thousands of dollars. Balls and dances? Country clubs? Grand cuisine and a wonderful cruise or two? Yeah, that really helps out John Averageman, enduring a cruise around the ocean. It would be so terrible if the engineers weren't happy enough to do their job.

Really, the whole play makes a weak argument from the prosecution and a load of rubbish from the defense. Materialistic improvements come at the expense of personal pride and entertainment, and that's really no improvement. Quite frankly, the whole thing is just a single reason for why there was even an automation revolution in the first place, and a poor excuse at that. Plus, the reasoning behind the bigger paycheck for engineers seems to stress the fact that something's not right. The fact that this was cheered so darn much makes you almost want to pity the poor fellas who have no clue how to run a country. Vonnegut really put a lot of emphasis on making this terribly ridiculous and obviously fake.