Revolution In The Time Of Facebook Addiction – Part 11

The next day, the soldiers returned but early in the morning, as the rooster crowed. The street was filled with trucks and the din of machines of war. The soldiers went through every house, with people screaming and shouting, always followed by a sudden silence. There were no shots. But people were carried out lifeless, into the waiting trucks. Grandpa Scot was amongst them. The officer who spoke the previous day carried a loudspeaker again, saying “We are going to treat these people for Facebook addiction. If you know of any Facebook addicts, bring them to us so that we can help them”. Then they left.

The court room was full of light, the windows open and letting out the hum of the audience’s hushed conversations. The judge was late, but the defendants were huddled at the side, all in handcuffs and with iron chains around their ankles.

“All rise” said the court official. Everyone stood to their feet. There were nervous coughs, and a dim hush swept across the sun-filled room. The judge walked in, in his red, white and black garb. He had an air of deadly seriousness, despite his powdered wig. He looked at no-one, as if the audience was not of import, or as if he were an actor on a TV set, making sure to connect with only the devices that were relevant to his job, and not to the immediate audience. He hung a piece of paper loftily in the air, and took out his glasses as he did so, without deviating his gaze.

The crowd watched intently, with the occasional cough and throat clearing. They sat like this for a full ten minutes, before the judge suddenly turned, as if to acknowledge the presence of his audience. “Facebook addiction” he says, “is a symptom of society’s malaise. Society wanting better than peace and prosperity can afford. Wanting more than what is sustainable, what is rational and proportionate to its means. These Facebook addicts, they are spreading ideas that threaten the underpinnings of a sovereign nation, indivisible under our dear leader. They must be punished. And you must all understand that here, justice is to be done. Justice is to be seen to be done. And they will receive their just rewards.”