User:Lara312/Hokley
This society idolizes John Lennon and Yoko Ono. This powerful couple was the creator of Arcadia. They believed in equality, peace and happiness and were determined to form a world were this could be achieved.
Government
The first generation of people in our society was genetically modified so that they wouldn’t be affected by diseases or other health issues, and for the population to stay stable by ensuring that people, at the age of 85, die a painless death (as it would be if it were from old age). John and Yoko created a serum called the octet, which consisted of genetic information. One gene was removed from John and inserted into the octet. For every generation, we inject the child with the highest musical IQ with this serum. This child is then taught, as of a certain age, how to be a leader. When this individual reaches the age of 25, he or she becomes the new Clef (the leader of the society). This process continues until someone gets injected with the portion of the serum that contains the special gene. This gene gives the person the capacity to find the 8th note of the octave. The reward for finding the 8th note, which is the goal of every citizen of Hokley, is the automatic royalty for the rest of this person’s family and his/her descendants. In other words, it will be that Clef’s descendants who will be the future Clefs.
For the stability of this society, Hokley is a socialist republic. Therefore, the Clef does not have full power. He does not make any decisions on his own but he has the final say. To assist him in his ruling, he can go consult the Chorus. The Chorus consists of 4 people of each fret. A fret is similar to a social class. There are four frets: the Lennons, of the highest ranking, The McCartneys, following the Lennons, then come the Starrs and the Harrisons. One child, one teenager, one adult and one older of each one of these frets sits on the Chorus board. They each give their opinions to the Clef to assist him in his decision-making. The Clef is, however, the only person who is fully aware of the way this society functions. In other words, the Clef is informed, by the former Clef, during his "training", of the way Arcadia is controlled to avoid conflict, disease and economic problems.
Mini Constitution
• All citizens are obliged to follow the law.
• “Imagine no possessions, I wonder if you can, no need for greed or hunger, a brotherhood of man.” As John said, everybody is equal and each fret needs to respect the other.
• John Lennon is to be seen as the founding father of Arcadia.
• Citizens must respect all other citizens’ personal space and belongings.
• One’s liberty stops where the other’s begins.
• At the age of 18 one is legally responsible for his/her actions and therefore allowed to fly his/her own jet.
• A woman is permitted to have between one and four children. After her fourth child, the woman will be sterilized.
• If one breaks the law a consequent punishment is to follow.
• A full education is obligatory.
• Every person practicing a life-saving profession is obliged to come to the rescue if encountering an emergency.
Consequences
There are four levels of severity:
• Level 1: the crimes consist of traffic violations and flying a jet under the age of 18 and the punishment is a fine to pay as well as 10 hours of community service. • Level 2: the crimes consist of rebellion such as not attending school or skipping melodia sessions even if one feels that they are not in a stable state of mind. • Level 3: the crimes consist of physical violence and the punishment is a night in a police station cell, 15 hours of community service and additional melodia sessions. • Level 4: the crimes consist of disrespect towards John Lennon, avoiding sterilization (for women) and ignoring an urgent situation in which your help is needed (ex: a doctor at the scene of an accident). The punishment for such crimes is a prison sentence for a specific amount of time, depending on the situation. The prison is located under the island (underwater).
Technology
Our society is mainly based on hyperrealism because when we give the population what it craves, it is easier to control them and therefore also easier to maintain a happy and stable society. However, some of the alienationists’ ideas inspired us as well. For example, we do not want our population to be completely absorbed in the virtual. To make sure that family values community togetherness stay intact, every day after school hours, there is a period where families spend time together outside of the home, and with the rest of the community.
Technology is a big part of our society since it is somewhat futuristic. However, because we want to isolate the island to avoid rebellions and instability, internet is limited and censured in this area. This is done so that our population does not encounter other ways of living and thinking which might conflict with our system.
The technology that is most used in our society is that of transportation and lifestyle. To save space on our island and to conserve biodiversity, the homes are built “in the air” (see picture), jets/jetpacks are used as a form of transportation, magnetic bands are used as roads in the air and submarines run on water (under the lake). As the years pass and technology becomes more and more advanced, it is used increasingly more often to control money (online banking, ATM, credit card). In our society, cash does not exist. Everybody who is of the legal age has all their identification information (replacement of the traditional passport) as well as money in a personal account that can be opened with the scan of their finger. They use their fingerprints to make payments, and for children until the age of 20, the maximal withdrawal amount can be controlled by the parents.
Since Arcadia wants its people to feel equal in the society on all levels. In other words, the entire population will be paid the same salary, all professions are seen as equally important and each person has an indispensable role in the society. To make sure that everybody feels comfortable in their life and position, from a young age, the music that the citizens listen to is modified with subliminal messaging. This means that below the music is a hidden message, depending on the person’s fret, telling them to respect all other frets and see them as equal to their own. This method ensures stability, avoids war and rebellion as well as a sense of pride yet keeps the people humble. We also use conditioning to make sure that all the women are comfortable with the child limits[1]. This method is called Melodia.
If one misses a session of Melodia, they are obliged to attend an intensive session, to make up for the one they missed. If one repeatedly and purposely misses sessions, and if the government judges that there is a conspiratorial idea behind it, this citizen will be quietly and secretly eliminated[2].
Economy
Arcadia can provide certain resources (water, resin, fish, sea plants, cereals, vegetables) but it is not self sufficient. Therefore, we have created other islands, around the world, in various climate zones, to assure the production of all our society’s necessities.
The equal repartition of jobs is assured by the fact that our citizens are assigned their professions. In addition, our society’s lifestyle creates many job opportunities. For example, the underwater greenhouses that we use for medicine, fabrication of plastic (resin) and food, require many attendants. Also, our high-tech transportation necessitates many engineers.
All individuals are paid equally because Hokley wants its people to feel equal in the society on all levels. The state pays for education, housing and transportation. Therefore, the salary that our citizens earn is exclusively used for luxuries such as clothing and daily essentials such as food. Once a person passes away, the money that they leave behind is returned to the state to assure the financing of the basic needs of the following generation. Consequently, the fact that the state guarantees all elementary services to their population, demotes consumption.
Education
School starts at the age of 6. First comes elementary school where the basics of music are taught (which includes theory, instrumental education and singing), reading and writing are also covered, as well as simple science. Once a student enters high school, musical history is introduced, science becomes slightly more complex and math classes begin as well. Throughout all of elementary school and high school, to keep the population healthy and in shape, there is a gym class every day and, to stimulate their creativity, art classes also occur on a daily basis. According to which fret a person belongs to, as well as their results from a psychometric test, they are assigned a profession that they will study after high school at The Symphony. The students are streamed depending on their jobs, and study the corresponding number of years (ex: a future doctor will study for 7 years, a lawyer for 4 and a public service employee for 2).
Ecology
Our transportation is very environmentally friendly! Our jet packs run on water as do our submarines (which are used as public transport and to import resources from our outside islands). Our roads for the jets are magnetic bands that repulse the magnet on the jets. This links the two together and a propeller on the back of the jets assures the movement. These magnetic roads avoid collisions and respect the environment. Our homes are built of glass on “poles” to conserve biodiversity, save space on the island and the light that penetrates the homes is used for solar energy for the house. If the weather does not permit the use of solar energy, then sound waves, created by music, replace this source of energy.