place@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU (11/04/85)
Ok, so my children threw a tantrum Friday night, but they threw it during the first story on Twilight Zone. Please tell me (go ahead and explain it in complete detail, if you want) what happened? I saw the beginning with the parents worried their son would fail the intelligence test. I don't recall hearing anything about what happens if you fail the test. I saw the parts where the boy shows that he's really like you and me, except he's more sensitive and likes books a lot more. Of course, these is way ahead of the nerdy civilization around him. I saw him go in to take his test. The next thing I know they're calling the parents telling them their son failed the test and was destroyed/terminated/whatever. QUESTION: What did I miss? If the answer is nothing, then I feel cheated by that particular episode. Otherwise, what I saw of it was pretty good. I also liked the second story, but I thought it was way too long. Of course, it might not have been as good if it was shorter either. Denise University of Illinois The Super Computing Illini
pking@uiucuxc.CSO.UIUC.EDU (11/05/85)
I too watched this episode and while not really puzzled, you didn't miss anything, other than the voice calling them and saying there son's intelligence was HIGHER than normal, or HIGHER than the government allowed, and I think the parents realized this before he went in to take the test, they made the comment, something like he's different , or something. I felt cheated as well, and that part of the show generally left me feeling awful. (It could be that I have kids and would hate one of them to be killed simply for being brighter than average) Anyway, I think I might pass on future twlight zones if they are all like that.
9222wl@hou2a.UUCP (W.LEE) (11/07/85)
You saw the entire story. I think the point was that the child was too intellegent (threatening?) to the society and had to be destroyed. Any other thoughts? Diane Wilkerson ..!ihnp4!hobcms!hopd4!dvw <- this is not where the article was sent from!!
sint@ihlpl.UUCP (Marguerite Czajka) (11/07/85)
> You saw the entire story. I think the point was that the child was too > intellegent (threatening?) to the society and had to be destroyed. > Any other thoughts? > > Diane Wilkerson end that it was bad too do well. Unless, like me, you read that story somewhere. Does anyone know who wrote it? Marguerite ...!ihnp4!iwvaf!maggie2
sint@ihlpl.UUCP (Marguerite Czajka) (11/07/85)
> You saw the entire story. I think the point was that the child was too > intellegent (threatening?) to the society and had to be destroyed. > Any other thoughts? > > Diane Wilkerson That's what I got out of it too. The twist was that you didn't know until the end that it was bad to do well. Unless, like me, you read that story somewhere. Does anyone know who wrote it? Sorry this was posted twice - the first time it got messed up - it's hard to type with a kitten trying to help! Marguerite ...!ihnp4!iwvaf!maggie2 *** REPLACE THIS LINE WITH YOUR MESSAGE ***
brown@nicmad.UUCP (11/07/85)
In article <19200047@uiucdcs> place@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU writes: > >Ok, so my children threw a tantrum Friday night, but they threw it >during the first story on Twilight Zone. Please tell me (go ahead >and explain it in complete detail, if you want) what happened? [netter then goes on to ask why the kid was killed for failing the exam] Well, I asked why the kid was killed because he was too intelligent. There is a maximum IQ level that anyone can have. I figure that the government doesn't want any genius people around, so that that can't cause any trouble. So, the test is to find out who have IQs above a certain level. If they do, they are killed. The kid passed his test with flying colors. Sure makes for a society that won't go anywhere. Very stagnent. Any other ideas, anyone? BTW, in my last article about that night's stories, I called the girl in the next story Chasity. I have been corrected. I should have said her name was Charity. Boy, what one letter would do, especially when it wasn't even a typo, but a mental. -- Mr. Video {seismo!uwvax|decvax|ihnp4}!nicmad!brown
dday@gymble.UUCP (Dennis Doubleday) (11/08/85)
In article <19200047@uiucdcs> place@uiucdcs.CS.UIUC.EDU writes: > >Ok, so my children threw a tantrum Friday night, but they threw it >during the first story on Twilight Zone. Please tell me (go ahead >and explain it in complete detail, if you want) what happened? >I saw the beginning with the parents worried their son would fail >the intelligence test. I don't recall hearing anything about what >happens if you fail the test. I saw the parts where the boy shows >that he's really like you and me, except he's more sensitive and >likes books a lot more. Of course, these is way ahead of the nerdy >civilization around him. I saw him go in to take his test. The >next thing I know they're calling the parents telling them their >son failed the test and was destroyed/terminated/whatever. >QUESTION: What did I miss? If the answer is nothing, then I feel The point of the episode was that they were living under a future totalitarian government that had decided that people who were too intelligent were a danger to the government. So the kid was killed for doing TOO WELL on the exam. It was predicatable but well done and economically told. Presumably there would be a privileged class (there always is) associated with those in power who are exempt from taking the test. -- UUCP: seismo!umcp-cs!dday Dennis Doubleday CSNet: dday@umcp-cs University of Maryland ARPA: dday@gymble.umd.edu College Park, MD 20742 Fan of: Chicago Cubs, Chicago Bears, OU Sooners (301) 454-4247
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (11/08/85)
In article <396@ihlpl.UUCP> sint@ihlpl.UUCP (Marguerite Czajka) writes: >That's what I got out of it too. The twist was that you didn't know until the >end that it was bad to do well. Unless, like me, you read that story somewhere. >Does anyone know who wrote it? The credits stated, I believe, "From a story by Henry Slesar"; the name is vaguely familiar as an old-line SF writer. I might have it misspelled. Will
tim@ISM780B.UUCP (11/12/85)
I didn't see that show, but from the description of it here and in an earlier note it sounds a lot like a science fiction story called "Examination Day". If the TZ episode was based on this story, then what happened was the the childs IQ was above the legal maximum, and the kid is terminated. I am pretty sure that the story is in a collection called "The Playboy Science Fiction Reader", or something like that. Tim Smith Wherever!ima!ism780!ism780b!tim ihnp4!cithep!tim
rlr@pyuxd.UUCP (Rich Rosen) (11/13/85)
>> You saw the entire story. I think the point was that the child was too >> intellegent (threatening?) to the society and had to be destroyed. >> Any other thoughts? >> Diane Wilkerson > That's what I got out of it too. The twist was that you didn't know until the > end that it was bad to do well. Unless, like me, you read that story > somewhere. Does anyone know who wrote it? > Marguerite Didn't Kurt Vonnegut write a story about a futuristic society in which (according to bery high numbered amendments to the Constitution), nobody could be smarter than you, or better lookin' than you, etc. And if you were too smart, you had to wear a "radio" (i.e., a loud set of headphones). Forgive me if my recollection is vague or inaccurate, I did NOT read this story, I had seen it in a PBS Vonnegut anthology called "Between Time and Timbuktu". What story/book was this actually from? (Replies by mail, please, as I rarely read net.tv.) -- And now, a hidden satanic message: _ 9L|^6| _ W6Vn|na| 622 Rich Rosen ihnp4!pyuxd!rlr