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From: ugcherk@sunybcs.UUCP
Newsgroups: alt.cyberpunk,rec.arts.sf-lovers
Subject: Re: Future Police Speculations Needed
Message-ID: <6201@sunybcs.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 30-Oct-87 15:20:32 EST
Article-I.D.: sunybcs.6201
Posted: Fri Oct 30 15:20:32 1987
Date-Received: Sat, 31-Oct-87 16:39:39 EST
References: <1463@haddock.ISC.COM> <1824@trex.rutgers.edu> <23473AE4@PSUVMA> <1948@clash.rutgers.edu>
Sender: nobody@sunybcs.UUCP
Reply-To: ugcherk@joey.UUCP (Kevin Cherkauer)
Distribution: alt.cyberpunk
Organization: SUNY/Buffalo Computer Science
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Xref: hoptoad alt.cyberpunk:135 rec.arts.sf-lovers:8268
Summary: A Street-Level Anarchy

Keywords:

I think the aspects of the police force would depending on the degree of
technocyber permiation throughout the society. If the world is to be
Gibsonesque, then its inhabitants will literally be drowning in cyber tech.,
crushed under an avalanch of it. The society gets so complicated that people
on the streets are literally in another sub-world, and trying to police the
basic anarchy of the street-level existence becomes pointless and futile.

If the shear amount of computer technology present in Gibson's novels is also
present in your world, then I don't see the police as being much of a factor
at all. The gangs, cowboys, mobs, corporates, etc. become the whole society,
(Bye-bye white pickett fences:-) at least in the urban centers. The society
just flows as it will, pretty much without any centra "legal" control. I didn't
notice any mention of police in _Neuromancer_ nor _Count Zero_. Maybe I am
wrong about this, but from my personal preferences I have built my mental model
of Gibson's world without the presence of police. Any "government" would be
pretty impotent at the street level and would know better than to try to
meddle.

So if there are to be police in your world, I would not make a big enough thing
out of them to even have to describe any special gizmos and tactics that they
might use.

 --                               --  Kev  --                                --
                
SPOCK: "I suggest we use Truth Serum, Captain!"

NAAAAAWWW. Why don't we just put his brain in a tractor beam and DRAG the truth
  out of him?!
 
..sunybcs!ugcherk                           "Hey, man... What planet is this?"